# The protective effect of hydrogen-rich water on rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
> 水素水摂取が2型糖尿病ラットの脂質・糖代謝、酸化ストレスおよび炎症に与える保護的影響


## Abstract

Using a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) established by combining a high-fat diet with low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) injection, this study examined the effects of hydrogen-rich water (HW, ≥1.0 ppm) consumed ad libitum over 3 weeks. Compared with diabetic controls drinking distilled water, HW-treated animals showed significant reductions in blood glucose, total cholesterol, oxidative stress biomarkers, and inflammatory indicators. Histological analysis via HE and Oil Red O staining further revealed attenuation of pathological changes in the liver, kidney, and spleen. These findings suggest that daily HW intake may help mitigate metabolic dysregulation and organ dysfunction associated with T2DM, supporting the rationale for further investigation in clinical settings.

### Mechanism

HW is proposed to selectively scavenge reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing oxidative stress and suppressing downstream inflammatory signaling, which collectively contributes to improved lipid and glucose metabolic profiles in diabetic animals.

## Bibliographic

- **Authors**: Zheng M, Yu HS, Xue Y, Yang T, Tu Q, Xiong K, et al.
- **Journal**: Mol Cell Biochem
- **Year**: 2021
- **PMID**: [33830396](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33830396/)
- **DOI**: [10.1007/s11010-021-04145-x](https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-021-04145-x)
- **Study type**: animal study
- **Delivery route**: hydrogen-rich water
- **Effect reported**: positive

## Delivery context

Hydrogen-rich water is a low-risk delivery route, but the achievable systemic hydrogen dose is bounded. For clinical applications, inhalation is the most efficient route; inhalation, however, carries explosion risk, and concentration matters (empirical LFL of 10% applies to inhalation environments; high-concentration devices are documented in the Consumer Affairs Agency accident database and are not recommended).

## Safety notes

Hydrogen-rich water is a low-risk delivery route, but the achievable systemic hydrogen dose is bounded. For clinical applications, inhalation is the most efficient route; inhalation, however, carries explosion risk, and concentration matters (empirical LFL of 10% applies to inhalation environments; high-concentration devices are documented in the Consumer Affairs Agency accident database and are not recommended).

See also:
- [Inhalation concentration and LFL / UFL](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/inhalation-concentration)
- [Consumer Affairs Agency accident cases](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/accident-cases)
- [Inhalation safety threshold lineage](https://h2-papers.org/en/safety-notes/lineage)

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> **Cite as**: H2 Papers — PMID 33830396. https://h2-papers.org/en/papers/33830396
> **Source**: PubMed PMID [33830396](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33830396/)