۲۷ Scientific Health Benefits of Drinking Hydrogen Water (Molecular Hydrogen)

When I first heard about hydrogen water, scam bells started to go off in my brain.  But then I started to read and realized that hydrogen water has serious potential and some interesting studies.

Hydrogen water contains hydrogen molecules that act as powerful antioxidants. These molecules help neutralize oxygen free radicals that contribute to disease development, inflammation, and aging. Read more to learn about the miraculous benefits of hydrogen water!

Hydrogen water is loaded with hydrogen molecules that can extinguish free radicals and cross the blood-brain barrier, cell membrane, mitochondria, and even the nucleus.

Because of its unique properties, molecular hydrogen has therapeutic benefits in virtually every organ in the body where it exerts antioxidant,anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-allergy actions with no known side effects [Refrence,Refrence2].

The Hydrogen Water That I Recommend

The Health Benefits of Hydrogen Water

۱) Hydrogen Water is an Antioxidant and Prevents Brain Damage

Molecular hydrogen (H2) can protect cells and tissues from oxidative damage by selectively reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) [R,R2].

Unlike other antioxidants, H2 has the unique capability of crossing cell membranes and targeting organelles such as the mitochondria and nucleus [R].

Drinking hydrogen water prevented the development of Parkinson’s diseasein an experiment on rats. Hydrogen water reduced oxidative stress and prevented cognitive impairment associated with dementia and Parkinson’s disease [R].

Hydrogen water prevented both the development and progression of neural degeneration, and also suppressed neuronal loss in another Parkinson’s disease mice study [R].

Additionally, in a study on patients with Parkinson’s disease, it was found that the intake of hydrogen water reduces neurotoxic damage, which agrees with previous studies on animals. There were also no adverse effects from the hydrogen water at high doses (1000 mL/day) [R].

۲) Hydrogen Water May Improve Mood Disorders

Hydrogen water restored the natural growth of brain cells in mice. Because antidepressants increase adult neurogenesis, hydrogen water may be used for improving depression and some mental disorders [R,R2].

۳) Hydrogen Water Suppresses Inflammation

Molecular hydrogen (H2) exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in many animal studies [R,R2].

In a study, patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease, drank .5 L/day of hydrogen water for 4 weeks. By the end of the study all patients with early rheumatoid arthritis achieved remission and 20% became symptom-free [R,R2].

۴) Hydrogen Water Reduces Muscle Fatigue, Motor Deficits, and Muscle Degeneration

In an experiment with young athletes, drinking hydrogen water reducedlactic acid build-up during heavy exercise and decreased muscle fatigue[R].

In a study on mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a devastating muscle disease, hydrogen water prevented abnormal body mass gain andincreased the production of the antioxidant glutathione peroxidase. It was found that hydrogen water can potentially improve muscular dystrophy in DMD patients [R].

۵) Hydrogen Water Prevents Metabolic Syndrome

Hydrogen water significantly reduced fatty liver in mice with type 2 diabetesand obesity as well as in mice with a high–fat-diet-induced fatty liver. Also, levels of glucose, insulin, and triglycerides were decreased by stimulating energy metabolism [R].

A study in rats showed that hydrogen water was able to preventatherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) [R].

In a study on patients with the potential for metabolic syndrome, drinking hydrogen water (1.5 – ۲ L/day) for 8 weeks showed an increase in HDL-cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) and a decrease in total cholesterol [R].

۶) Hydrogen Water May Help in Weight Loss

Long-term drinking of hydrogen water controlled body fat and weight in rats, despite no change in food and water intake [R].

۷) Hydrogen Water Enhances Mitochondrial Function

Clinical studies have shown that drinking hydrogen water directly protects the mitochondria and improves the outcome of mitochondrial disorders [R].

Drinking hydrogen water also stimulates energy metabolism (as measured by oxygen consumption and CO2 production) [R].

۸) Hydrogen Water Treats Diabetes

A clinical trial in patients with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance showed that drinking hydrogen water (900 mL) for 8 weeksdecreased cholesterol, normalized glucose tolerance and improved insulin resistance in a majority of the treated patients [R].

۹) Hydrogen Water May Treat Metabolic Acidosis

۱۰) Hydrogen Water May Prevent Cancer

Heated hydrogen water was found to be an effective anti-tumor agent [R].

In human tongue and connective tissue cancer cells, hydrogen water suppressed tumor colony growth by reducing oxidative stress [R].

Hydrogen water also inhibited angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) in cultured human lung cancer cells [R].

۱۱) Hydrogen Water Reduces Side Effects of Cancer Treatments

Drinking hydrogen water improved mortality and body weight loss caused by an anti-cancer drug, cisplatin, and reduced kidney toxicity in mice [R].

In a study on patients receiving radiation therapy for malignant liver tumors, drinking hydrogen water (1.5 – ۲ L/day) suppressed oxidative stress (as measured by elevation of total hydroperoxide levels) and prevented the loss of appetite [R].

۱۲) Hydrogen Water Boosts Skin Health

Hydrogen water administered intravenously (into the vein) to patients with acute erythematous skin diseases caused the erythema (redness) and associated symptoms to significantly improve [R].

Bathing in hydrogen water for 3 months significantly improved wrinkles in the skin in a human study [R].

