Abstract
Drinking hydrogen (H2)-rich water is a common way to consume H2. Although many studies have shown efficacy of drinking H2-rich water in neuropsychiatric and endocrine metabolic disorders, their authenticity has been questioned because none examined the associated pharmacokinetics of H2. Therefore, we performed the first study to investigate the pharmacokinetics of H2 in pigs given an H2-rich glucose solution with the aim to extrapolate the findings to humans. We inserted blood collection catheters into the jejunal and portal veins, suprahepatic inferior vena cava, and carotid artery of 4 female pigs aged 8 weeks. Then, within 2 min we infused 500 ml of either H2-rich or H2-free glucose solution into the jejunum via a percutaneous gastrostomy tube and measured changes in H2 concentration in venous and arterial blood over 120 min. After infusion of the H2-rich glucose solution, H2 concentration in the portal vein peaked at 0.05 mg/L and remained at more than 0.016 mg/L (H2 saturation level, 1%) after 1 h; it also increased after infusion of H2-free glucose solution but remained below 0.001 mg/L (H2 saturation level, 0.06%). We assume that H2 was subsequently metabolized in the liver or eliminated via the lungs because it was not detected in the carotid artery. In conclusion, drinking highly concentrated H2-rich solution within a short time is a good way to increase H2 concentration in portal blood and supply H2 to the liver.
Highlights
Drinking hydrogen (H2)-rich water is considered to be a simple way to get H2 into the body, and such water is widely consumed for wellness purposes
In the two pigs injected with H2-rich glucose solution and one of the pigs injected with H2-free glucose solution, the respective glucose concentrations in the blood sampled from the jejunal vein increased to 221, 251, and 253 mg/dL at 2 min and 317, 397, and 585 mg/dL at 20 min after injection of the solution, indicating that in these pigs the catheter had been correctly placed
The H2 concentration in the inferior vena cava was about one third lower than that in the portal vein, and no H2 was detected in the internal carotid artery
Summary
Drinking hydrogen (H2)-rich water is considered to be a simple way to get H2 into the body, and such water is widely consumed for wellness purposes. H2-rich water improved blood flow-dependent vasodilatory responses in humans [3] and lipid and glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance [4] and lowered cholesterol in people with borderline abnormal lipid metabolism [5] It improved appetite and taste disorders and suppressed oxidative stress in the blood in radiotherapy patients with liver cancer [6] and was shown to be effective in periodontal disease [7], Parkinson's disease [8], and mild cognitive impairment [9]. The human large intestine produces up to 13 L/day of H2, about 60%–70% of which is not used by other microorganisms and is excreted via exhalation and intestinal gas [11] This finding leads to the question whether we can expect any additional effects from drinking H2-rich water
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