A novel antioxidant, hydrogen-rich coral calcium, alters gut microbiome and bile acid synthesis to improve methionine-and-choline-deficient diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Wu HT, Tsai CS, Chao TH, Ou HY, Tsai LM. · Antioxidants (Basel). 2024;13(6):746.
Study at a glance
Preclinical
Male mice fed a methionine-and-choline-deficient diet.
Hydrogen-rich coral calcium by gavage at 210 or 420 mg/kg. · H₂ release or delivered dose was not quantified independently.
One-week pretreatment followed by two weeks of deficient diet.
Several hepatic, inflammatory, antioxidant, bile-acid and microbial measures favored the product arms.
Coral calcium is a complex intervention and the delivered H₂ dose was not quantified; H₂-specific attribution is not possible.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled mouse study
Liver health
Other forms
Mixed positive signal for a complex oral product.
Tissue, biochemical, bile-acid and microbiome outcomes in mice.
Methods
Male mice fed a methionine-and-choline-deficient diet.
Four groups with five to eight mice per group.
One-week pretreatment followed by two weeks of deficient diet.
Hydrogen-rich coral calcium by gavage at 210 or 420 mg/kg.
Oral hydrogen-generating coral-calcium product.
H₂ release or delivered dose was not quantified independently.
Normal diet and deficient-diet controls.
Outcomes and reported result
Steatosis, liver enzymes, inflammation, antioxidant enzymes, bile acids and gut microbiome.
Several hepatic, inflammatory, antioxidant, bile-acid and microbial measures favored the product arms.
The full article methods, intervention, outcomes, positive and null findings, funding and conflict statements were checked.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Coral calcium is a complex intervention and the delivered H₂ dose was not quantified; H₂-specific attribution is not possible.
The product and reported diet-induced mouse model only.
SYRCLE animal-study tool — preliminary
High risk
Small groups, high-dimensional outcomes, complex exposure and unclear blinded assessment.
Sequence generation checked where reported · Allocation concealment generally unclear · Personnel blinding generally unclear · Outcome-assessor blinding generally unclear · No prospectively registered analysis plan identified
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 38929185 · DOI: 10.3390/antiox13060746
A free publisher or repository full article was checked.
Publisher or repository full article and bibliographic record; checked 10 August 2026.
10 August 2026
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