Biological Effects of Hydrogen Water on Subjects with NAFLD: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Abstract

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 30 individuals with NAFLD who consumed hydrogen-rich water (HRW) for 8 weeks. Non-significant favorable trends were observed in body weight reduction (approximately 1 kg) and BMI in the HRW group. Liver enzyme levels remained stable, while lipid profiles and lactate dehydrogenase showed improvement trends. Markers of inflammation and cellular stress—including NF-κB, heat shock protein 70, and matrix metalloproteinase-9—tended to decrease without reaching statistical significance. Notably, mild non-significant increases in 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and malondialdehyde were detected in the HRW group, which the authors interpret as potentially reflecting a hormetic response to molecular hydrogen preceding more pronounced clinical benefits seen in longer-duration studies. Overall, HRW was well-tolerated, and the observed trends support further investigation in extended trials.

Mechanism

Hydrogen-rich water may exert selective antioxidant effects, suppressing inflammatory and cellular stress mediators such as NF-κB, HSP70, and MMP-9. A mild transient rise in oxidative markers (8-OHdG, MDA) was interpreted as a potential hormetic response, possibly preceding longer-term adaptive antioxidant benefits.