Effects of Hydrogen-Rich Water Supplementation on Exercise Performance, Autonomic Nervous System Recovery, and Blood Lactate Concentration During Repeated Sprint Exercise in Male University Athletes
Chen Z, Chi M, Liu R, Ma L, Shen Y. · Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2026;25:744–752.
What kind of evidence is this?
Human
Randomized single-blind placebo-controlled crossover study
Exercise and recovery
H₂-rich water
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Methods at a glance
Healthy male university athletes from rugby, track and field, soccer and basketball.
13 men; mean age 23.85±1.95 years.
Single acute dose per test session; 1-week washout.
Participants drank 280 mL hydrogen-rich water within 1 minute, rested 5 minutes, then completed seven 6-second all-out cycling sprints separated by 30 seconds.
H₂ dissolved in drinking water — H₂ only, not Brown's gas.
Approximately 1,600 ppb dissolved H₂ after 5 minutes of electrolysis; concentration was not rechecked immediately before each ingestion.
Not applicable — drinking water, not gas inhalation.
No O₂ was co-delivered.
Distilled placebo water in the crossover condition.
Outcomes and reported result
Average and peak power, total work, fatigue indices, heart-rate variability, blood lactate, critical flicker fusion frequency and perceived exertion.
Average power was higher with hydrogen-rich water (p=0.049), while peak power and total work were not. Work decrement and fatigue index were lower; lactate was about 1 mmol/L lower at 3 minutes but not at 10 minutes; perceived exertion did not differ.
The free publisher full article, methods, positive and null outcomes, limitations and conflicts were checked.
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 13 men and powered mainly for large effects. Investigators preparing drinks were not blinded, point-of-ingestion H₂ was not verified, and several outcomes were tested. The device manufacturer supplied the equipment.
Male university athletes completing the reported acute repeated-sprint 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
OpenAlex ID: W7172421499 · DOI: 10.52082/jssm.2026.744
Open full article from the journal.
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine publisher full article; full-text extraction checked 8 August 2026.
2026-08-10