Hydrogen-rich water suppresses the reduction in blood total antioxidant capacity induced by 3 consecutive days of severe exercise in physically active males
Dobashi S et al. · Med Gas Res. 2020;10(1):21–26.
What kind of evidence is this?
Human
Randomized single-blind controlled crossover repeated-measures study
Exercise and recovery
H₂-rich water
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Methods at a glance
Healthy physically active young men
8 participants
Three consecutive exercise days in each condition, with at least a 1-week crossover interval
500 mL hydrogen-rich water within 5 minutes before exercise and another 500 mL after exercise on each of 3 consecutive days
H₂ dissolved in water — H₂ only, not Brown’s gas.
5.14 ± 0.03 ppm dissolved H₂ immediately before drinking.
Not applicable — oral water, not gas inhalation.
No O₂ was co-delivered as part of the intervention.
Placebo tap water with 0.00 ± 0.00 ppm H₂, prepared in a similar container
Outcomes and reported result
Countermovement jump, knee-extensor strength, sprint-cycling power, lactate and serum redox markers
Exercise-performance and lactate outcomes did not differ between water conditions. The H₂-water condition attenuated the reduction in the BAP/d-ROM redox ratio observed across consecutive exercise days, but baseline imbalance complicated interpretation.
Preparation, dose, outcome tables, limitations and disclosures checked in the open-access 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
Only eight men, single blinding, no performance decrement induced by the protocol, and an unexpected baseline difference in the main redox ratio. The manufacturer supplied the hydrogen-generating kits.
Healthy physically active young men completing the reported 3-day sprint-cycling protocol.
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: 32189665 · DOI: 10.4103/2045-9912.279979
Open-access full text is available through PMC.
Open-access PMC full text, PubMed record and CiNii bibliographic record.
2026-08-10