Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Oxygenated water with an oxygen concentration of 30-120 mg/l water is believed to improve the immune status, without any toxicological effects. The purpose of this clinical study was to assess the effects of long-term drinking of oxygenated water on the immune status. METHODS In this prospective, double-blinded, randomised study 24 volunteers of either sex (age 18-63 years) drank daily 3 times 500 ml either oxygenated (Verum-group: n=12) or normal mineral water (Placebo-group: n=12) for 28 days. On day 1 and day 28 standard laboratory tests, IgG, IgA and IgM, lymphocyte subpopulations and functional analysis of T-cells by flow cytometry, were done. Furthermore, the oxygen radicals were determined by the detection of the ascorbyl radicals. RESULTS Drinking of normal or oxygenated water had no effect on whole blood count or the liver enzymes. Interestingly the volunteers in the Verum-group showed a significant increase in ascorbyl radicals after drinking oxygenated water for 14 and 21 days. CD4+ and CD4+CD45RA+ lymphocytes as well as lymphocyte activation marker (CD69) and soluble IL-2 receptor increased in both groups, in contrast T-helper2 cells and IgG decreased during the study. The only differences between the two groups were a significant decrease of NK-cells form 13.42%+ or -5.04 to 10.83%+ or -4.82 (P<.002) and an increase of the Th1/Th2-ratio from 2.77%+ or -1.07 to 6.68%+ or -5.33 (P<.03) in the Verum-group. CONCLUSION Long-term consumption of oxygenated water has no apparent harmful effect on the liver, blood and the immune system. Moreover it leads to a transient moderate increase of oxygen radicals in the blood. An interesting observation is the increase of the Th1/Th2-ratio in the Verum group, whereas in both groups T-cell activation after mitogen stimulation, the soluble IL-2 receptor, the CD4+ and the naive CD4+CD45RA+ cells increased.
