Posted on：2024-05-06 Views：331
In this randomized controlled pilot trial, we investigated the effects of a 6-month intake of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on several molecular and phenotypic biomarkers of aging in older adults aged 70 years and over. Forty older adults (20 women) were randomly allocated in a parallel-group design to receive 0.5 L per day of HRW (15 ppm of hydrogen) or control drink (0 ppm of hydrogen) during a 6-month intervention period. The biomarkers assessed at baseline and 6-month follow up were molecular markers in the blood (DNA and chromosomes, nutrient sensing, protein, and lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and mitochondria, cell senescence, inflammation), brain metabolism, cognitive functioning, physical function and body composition, resting blood pressure, facial skin features, sleep outcomes, and health-related quality of life. The mean age, weight, and height of study participants were 76.0 ± 5.6 years, 78.2 ± 16.1 kg, height 167.5 ± 11.5 cm, respectively. A significant treatment vs. time interaction was found for telomere length (P = 0.049), with the length increased after HRW intervention (from 0.99 ± 0.15 at baseline to 1.02 ± 0.26 at follow up) and decreased after drinking control water (from 0.92 ± 0.27 to 0.79 ± 0.15). A marker of DNA methylation (Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2, TET2) expression at 6-month follow-up increased in both groups, yet the degree of elevation was significantly higher in HRW (from 0.81 ± 0.52 at baseline to 1.62 ± 0.66 at follow up) comparing to the control water (from 1.13 ± 0.82 to 1.76 ± 0.87) (P = 0.040). A strong trend for treatment vs. time interaction was found for a degree of DNA methylation (P = 0.166), with the methylation increased in the HRW group (from 120.6 ± 39.8 ng at baseline to 126.6 ± 33.8 ng at follow up) and decreased after taking control water (from 133.6 ± 52.9 ng to 121.2 ± 38.4 ng). HRW was superior to control water to increase brain choline and NAA levels in the left frontal grey matter, brain creatine at the right parietal white matter, and brain NAA at the right parietal mesial grey matter (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between interventions for other outcomes (P > 0.05), except for a significantly improved chair stand performance after HRW intervention compared to the control water (P = 0.01). Owing to pleiotropic mechanisms of hydrogen action, this simple biomedical gas could be recognized as a possible anti-aging agent that tackles several hallmarks of aging, including loss of function and telomere length shortening. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04430803).
The increase in the number of older adults across developed countries is unprecedented. In 2016, approximately 50 million U.S. adults were aged 65 years or older, representing 15% of the population. That number is expected to reach 71 million by 2030 and 98 million by 2060 when older adults will make up nearly 25% of the population (U.S. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention Health Promotion, 2021). Age is the leading risk factor for many prevalent non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer (Niccoli and Partridge, 2012). Thus, improving prevention and management of age-related disorders remains of utmost importance for health caregivers in helping the older adults remain healthy as long as possible while tackling the ever-increasing population with effective and safe approaches. Diet appears to be a practical, flexible, and affordable approach that could help older people live longer and healthier lives (Calder et al., 2018), yet the effects of specific dietary components or nutritional formulations in the aging population have yet to be clarified. While the beneficial effects of dietary food components for cognitive function in older adults are well recognized (Ozawa et al., 2021), much less information is available how various nutritional compounds affect other biomarkers of aging. As getting old is accompanied by telomere attrition and DNA damage, any nutraceutical that is able to directly influence telomeres metabolism, slow their deterioration, and diminish aging might extend the life and health span (Vidacek et al., 2017). Among others, hydrogen-rich water (HRW) recently emerged as a novel drinkable dietary product that might favorably affect various aging-related features in interventional trials. For instance, HRW reduces inflammatory responses and prevents programmed cell death (Sim et al., 2020), improves nutrients metabolism (Kajiyama et al., 2008; Song et al., 2013), enhances psychophysiological outcomes (Mizuno et al., 2018), and represses wrinkles formation (Kato et al., 2012). Although promising, the above studies typically recruited mid-age or pre-elderly individuals, administered HRW for a relatively short interval (e.g., seven days to 4 weeks), used open-label or non-randomized research designs, or employed a limited set of aging biomarkers (Xia et al., 2017), leaving many open questions concerning the effects of HRW in older adults. In this randomized controlled pilot trial, we investigated the effects of 6-month HRW intake on several molecular and phenotypic biomarkers of aging in older adults aged 70 years and over. We hypothesized that drinking HRW would improve quantitative indicators of aging, including telomere length and DNA methylation, brain metabolism, cognitive and physical functioning, and skin viability.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0531556521003569