Hydrogen-Rich Water Ameliorates Metabolic Disorder via Modifying Gut Microbiota in Impaired Fasting Glucose Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study
Liang B et al. · Antioxidants (Basel). 2023;12(6):1245.
Study at a glance
Human
Adults with impaired fasting glucose
Hydrogen-rich water, 1,000 mL/day · The article text reports 1.6 mg/mL and a 1.4 mg/mL requirement, while its supplementary figure uses mg/L. Hydrogenology does not resolve this internal unit inconsistency without author clarification.
8 weeks
Both groups had lower fasting glucose; the between-group result favored H₂ water. Glucose normalization was 68.8% versus 53.8% and was not statistically significant. In the abnormal-fatty-liver subset, remission was 10/16 versus 6/19; microbiome and metabolomic analyses were exploratory.
Twenty-six participants were lost between enrollment and analysis; subgroup and microbiome samples were smaller. The authors describe the metabolic effect as slight. Public Chinese grants funded the work and no conflict was declared.
What kind of evidence is this?
Human
Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel trial
Metabolic and lipid health
H₂-rich water
Information not yet classified
Some editorial classification fields are still pending. The source-reported outcomes and result are shown below; Hydrogenology does not infer a positive or negative signal from prose automatically.
Methods
Adults with impaired fasting glucose
73 analyzed: H₂ water n=32; pure water n=41
8 weeks
Hydrogen-rich water, 1,000 mL/day
H₂ dissolved in water — H₂ only, not Brown’s gas.
The article text reports 1.6 mg/mL and a 1.4 mg/mL requirement, while its supplementary figure uses mg/L. Hydrogenology does not resolve this internal unit inconsistency without author clarification.
1,000 mL/day pure water with no H₂ infusion
Outcomes and reported result
Fasting glucose, normalization of glucose, liver-fat and visceral-fat measures, body weight, gut microbiota and metabolomics
Both groups had lower fasting glucose; the between-group result favored H₂ water. Glucose normalization was 68.8% versus 53.8% and was not statistically significant. In the abnormal-fatty-liver subset, remission was 10/16 versus 6/19; microbiome and metabolomic analyses were exploratory.
Methods, main results, funding and conflict statement checked in the free full text. The concentration unit discrepancy remains unresolved.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Twenty-six participants were lost between enrollment and analysis; subgroup and microbiome samples were smaller. The authors describe the metabolic effect as slight. Public Chinese grants funded the work and no conflict was declared.
Adults with impaired fasting glucose under this eight-week protocol.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 37371975 · DOI: 10.3390/antiox12061245
Open-access article.
Free full text on PMC and publisher page; identifiers cross-checked in PubMed.
10 August 2026
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