Previous studies have shown that hydrogen water has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on exercise-induced fatigue; however, its molecular mechanism remains unclear.

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a pure water drinking group (NC) and a hydrogen water drinking group (HW) (n = 7), and 2-week treadmill training was used to establish a sports model. Gut bacterial community profiling was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The expression levels of mitochondrial energy metabolism-related genes and the levels of sugar metabolites and enzymes were measured.

The exercise tolerance of rats in the HW group significantly improved, and the distribution and diversity of intestinal microbes were altered. Hydrogen significantly upregulated genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis, possibly via the Pparγ/Pgc-1α/Tfam pathway. In addition, hydrogen effectively mediated the reprogramming of skeletal muscle glucose metabolism.

Our findings establish a critical role for hydrogen in improving endurance exercise performance by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis via the Pparγ/Pgc-1α/Tfam pathway.