Hydrogen Water Improves Memory and Reduces Brain Inflammation in Study
- Authors
- Jiaxuan He, Peiye Xu, Ting Xu, Haiyang Yu, Lei Wang, Rongbing Chen, Kun Zhang, Yueliang Yao, Yanyan Xie, Qinsi Yang, Wu Wei, Da Sun, Dejan Wu
- Journal
- Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1515092
- Study Type
- Zebrafish
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water improved memory and mood, decreased harmful brain deposits, and balanced gut bacteria in a fish model of Alzheimer's disease.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water significantly reduced amyloid-beta protein buildup and improved cognitive and behavioral symptoms in a zebrafish model of Alzheimer's disease, while also reducing brain inflammation and oxidative stress.
Summary
Researchers used zebrafish (a common laboratory model organism) to test whether hydrogen-rich water could help treat Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms. They exposed zebrafish to a chemical that causes Alzheimer's-like damage, then gave some of them hydrogen-rich water. The treated fish showed improvements in memory and mood, had less buildup of harmful proteins in their brains, experienced less inflammation and oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules), and had healthier gut bacteria.
Practical Takeaway
While these results are promising, this study was conducted only in zebrafish, not humans. The findings suggest hydrogen-rich water may warrant further investigation in mammalian models before any conclusions can be drawn about its potential use in people with Alzheimer's disease. Much more research would be needed to determine if these effects translate to humans.
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder, with amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregation playing a key role in its pathogenesis. Aβ-induced oxidative stress leads to neuronal damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis, making antioxidative strategies promising for AD treatment. This study investigates the effects of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) in a zebrafish AD model. Zebrafish were exposed to aluminum chloride to induce AD-like pathology and then treated with HRW using a nanobubble device. Behavioral assays, ELISA, Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neutrophil fluorescence labeling were employed to assess HRW's impact. Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing analyzed HRW's effect on gut microbiota. HRW can significantly improve cognitive impairment and depression-like behavior in zebrafish AD model, reduce Aβ deposition (p < 0.0001), regulate liver Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) levels (p < 0.05), reduce neuroinflammation, and reduce oxidative stress. Furthermore, HRW reduced the number of harmful bacteria linked to AD pathology by restoring the balance of microbiota in the gut. These findings suggest that HRW has potential as a therapeutic strategy for AD by targeting oxidative stress, inflammation, and gut-brain axis modulation.