高密度飼育ストレス下のラットにおける水素水摂取が発育・酸化還元恒常性・ホルモン・組織・免疫系に及ぼす影響
This animal study examined the effects of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) consumed ad libitum over 3 months in rats subjected to restricted housing conditions (half the standard area). Eight groups of male and female rats were assigned to control, HRW-only, stress-only, and stress-plus-HRW conditions. Body weight gain was greater in HRW-receiving animals than in the stress-only group. Biochemical assessment revealed that oxidative markers, including malondialdehyde and disulfide ratios, were lower in the stress-plus-HRW group relative to the stress-only group. Stress-induced hormonal changes—elevated FT4, cortisol, and calcium alongside reduced TSH—were attenuated by HRW intake. Glutathione and total thiol levels, as well as SOD-2 immunoreactivity and histopathological findings, further supported a protective redox effect. These results suggest that HRW consumption may mitigate physiological dysregulation arising from chronic crowding stress in rodents.
HRW appears to reduce oxidative burden by lowering malondialdehyde, preserving glutathione, and improving thiol/disulfide ratios, which may secondarily suppress stress-hormone dysregulation including elevated cortisol and FT4.
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:
https://h2-papers.org/en/papers/40104881