Hydrogen Therapy Shows Promise for Alzheimer's Disease Treatment
- Authors
- Jiaxuan He, Fan Liu, Ting Xu, Jiahui Ma, Haiyang Yu, Jing Zhao, Yanyan Xie, Li Luo, Qinsi Yang, Ting Lou, He Luqing, Da Sun
- Journal
- Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115807
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists think hydrogen might help treat Alzheimer's disease by reducing harmful damage in the brain caused by something called oxidative stress, which is one of the main things that causes Alzheimer's to get worse. This matters because current medicines don't work very well and have bad side effects, so finding a new natural treatment could really help people with this disease.
Key Finding
Hydrogen therapy shows theoretical promise as a non-drug approach to Alzheimer's disease by potentially targeting oxidative stress and multiple disease mechanisms, though clinical evidence in humans remains limited.
Summary
This review article examines how hydrogen therapy might help treat Alzheimer's disease, a brain condition that causes memory loss and cognitive decline. The authors discuss how hydrogen may work by reducing oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) and affecting several disease processes in the brain, and they outline different ways hydrogen could be delivered to patients. However, this is a review of existing research rather than a new study with results.
Practical Takeaway
While this review suggests hydrogen may have mechanisms that could benefit Alzheimer's patients, it is not based on human clinical trials and the authors themselves note that further clinical studies are needed. Anyone interested in hydrogen therapy for Alzheimer's should understand that evidence in humans is still very early, and this should not replace established medical treatments.
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder predominantly affecting the elderly. While conventional pharmacological therapies remain the primary treatment for AD, their efficacy is limited effectiveness and often associated with significant side effects. This underscores the urgent need to explore alternative, non-pharmacological interventions. Oxidative stress has been identified as a central player in AD pathology, influencing various aspects including amyloid-beta metabolism, tau phosphorylation, autophagy, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and synaptic dysfunction. Among the emerging non-drug approaches, hydrogen therapy has garnered attention for its potential in mitigating these pathological conditions. This review provides a comprehensively overview of the therapeutic potential of hydrogen in AD. We delve into its mechanisms of action, administration routes, and discuss the current challenges and future prospects, with the aim of providing valuable insights to facilitate the clinical application of hydrogen-based therapies in AD management.