Hydrogen water also reduced human skin cell damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays [R].

۱۳) Hydrogen Water Enhances Would Healing

Hydrogen water intake via tube feeding in elderly patients reduced the wound size of pressure ulcers and enhanced recovery [R].

۱۴) Hydrogen Water Limits Damage of Transplant Organs

Hydrogen water in the form of a preservation solution reduced the damage of a variety of organs during transplantation [R].

۱۵)  Hydrogen Water Improves Bladder Dysfunctions

In a study on rats that were surgically induced with a bladder obstruction,drinking hydrogen water significantly suppressed bladder weight increase and oxidative stress. Also, hydrogen water reversed the decreased responses to muscles and electric field stimulation. These results suggest that hydrogen water could help patients with a bladder obstruction by decreasing oxidative stress [R].

۱۶) Hydrogen Water is Cardio-Protective

Treating diabetic mice with hydrogen water significantly improved heart muscle function, indicating that molecular hydrogen could be useful for diabetic heart muscle disease [R].

۱۷) Hydrogen Water Protects the Eye

H2-loaded eye drops facilitated the recovery process after retinal injury in rats [R].

Treating the cornea with hydrogen solution significantly reduced angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) after alkali-burn injury in mice, indicating that hydrogen therapy may prevent blindness caused by chemical burns of the eye [R].

۱۸) Hydrogen Water Prevents Hearing Loss

Molecular hydrogen protects auditory hair cells from oxidative damage [R].

Studies in guinea pigs found that hydrogen-rich saline and water prevented the death of cochlear hair cells after noise exposure,  indicating that hydrogen water may protect against noise-induced hearing loss [R,R2,R3].

۱۹) Hydrogen Water Combats Allergy

Drinking hydrogen water eliminated an immediate-type allergic reaction in mice [R].

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an allergic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by red, scaly rashes on the skin. In mice with AD-like skin, hydrogen water was able to improve symptoms by suppressing inflammation (through manipulation of Th1 and Th2 responses) [R].

۲۰) Hydrogen Water Ameliorates Kidney Disease

A study in rats found that hydrogen-rich water was able to improve kidney dysfunction from toxic damage by reducing oxidative stress and chemical waste products (creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)) [R].

Drinking hydrogen water also reduced inflammation and blood pressure in hemodialysis patients [R].

۲۱) Hydrogen Water Protects the Liver

Drinking hydrogen water suppressed liver fibrogenesis in mice by protecting liver cells from free-radical damage [R].

Hydrogen water also significantly improved liver function and reducedoxidative stress in patients with chronic hepatitis B [R].

۲۲) Hydrogen Water Promotes Gut Health

Hydrogen-rich water alleviated stomach mucosal injury induced by aspirinin rats (by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation), indicating that hydrogen water may protect healthy individuals from gut damage caused by oxidative stress [R,R2].

۲۳) Hydrogen Water Protects the Lung

Hydrogen water consumption in rats had a protective effect against lung tissue injury by suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress (through reduction of NF-κB activity) [R].

 ۲۴) Hydrogen Water is Radioprotective

A study found that pre-treating mice with hydrogen water before irradiation exposure increased survival rates and protected the heart from radiation-induced damage [R].

Hydrogen treatment also inhibited irradiation-induced death in cultured human white blood cells, suggesting that hydrogen may be used as an effective radioprotective agent [R].

۲۵) Hydrogen Water Relieves Pain

In mice, oral hydrogen water intake was found to alleviate common symptoms of neuropathic pain (allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia). The study concluded that hydrogen water may be helpful for relieving nerve pain in a clinical setting [R].

۲۶) Hydrogen Water May Prolong Lifespan

The ability of molecular hydrogen to protect nuclear DNA and the mitochondria from oxidative damage is thought to have beneficial effects on chronic diseases like cancer and the aging process [R,R2].

H2 treatment delayed the replicative lifespan of bone marrow stem cellsby reducing oxidative stress [R].

When human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were grown in a hydrogen-rich medium, both oxidative stress and cellular aging were suppressed. The study concluded that drinking hydrogen water may increase longevity in humans [R].

۲۷) Hydrogen Water is Antibacterial and May Promote Oral Health

A study found that hydrogen water may improve oral hygiene because of its antibacterial effect against cavity and gum disease-causing bacteria [R].

In patients with gum infection, drinking hydrogen-rich water improved disease symptoms and enhanced the effects of non-surgical gum disease treatment [R].

Technical

• Decreased  production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, CCL2 and IL-10, TNF-γ, IL-12,ICAM-1, HMGB-1, NF-κB, and PGE2 [R].
• Suppressed caspase 3, caspase 12, caspase 8 and BAX [R].
• Activated Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL [R].
• Up-regulated expression of PCNA, bFGF, HGF, IFNy, and down-regulated expression of i-NOS  and VEGF [R].
• Inhibited phosphorylations of  MEK, ERK, JNK, Lyn, Syk, PLCγ۱, γ۲, Akt, ERK1/2, JNK, p38, cPLA2, ASK1, IκBα [R].
• Up-regulated expression of FGF21 [R].
• Increased ghrelin secretion [R].
• Activated Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) [R].