This scoping review reports that hydrogen therapy shows promise for protecting the kidneys in both acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. It also says that the current evidence is still limited and that the field needs larger, better-designed clinical trials before firm conclusions can be drawn.

This review states that many studies have examined hydrogen in cell and animal models, but clinical trials are few and lag far behind. It explicitly says that large-scale randomized controlled clinical trials are required before hydrogen can be used to treat renal diseases.

The review concludes that molecular hydrogen may have renoprotective effects, including in chronic kidney disease, but the evidence base is still early and mostly preclinical. It emphasizes that more rigorous human studies are needed before treatment claims can be made.

This registry entry describes a randomized trial of hydrogen water for chronic fatigue syndrome, not kidney disease. Its primary outcomes are fatigue, physical function, and stress, with no kidney-function endpoints such as eGFR or creatinine.

This study is a randomized controlled trial in people with chronic kidney disease that directly examined hydrogen-rich water supplementation. The abstract indicates the intervention was tested in CKD patients, but the study was small and does not establish a standard-of-care kidney benefit on its own.

This 2024 systematic review summarizes clinical and preclinical studies of hydrogen‑rich water across multiple conditions. Regarding kidney disease, the authors state: *“Oxidative stress plays an important role in chronic kidney disease pathology.”* They report that *“in chronic dialysis patients, a study showed that electrolyzed hydrogen-rich water (EHW) intake can improve blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and renal function. It can also decrease oxidative stress in patients with chronic dialysis during their hemodialysis sessions.”* However, the review also notes that human CKD data are sparse overall, and emphasizes that most trials are small and short‑term, so firm clinical conclusions cannot yet be drawn.

In this randomized controlled trial of chronic hemodialysis patients, participants were assigned to receive electrolyzed hydrogen-rich water (EHW) as part of their dialysis fluid versus standard dialysate. The study reports that *“EHW intake significantly reduced serum levels of oxidative stress markers and improved blood urea nitrogen (BUN) reduction ratio compared with control,”* and that some patients showed *“improved dialysis efficiency and better preservation of residual renal function.”* The authors describe these findings as preliminary and indicate that longer-term and larger studies are needed to determine whether the changes translate into sustained improvements in kidney outcomes.

Reuters reported on ongoing scientific interest in hydrogen water but noted that many of the health claims remain unproven and that evidence in humans is limited. The report is useful context, not direct kidney-disease evidence.

This human study in hemodialysis patients examined the effects of drinking electrolyzed reduced water (a form of hydrogen-rich water) on oxidative stress and dialysis parameters. The authors report that *“patients who ingested 500 mL/day of electrolyzed reduced water for six months showed significant decreases in serum reactive oxygen metabolites and in markers of oxidative DNA damage compared with baseline,”* and that *“there was a trend toward improved dialysis adequacy indices.”* While the study suggests a renoprotective antioxidant effect, it did not demonstrate clear, clinically meaningful improvements in long-term kidney function endpoints.

In this 2010 clinical trial in hemodialysis patients, Nakayama et al. report that use of hydrogen-enriched dialysate led to changes in oxidative stress parameters and inflammatory markers. The abstract notes that dialysis using H2-enriched solution "significantly reduced markers of oxidative stress" compared with conventional dialysis, and was well tolerated. The study, however, focuses on dialysate rather than oral hydrogen-rich water and does not demonstrate recovery of intrinsic kidney function in end-stage renal disease patients.

This multicenter observational study by Nakayama et al. (Scientific Reports, 2016/2017 online) evaluated long-term outcomes of hemodialysis using H2-enriched dialysate in chronic dialysis patients. The abstract concludes that the hydrogen dialysate treatment "was an independent significant factor in reducing the risk of the primary events of all-cause mortality and development of nonlethal cardio-cerebrovascular events" during follow-up. The authors suggest that amelioration of oxidative stress during dialysis may underlie these benefits, but the study does not test oral hydrogen water and involves patients with established end-stage renal disease.

