Hydrogen Water: Quenching Our Thirst for Health

Published by Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO

You know that regular water is important for hydration and for the body’s systems to run smoothly. But have you heard of the potential health benefits of hydrogen water? Touted around the world as an incredible cure for many ailments and powerful anti-aging compound, there is some fascinating research to support these claims. However, much of what’s available currently has been done in animal studies and it’s difficult to know if hydrogen water is the answer to your health worries or if it’s just a very expensive way to meet your water needs.

Medicinally, hydrogen water is used:

As an antioxidant
To support brain health and mood
To calm inflammation in a variety of disease states including arthritis, cardiovascular, eye, bladder and skin conditions
As an anti-aging support for wrinkled skin
To reduce muscle pain, enhance sports performance and recovery
To lower cholesterol and blood sugar
For weight loss
To boost energy metabolism on a cellular level
For anti-cancer support
To boost wound healing

Always be cautious of something touted as a ‘miracle cure’ which hydrogen water is when doing light reading about it on the internet. Diving into the research and understanding what the studies say is critical to learning about the potential benefits and negatives as well as how it works in the body.

Hydrogen water contains hydrogen molecules that act as antioxidants, quenching free radicals that can damage normal, healthy cells. In addition to drinking it, hydrogen water can also be used topically, in a bath, intravenously, or inhaled. Like all antioxidants that our bodies produce or that we get through food or supplements, these compounds are known to reduce inflammation and help improve some disease states.

Use caution, however, because free radicals in the body are also a normal occurrence and like so many things, the balance here is important to understand and respect. Like so many substances, more antioxidants don’t necessarily equal more health and consuming antioxidants can’t make up for other lifestyle choices like unhealthy eating, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, environmental exposure to toxins or not being physically active.

Understanding the benefits of hydrogen water is challenging because it has only recently been used therapeutically, starting in the 1990’s (though there were a few, small animal studies before this time). Studies in humans are small; one of the first uses was in three divers to help them overcome the effects on the brain from pressure when submerged in deep water.

No clinical trials to date have been done on more than 70 people. Three quarters of all available studies are on animals so it’s hard to know at this time the safety and efficacy in humans, especially long-term since research in this area is new.

With all new potential therapies, hydrogen water is very exciting and the research coming out is promising, especially for support in the brain and with cognition; yet it’s best to proceed with caution. Keep an eye on research being done and let your doctor know if you’re using it and for what use. There isn’t much evidence currently that it could be harmful but using it could get expensive with some therapies costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars at this time.

What are your thoughts on hydrogen water? Have you used it? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Resources
Ichihara M, Sobue S, Ito M, Ito M, Hirayama M, Ohno K. Beneficial biological effects and the underlying mechanisms of molecular hydrogen-comprehensive review of 321 original articles. Medical gas research. 2015;5(1):12.

Ohsawa I, Ishikawa M, Takahashi K, Watanabe M, Nishimaki K, Yamagata K, et al. Hydrogen acts as a therapeutic antioxidant by selectively reducing cytotoxic oxygen radicals. Nat Med. 2007;13(6):688–94.

Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO

Ginger Hultin MS RDN CSO is a Seattle-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and long time contributor to nutrition content on Foodtrients®. She is the owner of the concierge, virtual nutrition practice Ginger Hultin Nutrition where she helps clients with complex health conditions through an integrative approach. She specializes in anti-inflammatory diets for integrative oncology nutrition, people with gastrointestinal disease, and autoimmune issues. Her 10-year partnership with Foodtrients® has focused on evidence-based anti-aging nutrition, healthy recipes, and "top foods" lists in many categories from blood sugar control to healing your gut. Ginger serves as adjunct clinical faculty at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle. She is the director of communications at the Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a past Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and past-chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. She has authored two nutrition books: Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep and the How to Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook. Ginger is a graduate of the University of Washington and Bastyr University and is currently pursuing her doctorate of clinical nutrition at the University of North Florida.