Inhalation of molecular hydrogen increases breath acetone excretion during submaximal exercise: a randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled study

Abstract

Aerobic exercise is widely accepted as a beneficial option for reducing fat in humans. Recently, it has been suggested that molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) augments mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Therefore, the hypothesis that inhaling H 2 could facilitate lipid metabolism during aerobic exercise was investigated in the current study by measuring the breath acetone levels, which could be used as non-invasive indicators of lipid metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effect of inhaling H 2 on breath acetone output during submaximal exercise using a randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, and cross-over experimental design. After taking a 20-minute baseline measurement, breath acetone levels were measured in ten male subjects who performed a 60% peak oxygen uptake-intensity cycling exercise for 20 minutes while inhaling either 1% H 2 or a control gas. In another experiment, six male subjects remained in a sitting position for 45 minutes while inhaling either 1% H 2 or a control gas. H 2 significantly augmented breath acetone and enhanced oxygen uptake during exercise ( P < 0.01). However, it did not significantly change oxidative stress or antioxidant activity responses to exercise, nor did it significantly alter the breath acetone or oxygen uptake during prolonged resting states. These results suggest that inhaling H 2 gas promotes an exercise-induced increase in hepatic lipid metabolism. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Chubu University, Japan (approved No. 260086-2) on March 29, 2018.

Effects of pre-exercise H2 inhalation on physical fatigue and related prefrontal cortex activation during and after high-intensity exercise

“…In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, 4 weeks administration of hydrogenrich water (HRW) helped reduce and prevent accumulated oxidative stress in the brain, thereby improving mood, anxiety, and autonomic function in adult volunteers (Mizuno et al, 2017). Recently, several studies have arisen to explore the potential anti-fatigue effects of H 2 (Table 1) in healthy cohorts who performed either acute or chronic exercise, and shown the promise of intaking H 2 either before or after the exercise may help alleviate fatigue (Aoki et al, 2012;Da Ponte et al, 2018;Botek et al, 2019;LeBaron et al, 2019;Mikami et al, 2019;Dobashi et al, 2020;Hori et al, 2020;Shibayama et al, 2020;Timon Andrada et al, 2020;Dong et al, 2022). For example, intaking HRW before exercise has been shown to improve exercise-induced decline of muscle function (Aoki et al, 2012), and thus alleviate fatigue (Pantovic et al, 2016); and the inhalation of hydrogen-rich gas mixture after exercise can help attenuated the reduction in athletic performance (e.g., the height of countermovement jump) (Shibayama et al, 2020).…”

Effects of molecular hydrogen supplementation on fatigue and aerobic capacity in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The included studies implemented three types of hydrogen, that is, hydrogen-rich water (HRW) ( n = 13) ( 23 – 26 , 28 , 30 , 41 – 47 ), hydrogen-rich gas (HRG) ( n = 3) ( 27 , 29 , 48 ), and hydrogen-rich calcium powder (HRC) ( n = 1) ( 49 ). Hydrogen concentrations varied considerably (e.g., HRW: 0.5~5.9 ppm; HRG: 1 to 68%) across these studies ( Table 1 ).…”

“…Two exercise types (continuous and intermittent) were used to induce fatigue. Specifically, eight studies ( 23 , 25 – 28 , 41 , 45 , 49 ) used continuous load-incremental exercise (i.e., incremental treadmill running test, incremental cycling test); four studies ( 29 , 42 , 46 , 48 ) used continuous fixed-load exercise; one study ( 30 ) used a 4.2-km up-hill race; three studies ( 24 , 44 , 47 ) used intermittent sprint exercises; and the other one ( 43 ) used an intermittent judo fitness test.…”

“…Three studies ( 26 , 42 , 47 ) assessed only fatigue immediately after exercise. Four studies ( 29 , 45 , 46 , 48 ) assessed only aerobic capacity. In addition, other outcomes such as heart rate, explosive power, respiratory circulations, blood metabolites, and muscle functions were also assessed ( Table 1 ).…”

Molecular Hydrogen as Medicine: An Assessment of Administration Methods

“…Here, clinical studies have revealed that breathing 1% H 2 for 20 min whilst exercising amplifies breath-acetate concentrations, a non-invasive marker of lipid metabolism, indicating that this application method promotes favorable lipid metabolism [86]. Similarly, 4% H 2 inhalation for 7 days improved running velocity and reduced levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a regulator of glucose transportation, in the bloodstream [87].…”