Hydrogen Water Protects Brain from Electromagnetic Radiation Damage
- Authors
- Long Ma, Shuo Tian, Hai-Ling Zhang, Jing-Yi Wang, Jia-Wen Wang, Hong-Li Yan, Xu-Guang Hu, Qi Shao, Jia-Ming Guo
- Journal
- Frontiers in Public Health
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1103022
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Electromagnetic Radiation Exposure
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water can reduce anxiety and brain damage in rats exposed to high levels of electromagnetic radiation.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water reduced anxiety-like behavior and brain cell damage in rats exposed to intense electromagnetic radiation, with protective effects appearing to work through antioxidant pathways in the brain.
Summary
Researchers exposed rats to a type of high-intensity electromagnetic radiation known to damage the brain, then tested whether hydrogen-rich water could protect against this damage. Rats that drank hydrogen-rich water before and after exposure showed less anxiety-like behavior, less damage to brain cells in key regions, and changes in brain chemistry that suggested protection against the radiation's harmful effects.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen water may protect against a specific type of severe electromagnetic radiation damage. However, the study was conducted only in rats, the relevance to everyday electromagnetic exposure in humans is unclear, and no human trials have been conducted. Much more research would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about hydrogen water's protective effects in people.
Abstract
Background: Excessive doses of electromagnetic radiation pose a negative impact on the central nervous system and lead to mental disorders. Molecular hydrogen can scavenge intracellular hydroxyl radicals, acting as an antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory agent. We seek to assess the capability of molecular hydrogen to ameliorate brain damage induced by electromagnetic radiation. Methods: NEMP (nuclear electromagnetic pulse), a subset of electromagnetic pulse with high voltage value that could cause severe brain injury, was applied to this study. Male wild-type rats were divided into four groups: the control group, the H2 (Molecular hydrogen) group, the NEMP group and the NEMP+H2 group. Rats in the H2 group and the NEMP+H2 group were fed with saturated hydrogen-rich water from 3 days before NEMP exposure (electromagnetic field intensity 400 kV/m, rising edge 20 ns and pulse width 200 ns) to the day of sacrifice. One day after exposure, animal behavior experiments were performed, and samples for transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis were collected. Seven days after exposure, histopathological experiments were conducted. Results: The data from the elevated plus maze and the open field test showed that NEMP exposure elicited anxiety-like behavior in rats, which could be alleviated by H2 treatment. Histopathological results manifested that NEMP exposure-induced injuries of the neurons in the hippocampus and amygdala could be attenuated by H2 treatment. Transcriptomic results revealed that NEMP exposure had a profound effect on microtubule structure in the brain. And the combined analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics showed that H2 has a significant impact on the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, synaptic vesicle cycle and synapse etc. Moreover, it was indicated that the glutathione metabolic pathway played a vital role in the NEMP exposure-induced damage and the protective activity of H2. Conclusions: H2 is identified as a potent agent against NEMP exposure-induced brain damage and has the potential to be a promising electromagnetic radiation protectant.