The impact of hydrogen inhalation therapy on blood reactive oxygen species levels: A randomized controlled study
Chair M, AlAani H, Lafci Fahrioglu S, Ben Hamda C, Fahrioglu U, Degheidy T. · Free Radic Biol Med. 2024;222:601-606.
Study at a glance
A small study found lower peroxide-test readings 24 hours after a hydrogen-inhalation session. The groups already differed at baseline, and the immediate controlled comparison was null. The result does not establish a health benefit.
Human
Adults selected for d-ROMs above 350 U.CARR, not a disease-treatment cohort. Hydrogen: fourteen men/four women, mean age 33 (25–45); control: nine men/ten women, mean age 35.8 (22–48).
One-hour hydrogen-inhalation session by nasal cannula using HueLight H-2000 and sterile distilled water. Methods 2.2 lists generator production specifications but does not establish oxygen coadministration. No sham or oxygen-matched control. · Source purity above 99.99% is a generator specification, not actual patient inspired H₂ concentration. Inspired fraction and delivered patient dose were not measured/reported.
Single one-hour session; baseline, immediately after one hour and 24-hour measurements.
Within hydrogen: immediate paired t = 3.79, P = 0.001458; 24-hour t = 6.49, P = 0.000006. Mean individual reductions 15.0% immediately (range −8.8 to 39.7%) and 23.3% at 24 hours (4.5 to 43.8%). The immediate between-group result was null: F = 0.05, P = 0.8196. At 24 hours F = 6.57, P = 0.0149. Baseline already differed: F = 7.61, P = 0.0092. Control time changes were nonsignificant; age P = 0.247 was nonsignificant, but sex composition differed.
Small, unblinded, one session and 24-hour follow-up, no sham, unclear allocation methods, baseline/sex imbalances and multiple surrogate tests. Oxygen coadministration is unknown. Manufacturer hosting and generator specifications do not establish independent exposure validation or clinical benefit.
What kind of evidence is this?
Human
Randomized two-arm parallel study; laboratory collection/analysis staff blinded, participants unblinded because there was no placebo device. Sequence generation and concealment were not explained.
Other molecular hydrogen research
Inhaled H₂
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 selected for d-ROMs above 350 U.CARR, not a disease-treatment cohort. Hydrogen: fourteen men/four women, mean age 33 (25–45); control: nine men/ten women, mean age 35.8 (22–48).
67 screened; thirty excluded for lower d-ROMs; 37 enrolled and allocated: eighteen hydrogen, nineteen untreated control. All 37 are represented in results; no losses described.
Single one-hour session; baseline, immediately after one hour and 24-hour measurements.
One-hour hydrogen-inhalation session by nasal cannula using HueLight H-2000 and sterile distilled water. Methods 2.2 lists generator production specifications but does not establish oxygen coadministration. No sham or oxygen-matched control.
Hydrogen inhalation by nasal cannula. Oxygen coadministration was not specified in Methods 2.2.
Source purity above 99.99% is a generator specification, not actual patient inspired H₂ concentration. Inspired fraction and delivered patient dose were not measured/reported.
Generator production specifications: H₂ 1,447 mL/min and O₂ 723 mL/min, pressure 1 bar. These are generated outputs, not measured delivery to participants. The article does not state that the generated O₂ was coadministered.
Oxygen coadministration and inspired oxygen fraction were not specified. The generator O₂ production specification of 723 mL/min is not a patient-delivery measurement.
Untreated control without inhalation or sham apparatus.
Outcomes and reported result
FRAS5 d-ROMs plasma-peroxide assay, a surrogate; not a direct measurement of all ROS. No clinical symptom or disease endpoint.
Within hydrogen: immediate paired t = 3.79, P = 0.001458; 24-hour t = 6.49, P = 0.000006. Mean individual reductions 15.0% immediately (range −8.8 to 39.7%) and 23.3% at 24 hours (4.5 to 43.8%). The immediate between-group result was null: F = 0.05, P = 0.8196. At 24 hours F = 6.57, P = 0.0149. Baseline already differed: F = 7.61, P = 0.0092. Control time changes were nonsignificant; age P = 0.247 was nonsignificant, but sex composition differed.
Main-text methods, results, limitations and declarations were reviewed. Source versions, missing information and conflicting findings are stated in this record.
No systematic adverse-event methods/results stated; safety cannot be inferred from silence.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Small, unblinded, one session and 24-hour follow-up, no sham, unclear allocation methods, baseline/sex imbalances and multiple surrogate tests. Oxygen coadministration is unknown. Manufacturer hosting and generator specifications do not establish independent exposure validation or clinical benefit.
Limited to the population/model and protocol described above. These findings do not provide a treatment, concentration or device recommendation.
Authors report no specific public, commercial or nonprofit grant.
Authors declare no identifiable conflicting financial interests or personal relationships. The paper discloses ChatGPT 3.5 language correction.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 38996821 · DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.07.010
Complete final journal article, Free Radical Biology and Medicine 222, 601–606, hosted by HueLight, the manufacturer of the studied device. Hosting does not constitute independent device testing.
AI-assisted editorial review of the available main full text, 29 October 2026. No independent clinical or statistical assessment has been performed.
Pages 601–606: Methods 2.1–2.4, Results/statistics 3.1–3.3, Figures 1–4, limitations, funding, contributions and competing interests.
AI-assisted editorial review of the available main full text, 29 October 2026. Complete final journal article, Free Radical Biology and Medicine 222, 601–606, hosted by HueLight, the manufacturer of the studied device. Hosting does not constitute independent device testing.
No registration reported; ethics Cyprus International University EKK23-24/008/11.
29 October 2026
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