Hydrogen gas: from clinical medicine to an emerging ergogenic molecule for sports athletes

Abstract

H2 has been clinically demonstrated to provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which makes it an attractive agent in exercise medicine. Although exercise provides a multiplicity of benefits including decreased risk of disease, it can also have detrimental effects. For example, chronic high-intensity exercise in elite athletes, or sporadic bouts of exercise (i.e., noxious exercise) in untrained individuals, result in similar pathological factors such as inflammation, oxidation, and cellular damage that arise from and result in disease. Paradoxically, exercise-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species largely mediate the benefits of exercise. Ingestion of conventional antioxidants and anti-inflammatories often impairs exercise-induced training adaptations. Disease and noxious forms of exercise promote redox dysregulation and chronic inflammation, changes that are mitigated by H2 administration. Beneficial exercise and H2 administration promote cytoprotective hormesis, mitochondrial biogenesis, ATP production, increased NAD+/NADH ratio, cytoprotective phase II enzymes, heat-shock proteins, sirtuins, etc. We review the biomedical effects of exercise and those of H2, and we propose that hydrogen may act as an exercise mimetic and redox adaptogen, potentiate the benefits from beneficial exercise, and reduce the harm from noxious exercise. However, more research is warranted to elucidate the potential ergogenic and therapeutic effects of H2 in exercise medicine.

A New Approach for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disorders. Molecular Hydrogen Significantly Reduces the Effects of Oxidative Stress

“…The solubility of H 2 is 1.56 mg/L at standard ambient temperature and pressure (SATP). Although 1.6 mg in 1 L solution initially appears insignificant, the number of “therapeutic moles” (i.e., H 2 ) is greater than the number of “therapeutic moles” (i.e., vitamin C) in a 100 mg dose of vitamin C (i.e., 0.78 millimoles vs. 0.56 millimoles) due to the differences in molar mass [108]. Moreover, some H 2 -producing tablets can supersaturated the water, delivering more than five mg of H 2 per tablet [107].…”

<p>The Effects of 24-Week, High-Concentration Hydrogen-Rich Water on Body Composition, Blood Lipid Profiles and Inflammation Biomarkers in Men and Women with Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial</p>

“…9 H 2 has been proposed to act as an exercise mimetic and redox adaptogen via activating hormetic pathways. 10 Inhalation of H 2 gas suppressed brain damage induced by middle-cerebral artery occlusion in rats, 11 and improved cognitive scores and reduced brain injury in patients with acute cerebral infarction. 12 Additionally, H 2 gas dissolved in water to make H 2 -rich water (HRW) has also been shown to have therapeutic and ergogenic effects in pre-clinical and clinical studies 10,13 such as, mild cognitive impairments, 14 metabolic syndrome, 15 and submaximal exercises.…”

“…10 Inhalation of H 2 gas suppressed brain damage induced by middle-cerebral artery occlusion in rats, 11 and improved cognitive scores and reduced brain injury in patients with acute cerebral infarction. 12 Additionally, H 2 gas dissolved in water to make H 2 -rich water (HRW) has also been shown to have therapeutic and ergogenic effects in pre-clinical and clinical studies 10,13 such as, mild cognitive impairments, 14 metabolic syndrome, 15 and submaximal exercises. 10,16,17 Furthermore, as has been reviewed recently, 5 molecular hydrogen may be a novel approach for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.…”

“…12 Additionally, H 2 gas dissolved in water to make H 2 -rich water (HRW) has also been shown to have therapeutic and ergogenic effects in pre-clinical and clinical studies 10,13 such as, mild cognitive impairments, 14 metabolic syndrome, 15 and submaximal exercises. 10,16,17 Furthermore, as has been reviewed recently, 5 molecular hydrogen may be a novel approach for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. For example, as illustrated in the recent review, 5 H 2 attenuates radiationinduced heart disease and myocardial ischemiareperfusion injury in rats by decreasing inflammation, apoptosis, sarcoplasmic and oxidative stress, and by regulating microRNAs and autophagy.…”

“…Despite hydrogen's ability to ostensibly induce hormesis, and therefore potentially elicit adverse effects, there are no studies either in cells, animals, or humans, even at very high doses, where clear adverse effects have been reported. 10 We therefore evaluated the effects of 24-week intervention with highconcentration HRW on body composition, blood lipid profiles and inflammation biomarkers in men and women with metabolic syndrome.…”