Hydrogen-rich water decreases serum LDL-cholesterol levels and improves HDL function in patients with potential metabolic syndrome
Song G et al. · J Lipid Res. 2013;54(7):1884–1893.
What kind of evidence is this?
Human
Uncontrolled before-and-after study
Metabolic and lipid health
H₂-rich water
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Methods at a glance
Adults with one or more metabolic-risk features
20 participants
10 weeks
Hydrogen-rich water, 450–500 mL twice daily; 0.9–1.0 L/day
H₂ dissolved in water — H₂ only, not Brown’s gas.
0.2–0.25 mM dissolved H₂; pH 7.8–8.2; prepared with a magnesium-based product.
Not applicable — oral water, not gas inhalation.
No O₂ was co-delivered as part of the intervention.
No concurrent placebo or untreated comparator
Outcomes and reported result
Serum lipids, oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers, and ex-vivo LDL/HDL functional assays
Total and LDL cholesterol decreased from baseline; HDL cholesterol, glucose and most triglyceride results did not change. Several ex-vivo lipoprotein-function measures improved, while TNF-α and IL-6 did not.
Methods and main results checked in the free full text; independent appraisal remains incomplete.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit. Null findings, outcome type, study design and precision all matter.
Cautions and applicability
Uncontrolled 20-person study with many laboratory and ex-vivo outcomes; lifestyle change and regression to the mean cannot be separated from an intervention effect. The article itself says a solid conclusion cannot be drawn.
Adults with the metabolic-risk features used by this study.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Certainty is assessed by important outcome across a complete eligible evidence set, not by attaching a final grade to one source.
Sources and record status
PMID: 23610159 · DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M036640
Open-access full text is available through PMC.
Free full text on PMC; bibliographic identifiers cross-checked in PubMed.
2026-08-10