11 Reasons Why You Should Drink Molecular Hydrogen!

The healthiest beverage that a person can consume is, no doubt, ‘WATER’. It’s free of any harmful chemicals and salts. Now, how about altering the way we drink water? Well, welcome to hydrogen water- the latest trend in wellness. 

Hydrogen water has been trending for quite some time with various celebrities like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds endorsing it. In Japan, it has been trending for many years with the Ministry of Health recently approving hydrogen infused saline IVs to enable faster recovery.[1] 

What is Hydrogen Water and How Does it Work? 

Simply put, hydrogen water is water infused with hydrogen molecules. Hydrogen molecules or Molecular Hydrogen (H2) is a form of gas and can be found in trace quantities in the air. [2] 

They work as an antioxidant and minimize inflammation. In addition, they also eliminate harmful free radicals by dissolving in water.

Hydrogen is inhaled in the form of a gas at minimal concentrations (1-3%), or it can be infused into the water. Hydrogen infused water is being increasingly used as a therapeutic agent. 

Characteristics of Molecular Hydrogen (H2) [3] 

1. H2 effectively penetrates cell membranes and reaches the mitochondria and cell nuclei.
2. H2 quickly penetrates the blood-brain barrier by gaseous diffusion, while most antioxidant compounds find it challenging to do so.
3. H2 is not cytotoxic even during high concentration levels. Hence, high-pressure H2 has been safely used in the gas mixes (that prevent decompression sickness) used for deep-sea diving.
4. H2 is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas. This property enables it to be infused in water and other healthy drinks without changing their taste.
5. H2 has anti-apoptotic effects. 

Therapeutic and Preventive Applications of Molecular Hydrogen 

Various clinical studies have shown that Hydrogen Rich Water (HRW) contains numerous therapeutic and ergogenic effects. 

The effect of supplementation with HRW was studied for better athletic performance measured by VO2, heart rate, respiratory rate, etc. It was found that supplementation with HRW tablets enhanced athletic performance by lowering exercising heart rate. [4] 

Further HRW helps to minimize the accumulation of liver fat and betters the liver enzyme profiles in individuals’ non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. [5]

Inhalation of H2 helped protect a person against parasite-induced liver injury. [6] 

Drinking HRW has been shown to minimize oxidative stress and better patient symptoms in a clinical trial conducted for Parkinson's disease. [7] H2 is also being studied as a potential form of treatment for Alzheimer’s. 

H2 treatment is also found to protect a person against myocardial injury, atherosclerosis and other forms of vascular diseases. [8]

H2 administration has also been shown to treat stress-induced gastric ulceration.[9] 

Metabolic Syndrome is a type of condition caused due to high blood sugar, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels and also on account of increased belly fat. Chronic inflammation also results in metabolic syndrome. A 10-week study showed that participants with metabolic syndrome who supplemented with hydrogen-enriched water of around 1 litre per day, experienced a remarkable reduction in the bad LDL cholesterol with increases in the good HDL cholesterol, reduced inflammation markers and enhanced antioxidant activity. [10],[11] Hydrogen-rich water is shown to enhance lipid and glucose metabolism in patients who have Type 2 diabetes. [12]

Thus, hydrogen water may be efficient in minimizing the markers of oxidative stress and bettering the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. 

Recent animal studies have shown that H2 treatment also helps in protecting against sepsis-related lung injury by reducing the inflammatory cytokine HMGB1 levels. Various animal models have also demonstrated the efficacy of H2 on a renal injury. [13] 

H2 also scores in its therapeutic effects over the reproductive system as various animals models have shown its efficacy in protecting the fertility of males exposed to irradiation. [14]  

9. Minimises the side effects of cancer radiation treatment

H2 can also minimize the adverse effects of cancer radiotherapy and the side effects of various anti-tumour drugs. Regular consumption of Hydrogen Water has been shown to mitigate oxidative stress, as a result of radiation and also enhance the quality of life post-radiation without sacrificing the anti-tumour effects in patients. [15] 

Molecular hydrogen fights against the free radicals in the body and helps protect it against the side effects of oxidative stress that causes inflammation. Thereby, it helps in minimizing inflammatory markers.  [16] 

Hydrogen enriched water helps in sustaining the PH in the blood without making much use of the calcium and magnesium reserves located in the bones and muscles. This helps in retaining the proteins as well as the minerals within the bone tissue which in turn prevents any bone loss and osteopenia.

FAQ’s on Hydrogen Water Consumption

Is Hydrogen Safe?[18]

Hydrogen has been considered safe at concentrations that are much higher than that used for therapy. In fact during the 1800s,' hydrogen gas was utilized to locate gunshot injuries in the intestines, and there were no reports of any toxicity in the sensitive tissues during such processes. 

Furthermore, hydrogen gas has been used in deep-sea diving (as mentioned earlier) for decompression sickness with no toxic effects being reported even at very high levels and pressures.

Another exciting thing to be noted is that hydrogen gas is not alien to our body as, after any meal that is rich in fibres, our gut bacteria produce enormous amounts of hydrogen.

If the water contains abundant amounts of hydrogen, then it must be acidic? 

True, if any water is rich in positive hydrogen ions, then it tends to be acidic. However, when we refer to hydrogen water, we basically mean molecular hydrogen, which is a form of neutral gas that gets dissolved in water.

Hydrogen water is recognized as safe by the FDA, meaning it is safe for human consumption. However, there are no established studies as to how much one must drink to reap its various benefits. 

Conclusion

Well, given the potential benefits of hydrogen water, and the buzz surrounding this drink, it might well be worth a try. After all, drinking hydrogen water is not going to cause one any harm.

You can now include H2 in you diet from OPTMZ. We now stock a high-quality  Molecular Hydrogen Tablets. Click here to buy yours today! You can read more in depth research on H2 here.