# Biological Effects of Hydrogen Water on Subjects with NAFLD: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
> 非アルコール性脂肪肝疾患患者における水素水摂取の生物学的効果：無作為化プラセボ対照試験


## 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.

## Bibliographic

- **Authors**: Kura B, Szantova M, LeBaron TW, Mojto V, Barancik M, Szeiffova Bacova B, et al.
- **Journal**: Antioxidants (Basel)
- **Year**: 2022 (2022-09-28)
- **PMID**: [36290657](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36290657/)
- **DOI**: [10.3390/antiox11101935](https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11101935)
- **PMC**: [PMC9598482](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9598482/)
- **Study type**: human randomized controlled trial
- **Delivery route**: hydrogen-rich water
- **Effect reported**: mixed

## 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)

---

> **Cite as**: H2 Papers — PMID 36290657. https://h2-papers.org/en/papers/36290657
> **Source**: PubMed PMID [36290657](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36290657/)