Consumption of water containing a high concentration of molecular hydrogen reduces oxidative stress and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an open-label pilot study.

Abstract

Twenty patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) consumed 530 ml of hydrogen-rich water at 4–5 ppm daily over a 4-week period, followed by a 4-week washout and a second 4-week intake phase. Urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative DNA damage, declined by an average of 14.3% (p<0.01), while the DAS28 disease activity score fell from 3.83 to 3.02 (p<0.01) during the first drinking period. In the second drinking phase, DAS28 further decreased from 2.83 to 2.26 (p<0.01). Notably, all 5 patients with early-stage RA (disease duration under 12 months) who were negative for anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs) achieved clinical remission, with 4 becoming symptom-free by study end. These findings indicate that molecular hydrogen, acting as a selective hydroxyl radical scavenger, may reduce systemic oxidative stress and improve clinical outcomes in RA patients.

Mechanism

Molecular hydrogen acts as a selective scavenger of hydroxyl radicals, reducing oxidative DNA damage as measured by urinary 8-OHdG, which is proposed to attenuate the inflammatory processes underlying rheumatoid arthritis and lower disease activity scores.