Effects of alkaline-electrolyzed and hydrogen-rich water, in a high-fat-diet nonalcoholic fatty liver disease mouse model.

Abstract

This animal study examined the effects of alkaline electrolyzed water (EAW) and hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice. EAW (pH 11, oxidation-reduction potential −495 mV, H2 0.2 mg/L) produced no significant differences compared with regular water in either normal-diet or HFD groups. Subsequent experiments comparing low-concentration HRW (L-HRW: 0.3 mg H2/L) and high-concentration HRW (H-HRW: 0.8 mg H2/L) revealed that H-HRW significantly reduced fat mass accumulation, increased lean body mass, and decreased hepatic lipid deposition (p<0.01) relative to regular water and L-HRW. Hepatocytes isolated from H-HRW-drinking mice also showed reduced lipid accumulation under palmitate overload conditions, indicating a direct cytoprotective role of molecular hydrogen. These findings suggest that H2 concentration is a critical determinant of efficacy and that molecular hydrogen is the principal bioactive component responsible for the observed hepatoprotective effects in EAW.

Mechanism

Molecular hydrogen at sufficient concentration (0.8 mg/L) directly reduces hepatocyte lipid accumulation and confers cytoprotection against palmitate-induced lipotoxicity, thereby attenuating high-fat-diet-driven hepatic steatosis in a concentration-dependent manner.