Molecular hydrogen, endurance and fatigue

Why exercise scientists are interested

Hard training produces reactive oxygen species. That is part of how the body adapts and gets fitter, but it is also linked to fatigue and muscle damage after intense sessions.

Because hydrogen has been studied as a selective antioxidant, sports scientists wanted to know whether drinking it could change how muscles hold up under heavy work.

What the researchers did

Ten male soccer players, about 21 years old, took part in a double-blind crossover trial. Each drank hydrogen-rich water for one week and placebo water for another, so every athlete acted as his own comparison.

After each week they cycled for 30 minutes at 75% of their maximum oxygen uptake, then did 100 maximal knee extensions on a machine that measures muscle force. The team tracked blood lactate, muscle strength and markers of oxidative stress and muscle damage.

What they found

On placebo water, blood lactate rose during the heavy exercise. On hydrogen water it did not.

Peak muscle force dropped during the repeated knee extensions on placebo, a sign of fatigue, but did not drop in the early phase on hydrogen water. The authors concluded that hydrogen-rich water before exercise may be a suitable way for athletes to hydrate.

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Every athlete acted as his own comparison: one week on hydrogen water, one week on placebo.

What other studies say

The picture across sports research is mixed. A 2019 randomised trial reported better endurance and less perceived fatigue with hydrogen water, while other trials have found no clear effect on performance. A 2024 systematic review called the early results encouraging but asked for larger, more rigorous studies.

What this study doesn’t show

• It was a pilot with just ten young men, all elite soccer players.
• It measured one type of exercise session, not long-term training or performance.
• Results across other sports studies are mixed.

Sources

1. [1]Aoki K, Nakao A, Adachi T, Matsui Y, Miyakawa S. Pilot study: effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on muscle fatigue caused by acute exercise in elite athletes.Medical Gas Research 2:12, 2012
2. [2]Mikami T, Tano K, Lee H, et al. Drinking hydrogen water enhances endurance and relieves psychometric fatigue: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 97(9):857–862, 2019
3. [3]Dhillon G, et al. Hydrogen Water: Extra Healthy or a Hoax? A Systematic Review.International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25(2):973, 2024

This article is an educational summary of published research on molecular hydrogen. It is not medical advice, and these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. OG Hydro products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before changing your routine.