Hydrogen-rich water improves endurance by reducing skeletal muscle oxidative stress and inflammatory responses
Mizuno E et al. · Front Nutr. 2026;13:1722091.
Study at a glance
Preclinical
Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice
Hydrogen-rich drinking water refreshed at 07:00 and 17:00 · Above 5 ppm and reported to remain at that level for up to 14 hours.
1, 2, 4 or 6 weeks
Mice receiving H₂ water for at least four weeks ran farther and showed lower selected oxidative-stress, inflammatory and muscle-damage markers; shorter exposure did not show the same endurance result.
Animal study with variable and sometimes very small groups across time points, multiple laboratory outcomes and no inactive-human cohort. The H₂-water device was supplied by MiZ.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled mouse drinking-water experiment across four exposure durations
Exercise and recovery
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
Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice
At 1 week n=6/6; 2 weeks n=4/5; 4 weeks n=10/10; 6 weeks n=5/5 for purified-water/H₂-water groups
1, 2, 4 or 6 weeks
Hydrogen-rich drinking water refreshed at 07:00 and 17:00
H₂ dissolved in drinking water — H₂ only, not Brown’s gas and not inhalation.
Above 5 ppm and reported to remain at that level for up to 14 hours.
Purified drinking water
Outcomes and reported result
Treadmill running distance, fatigue, skeletal-muscle oxidative stress, inflammation, muscle damage and antioxidant-gene expression
Mice receiving H₂ water for at least four weeks ran farther and showed lower selected oxidative-stress, inflammatory and muscle-damage markers; shorter exposure did not show the same endurance result.
Methods, duration-specific groups and principal results checked in the open-access full text.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Animal study with variable and sometimes very small groups across time points, multiple laboratory outcomes and no inactive-human cohort. The H₂-water device was supplied by MiZ.
Previously inactive male mice starting treadmill exercise, not exercise performance in people.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 41641160 · DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1722091
Open-access full text is available through PMC.
Open-access PMC full text and PubMed record.
10 August 2026
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