Hydrogen water is water that’s been infused with extra hydrogen gas to extend the antioxidant and anti inflammatory potential, drawing on years of research by medical professionals who’ve been exploring the advantages of inhaled hydrogen for cardiac patients, people going into and coming out of surgery, and other medical applications. Hydrogen gas can nullify most of the reactive oxygen species chargeable for oxidative stress, and pre- and peri-operative hydrogen inhalation does appear to assist patients recuperate more quickly and avoid most of the unwanted effects inherent to surgery. But that’s inhaled hydrogen gas in a medical setting. Does business hydrogen water have similar advantages?
I used to be actually surprised to seek out that the research is fairly compelling. Let’s dig in.
Hydrogen water improves physical performance
Each acute and long-term hydrogen water intake can improve your performance within the gym, on the bike, or on the sector.
One study had cyclists either drink hydrogen water or placebo water prior to cycling. Those that drank hydrogen water had more endurance and reported less fatigue during training.
Hydrogen water has also been shown to scale back lactate, an objective measure of fatigue, when consumed half-hour before a workout. Lactate builds up with exhaustive exercise—the harder and longer you go, the more lactate you produce and the more drained you get. The researchers hypothesized that hydrogen water reduces lactate by increasing mitochondrial respiration and ATP production.
Nonetheless, one other study found that a 7-day course of hydrogen water only improved exercise performance in trained athletes. Non-athletes saw no profit. To actually see the advantages of hydrogen water for physical performance, you almost certainly must be doing serious training.
In the event you are doing serious training or competing and want to keep up performance despite fatigue, hydrogen water will help. One recent study found that drinking hydrogen water rescued the antioxidant capability of athletes engaged in three unbroken days of intense physical training. Furthermore, they experienced no performance decline.
Hydrogen water improves metabolic health
Metabolic syndrome is probably the most common illness within the country. Your average diabetic, hypertensive adult with low HDL levels and high triglycerides who’s due for a heart attack any moment? He’s got metabolic syndrome.
In patients with probable metabolic syndrome, hydrogen water consumption raises HDL and lowers LDL oxidation. Since oxidized LDL are a causative risk factor for heart attacks, and high HDL is protective, everyone would agree that this can be a positive development.
One other study of probable metabolic syndrome patients found that hydrogen water reduced inflammatory markers while improving blood lipids and antioxidant capability. Higher antioxidant capability combined with reduced inflammatory markers suggest an increased resistance to oxidative stress.
Hydrogen water lowers elevated oxidative stress
Nonetheless, hydrogen water only lowers oxidative stress if there’s oxidative stress hanging around that needs lowering. Time and again, we see little no effect on healthy individuals who aren’t affected by oxidative stress.
One study gave hydrogen water to people aged between 20 and 59 years of age. Only those aged 30 years or more saw a rise of their antioxidant capability. The younger individuals with a presumably lower oxidative stress load didn’t really profit, while the older individuals who’d had more time to select up some stress along the way in which saw advantages.
One other study found that heathy individuals who drank hydrogen water for 4 weeks straight saw no effect (good or bad) on their oxidative stress levels in comparison with placebo.
Meanwhile, patients with chronic hepatitis B infections see large decreases in oxidative stress upon hydrogen water intake.
Even the exercise research I discussed earlier bears this out. Whenever you train hard, you’re making a transient state of oxidative stress. You’re “unhealthy” for a moment in time, and that’s where hydrogen water has an effect.
Hydrogen water improves aging
All else being equal, the older you might be, the more oxidative stress you’re exposed to. Older people also are inclined to be more inflamed and have lower antioxidant capacities. Hydrogen water will help with all three.
In adults older than 70, hydrogen water has been shown to extend brain nutrient content, lengthen telomeres, and improve how quickly an individual can rise up from a chair—all extremely vital as we age.
In each mouse models and human studies, hydrogen water improves symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.
How does it work?
The evidence is there, but how is hydrogen exerting its antioxidant effects? There are two important theories they usually each have supporting evidence.
Theory 1: Hydrogen water is a direct antioxidant that selectively scavenges and nullifies harmful reactive oxygen species. As an illustration in a single study, butter was washed either with normal water, hydrogen-infused water, or magnesium water. Washing with each the magnesium and hydrogen water prevented the formation of amines (metabolites of amino acid breakdown) within the butter during long run storage by scavenging the oxidant species responsible. Regular water allowed amine formation.
Theory 2: Hydrogen water is a hormetic stressor. Hormesis describes exposing an organism to a gentle stressor that provokes an adaptive response. Examples of hormesis include exercise (damage the muscles and get stronger consequently), intermittent fasting/calorie restriction (light “starvation” improves metabolic health), cold exposure, and even dietary polyphenols that act like mild pesticides that provoke an anti-inflammatory antioxidant response within the body. Hydrogen water does trigger the exact same NrF2 pathway that other hormetic stressors also trigger.
These aren’t necessarily contradictory. Each may be true to some extent. Actually, many researchers imagine that the hydrogen water is each a direct scavenger and a hormetic stressor. What definitely appears to be the case is that hydrogen water exerts antioxidant effects and might stem the tide of oxidative stress.
Do you would like hydrogen water?
Not everyone.
Nonetheless, for those who do need it, it really seems to work. The indisputable fact that it’s selectively effective—that it has little to no effect in otherwise healthy young individuals who don’t really have much oxidative stress happening, as an alternative improving the health of individuals experiencing high oxidative stress—is a great sign. It’s not something everyone must take. It’s a complement that will help people coping with specific disease states: metabolic syndrome, inflammatory diseases, even something like depression. It’s probably also helpful for people engaged in hard physical training.
In other words, it helps for those who need it and has little to no effect for those who don’t. It’s good for those who’re sick or stressed and it’s benign for those who’re not.
I’d say it’s price a shot for those who’re interested.
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