The Effects of 8-Week Hydrogen-Rich Water Consumption on Appetite, Body Composition, Sleep Quality and Circulating Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 in Obese Men and Women (HYDRAPPET): A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Aims: Preliminary studies indicate that dihydrogen (H₂) may affect molecular pathways involved in appetite regulation; however, its role in influencing patient-reported appetite outcomes in individuals with obesity remains uncertain. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial aimed to evaluate the effects of H₂ supplementation on appetite, body composition, sleep quality, obesity-specific quality of life, and related biomarkers in obese men and women. Methods and Results: The study included 36 participants (24 females; age 42.1 ± 13.2 years, BMI 30.8 ± 4.2 kg/m²) randomized to receive either 1.0 L of hydrogen-rich water (15 mg of H₂) or 1.0 L of control water (0 mg of H₂) daily for eight weeks. Results demonstrated that hydrogen-rich water significantly mitigated cravings (P = 0.05), improved subjective sleep quality (P = 0.05), reduced total cholesterol (P = 0.02) and LDL cholesterol (P = 0.04), and increased plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 levels (P = 0.05) compared to the control. No severe adverse effects were reported throughout the trial. Conclusions: These findings suggest that hydrogen-rich water may serve as a safe and effective dietary strategy to address appetite regulation and related metabolic indices in individuals with obesity. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06722326).