Hydrogen Water Protects Brain Function in Liver Disease Study
- Authors
- Xujiao Wang, Xiao Liu, Peng Zhou, Jianguo Feng, Jing Jia, Bingqing Xie, Ye Chen, Jun Zhou
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-025-02891-2
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Hepatic Encephalopathy
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking water enriched with hydrogen gas may help improve brain function and reduce damage in rats with a liver-related brain disorder.
Key Finding
In rats with liver-induced brain disease, hydrogen-rich water reduced blood ammonia levels, decreased brain inflammation and oxidative stress, and prevented brain cell death.
Summary
Researchers gave rats a chemical that damages the liver and causes hepatic encephalopathy (a brain condition that develops when the liver fails). They then treated some rats with hydrogen-rich water and found that it improved the rats' behavior, reduced ammonia levels in their blood, and reduced damage to both liver and brain tissue. The protective effects appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules (oxidative stress), decreasing inflammation, and preventing brain cell death.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage rat study, so results cannot yet be applied to humans with hepatic encephalopathy. The findings suggest hydrogen-rich water may have protective effects through multiple biological pathways, but clinical trials in humans would be needed to determine if these benefits translate to actual therapeutic use in patients with liver disease.
Abstract (excerpt)
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a neuropsychiatric complication secondary to liver cirrhosis and hepatic failure, represents the leading cause of mortality in end-stage liver disease. While hyperammonemia remains the central pathogenic factor in HE progression, emerging evidence implicates oxidative…