Hydropinotherapy with Sulphurous Mineral Water as Complementary Treatment to Improve Glucose Metabolism, Oxidative Status, and Quality of Life

Abstract

Hydropinotherapy is a salus per aquam (Spa) treatment suitable as a complementary approach to treat several diseases, which strongly affect the quality of life (QoL). Hydropinotherapy with sulphurous mineral water exerts benefits thanks to components, such as hydrogen sulphide, which is considered mainly responsible for antioxidant and hypoglycaemic effects. Such properties, linked from each other, could favour an improvement in patients’ QoL. However, data on humans are scarce. This study aimed to investigate whether a cycle of sulphurous hydropinotherapy was able to modify plasma levels of glucose and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) and improve QoL in patients suffering from several chronic disorders. A prospective, observational study involved patients with gastrointestinal diseases who received a prescription of a cycle of sulphurous hydropinotherapy (S-HT). Age- and sex-matched control group was enrolled (No S-HT). Glycaemia and plasma concentration of ROMs were measured in all subjects. The impact of spa treatment on the QoL was assessed using the Short Form 36 Health Status Survey questionnaire (SF-36). All parameters were measured at baseline and at the end of a 2-week treatment. Between the groups, no differences were found in glycaemia and ROMs at baseline. In the S-HT group, a reduction in glycaemia and ROMs, both in respect to baseline (p = 0.005 and p = 0.031, respectively) and to control group, as shown by the delta value calculated, as the difference between the values at 2 weeks and baseline (p = 0.0009 and p = 0.0001, respectively). In the S-HT, delta ROMs was the best predictor of delta glycaemia with a direct linear correlation (beta = 0.559, 95% CI 0.471 to 0.647, p < 0.0001). In the S-HT, the SF-36 total score was improved both when compared with baseline (p = 0.002) and with No S-HT (p = 0.001). Sulphurous hydropinotherapy induces a decrease in glycaemia and ROM levels, also ameliorating the patients’ QoL. Therefore, it could be considered a useful complementary therapeutic approach.

Adverse Events Associated with BNT162b2 and AZD1222 Vaccines in the Real World: Surveillance Report in a Single Italian Vaccine Center

“…Many drugs were immediately administered as “repurposed drugs”, including both antivirals such as favipiravir, lopinavir/ritonavir, umifenovir, ribavirin, and non-antiviral agents such as azithromycin, enoxaparin, baricitinib, tocilizumab (TCZ) [ 4 , 5 ]. Moreover, nonpharmacological treatments, including the salus per aquam (spa) therapy, whose efficacy is well-demonstrated [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], have been proposed as a complementary therapy to contrast several alterations associated with the so-called long-COVID syndrome.…”

Effect of Calcium-Sulphate-Bicarbonate Water in a Murine Model of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Histopathology Study

“…In the present study, we chose MCD instead of other models because it replicates the inflammatory and fibrogenetic injuries occurring in NASH more consistently than other models, thereby allowing us to better study the potential inflammatory response to LPS in the liver [ 29 , 30 ]. On the other hand, the model is not suitable for evaluating the potential beneficial effects of mineral water on glucose and lipid metabolisms [ 19 , 33 ]; accordingly, we did not observe significant effects on hepatic steatosis, and future studies are necessary to expand the investigations on metabolic features by using other disease models.…”

“…Compared to tap water or purified water [ 14 , 15 ], natural mineral waters are highly enriched in minerals and elements, such as calcium, carbonic metabolites, sodium chlorite, sulphates, and/or iron, in variable proportions according to the water source [ 16 ]. Interestingly, hydropinotherapy (i.e., administration of natural mineral water for therapeutic purposes) has been proposed as a useful support in the management of several gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary conditions, based on the observed effects in the modulation of lipid profiles and metabolisms; intestinal inflammation; oxidative stress; and bile acid composition [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In this setting, the positive effects of natural mineral water administration on histopathological features of NAFLD are yet to be investigated.…”

Sulphurous Crenotherapy Is Effective at Reducing Pain and Disability in Overweight/Obese Patients Affected by Chronic Low Back Pain from Spine Osteoarthritis

“…Several pieces of evidence have shown a protective effect favored by reducing the properties of the sulfhydryl group contained in the sulphurous mineral water against oxidative DNA damage associated with inflammatory respiratory diseases [ 46 ]. Moreover, antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects of hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) in patients affected by metabolic and/or gastrointestinal disorders have been demonstrated [ 47 ].…”