This experimental study in a rat model of chronic kidney disease investigated the effects of hydrogen-rich water. The abstract reports that *“rats receiving hydrogen-rich water showed significantly lower serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels compared with controls,”* and that histology revealed *“attenuated tubulointerstitial fibrosis and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in the kidneys.”* The authors conclude that hydrogen-rich water *“suppressed renal injury and preserved renal function”* in CKD rats, suggesting a potential therapeutic role that requires validation in human studies.

This randomized trial tested hydrogen-rich water in humans, but the participants had metabolic syndrome rather than chronic kidney disease. It is relevant only as general human evidence that hydrogen-rich water has been studied clinically outside kidney disease.

This randomized crossover trial by Nakao et al. in hemodialysis patients (Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 2010) investigated drinking electrolyzed hydrogen-rich water. The abstract states that patients who consumed hydrogen-rich water during dialysis showed "improved oxidative stress markers and better redox status" than when they consumed control water. It also reports improvements in certain surrogate indicators of inflammation and dialysis-related symptoms, but the trial was short-term and did not show restoration of kidney function in chronic kidney disease.

This animal study (Xing et al., 2012) examined unilateral ureteral obstruction in mice, a model of chronic kidney injury. The abstract reports that administration of hydrogen-rich water "attenuated renal injury and fibrosis" and modulated TGF-β/Smad signaling in the kidney. These findings suggest potential renoprotective effects of hydrogen-rich water in chronic kidney injury models, but they are preclinical and do not directly show benefit in human CKD patients.

In this open-label pilot trial, 20 subjects with potential metabolic syndrome drank 1.5–2 L/day of hydrogen-rich water for 8 weeks. The authors report improvements in markers of oxidative stress and liver function but do **not** report chronic kidney disease or changes in kidney function endpoints such as eGFR or serum creatinine. The study population was not patients with diagnosed CKD, and kidney outcomes were not primary or secondary endpoints.

This trial is not about kidney disease, but it shows the general clinical research pattern for hydrogen-rich water: small randomized studies focused on oxidative stress-related outcomes rather than hard organ-function endpoints.

WebMD summarizes human research and notes: "A few studies have shown that hydrogen water may help people who are getting dialysis for kidney disease. It improved renal function and reduced fatigue." However, the article stresses that "The research thus far on hydrogen water's health benefits is limited" and that many studies are small. It concludes that many experts believe more research is needed to discover or verify any advantages over normal water or hydration in general.

Nephrologist Ritu Vyas reviews the kidney-related evidence on hydrogen water. For dialysis patients, the article summarizes a Japanese cohort: *“A Japanese research group followed 309 dialysis patients for over three years. Those who received hydrogen-enriched dialysis fluid had a 41% lower risk of experiencing a major heart event or dying… They also needed fewer blood pressure medications and reported significantly less fatigue and itching.”* For people with chronic kidney disease who are not yet on dialysis, the article states: *“Hemodialysis (dialysis) patients… most compelling data in any group. Pre-dialysis CKD patients: Animal studies show reduced kidney scarring and preserved function — no human trials completed yet.”* It concludes that hydrogen water is “promising” but *“not FDA-approved to treat, prevent, or cure any disease,”* and stresses that evidence in pre‑dialysis CKD is currently limited to preclinical work.

This clinical pilot study gave patients with rheumatoid arthritis hydrogen-rich water for 4 weeks and reported reductions in oxidative stress markers and disease activity scores. The paper does not involve patients with chronic kidney disease and does not analyze kidney function parameters. It is often cited as early human evidence of systemic antioxidant effects of hydrogen-rich water but provides no direct data on CKD or renal outcomes.

Using a rat model of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, this experiment showed that treatment with hydrogen-rich saline significantly reduced tubular damage and improved serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen compared with controls. The authors conclude that hydrogen therapy "promotes the recovery of renal function" in this acute injury model. However, the study is preclinical (rats), uses injected hydrogen-rich saline rather than drinking water, and does not involve chronic kidney disease patients or a human randomized trial.

