Effect of Drinking Oxygenated Water Assessed by in vivo MRI Relaxometry

This project was funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Oxygen uptake through the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration of oxygenated water in humans is not well studied and is debated in the literature. Due to the paramagnetic properties of oxygen and deoxyhemoglobin, MRI as a technique might be able to detect changes in relaxometry values caused by increased oxygen levels in the blood.

To assess whether oxygen dissolved in water is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and transported into the bloodstream after oral administration.

A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trial.

Thirty healthy male volunteers age 20-35.

3T/Modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) T₁ -mapping and multi fast field echo (mFFE) T₂ *-mapping.

Each volunteer was scanned in two separate sessions. T₁ and T₂ * maps were acquired repeatedly covering the hepatic portal vein (HPV) and vena cava inferior (VCI, control vein) before and after intake of oxygenated or control water. Assessments were done by placing a region of interest in the HPV and VCI.

A mixed linear model was performed to the compare control vs. oxygen group.

Drinking caused a mean 1.6% 95% CI (1.1-2.0% P < 0.001) increase in T₁ of HPV blood and water oxygenation attributed another 0.70% 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.07-1.3% P = 0.028) increase. Oxygenation did not change T₁ in VCI blood. Mean T₂ * increased 9.6% 95% CI (1.7-17.5% P = 0.017) after ingestion of oxygenated water and 1.2% 95% CI (-4.3-6.8% P = 0.661) after ingestion of control water. The corresponding changes in VCI blood were not significant.

Ingestion of water caused changes in T₁ and T₂ * of HPV blood compatible with dilution due to water absorption. The effects were enhanced by oxygen. Assessment of oxygen enrichment of HPV blood was not possible due to the dilution effect.

2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:720-728.