This page catalogs studies of hydrogen in kidney disease and notes a clinical trial: "Nakayama, M., et al., Novel haemodialysis (HD) treatment employing molecular hydrogen (H2)-enriched dialysis solution improves prognosis of chronic dialysis patients: A prospective observational study. Sci Rep, 2018. 8(1): 254." It also lists earlier work: "Nakayama, M., et al., A novel bioactive haemodialysis system using dissolved dihydrogen (H-2) produced by water electrolysis: a clinical trial. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 2010." The site cautions that although findings are promising, "These scientific articles, although promising and interesting, do not constitute clinical guidelines that hydrogen can cure or prevent a specific disease."

This preclinical study investigated hydrogen-rich water in a rodent model of renal injury and fibrosis. The authors found that hydrogen water reduced kidney fibrosis and improved histological and molecular markers of renal damage, suggesting a protective effect on the kidney. However, the work is experimental in animals and focuses on mechanistic pathways (TGF‑β, Sirt1); it does not involve human subjects or chronic kidney disease patients and therefore provides no direct clinical evidence of improved kidney function in CKD via hydrogen-rich water.

In a rat kidney transplantation model, the authors report that the addition of molecular hydrogen to drinking water reduced the severity of chronic allograft nephropathy and increased graft survival compared with controls. The study concludes that oral hydrogen water is an effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in this transplant setting. These findings relate to graft nephropathy in rats, not to native chronic kidney disease in humans, and no randomized human trial of hydrogen-rich drinking water is presented.

The article summarizes published studies and states: "A 2017 study demonstrated that hydrogen-rich water reduced inflammation in patients undergoing dialysis, lowering markers like CRP (C-reactive protein): Nakao et al., Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 2010." It also notes: "Clinical trials have indicated that drinking hydrogen water may help reduce oxidative damage and improve the overall oxidative balance in dialysis patients. A pilot study with hemodialysis patients showed improved redox status and reduced oxidative markers with hydrogen water intake." At the same time, it highlights that "Lack of Large-Scale Human Trials" remains a limitation and that hydrogen water should be considered "supportive, not curative."

This summary of an animal experiment reports that in a rat model of chronic kidney disease exposed to combined oxidative stress and reduced renal mass, "Hydrogen-rich water reduced inflammatory markers and glomerular damage" and attenuated renal injury. The study indicates that hydrogen-rich water had protective effects on kidney structure and function in CKD rats, but it is preclinical and does not involve human CKD patients.

This research summary describes early data on hydrogen-rich water and kidney conditions. For chronic kidney disease, it notes: *“Chronic kidney disease: A pilot study with stage 3–4 CKD patients showed that daily consumption of hydrogen-rich water (1 liter per day for 6 months) was associated with improved markers of oxidative stress and a slower decline in eGFR compared to historical controls. However, the sample size was small, and the study was not powered to detect hard renal outcomes.”* The article emphasizes that *“these findings are preliminary and need confirmation in larger randomized trials before hydrogen water can be recommended as a standard therapy for CKD.”*

The article reviews animal and human studies on hydrogen-rich water in kidney health. It states that *“research points to benefits such as reduced oxidative stress, improved dialysis markers, and protection against kidney injury in both human and animal models,”* and that *“small studies and reviews report improved redox markers and some lab parameters when hydrogen is used with dialysis or as electrolyzed hydrogen water.”* Regarding chronic kidney disease, it notes that *“early studies in animals and small human trials suggest hydrogen-rich water may reduce oxidative stress, ease inflammation, and lessen signs of kidney injury,”* but stresses that *“the evidence is limited by small sample sizes, short study periods, and varying methods of hydrogen delivery, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions,”* so hydrogen water should be considered a *“supportive option”* rather than a cure.

In the published medical literature, hydrogen-rich water has been explored as an antioxidant intervention in chronic kidney disease, but the human evidence has generally been small, heterogeneous, and insufficient to establish a clear improvement in eGFR or creatinine. This is consistent with reviews calling for larger randomized trials.

In this Mayo Clinic Connect discussion, a patient with stage 3 kidney disease asks about hydrogen water. A community responder links to the 2024 NIH‑indexed systematic review on hydrogen water (PMCID: PMC10816294) and summarizes it as *“a positive take on hydrogen water”* but also notes that it is largely based on small studies. The thread reflects that *there is interest but no established clinical recommendation for hydrogen water in CKD,* and that patients should consult their nephrologist before using such products.