Hydrogenated water is water that has been infused with additional hydrogen gas to increase antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential, backed by years of research by medical professionals who have explored the benefits inhaled hydrogen for heart patients, people going in and out of surgery. , and other medical applications. Hydrogen gas can nullify many reactive oxygen species responsible for oxidative stress and pre- and perioperative hydrogen inhalation. do appear to help patients recover more quickly and avoid many of the side effects inherent to surgery. But it is hydrogen gas inhaled in a medical setting. Does commercial hydrogenated water have similar benefits?
I was actually surprised to find that the research is quite compelling. Let’s dig.
Hydrogen water improves physical performance
Acute and long-term hydrogen water consumption can improve your performance in the gym, on the bike or on the field.
One study asked cyclists to drink hydrogen water or placebo water before cycling. Those who drank hydrogenated water had more endurance and reported less fatigue during training.
Hydrogen water has also been shown to reduce lactate, an objective measure of fatigue, when consumed 30 minutes before a workout. Lactate builds up with exhaustive exercise: the harder and longer you work, the more lactate you produce and the more tired you are. Researchers hypothesize that hydrogen water reduces lactate by increasing mitochondrial respiration and ATP production.
However, another study found that a 7-day treatment with hydrogen water only improved the physical performance of trained athletes. Non-athletes saw no benefit. To really see the benefits of hydrogenated water on physical performance, you probably need to do some serious training.
If you train seriously or compete and need to maintain your performance despite fatigue, hydrogenated water can help. A recent study found that drinking hydrogen water saved the antioxidant capacity of athletes engaged in three uninterrupted days of intense physical training. Additionally, they experienced no drop in performance.
Hydrogenated Water Improves Metabolic Health
Metabolic syndrome is the most common disease in the country. Your average diabetic and hypertensive adult with low HDL levels and high triglycerides who is due to have a heart attack at any time? He suffers from metabolic syndrome.
In patients with probable metabolic syndrome, hydrogen water consumption increases HDL and decreases LDL oxidation. Given that oxidized LDL is a causal risk factor for heart attacks and that high HDL is protective, everyone would agree that this is a positive development.
Another study of patients with probable metabolic syndrome found that hydrogen water reduced inflammatory markers while improving blood lipids and antioxidant capacity. Higher antioxidant capacity combined with reduced inflammatory markers suggest increased resistance to oxidative stress.
Hydrogenated water reduces high oxidative stress
However, hydrogen water only reduces oxidative stress if there is oxidative stress that needs to be reduced. Again and again, we see little effects in healthy people who do not suffer from oxidative stress.
One study gave hydrogenated water to people ages 20 to 59. Only people aged 30 or over saw their antioxidant capacity increase. Younger people, with a presumably lower oxidative stress load, didn’t really benefit, while older people, who had had more time to absorb some stress along the way, did. advantages.
Another study found that healthy people who drank hydrogen water for four consecutive weeks saw no effect (good or bad) on their oxidative stress levels compared to the placebo.
Meanwhile, patients with chronic hepatitis B infections experience a sharp decrease in oxidative stress when consuming hydrogen water.
Even the exercise research I talked about earlier supports this. When you train hard, you create a transient state of oxidative stress. You’re « unhealthy » for a while, and that’s where hydrogen water has an effect.
Hydrogenated water improves aging
All things being equal, the older you are, the more exposed you are to oxidative stress. Older people also tend to be more inflamed and have lower antioxidant capacities. Hydrogenated water can help in all three cases.
In adults over 70, hydrogen water has been shown to increase the nutrient content of the brain, lengthen telomeres and improve how quickly a person can get up from a chair – all extremely important as we age.
In mouse models and human studies, hydrogen water improves symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.
How it works?
The evidence exists, but how does hydrogen exert its antioxidant effects? There are two main theories and they are both supported by evidence.
Theory 1: Hydrogen water is a direct antioxidant that selectively scavenges and cancels harmful reactive oxygen species. For example, in one study, butter was washed with normal water, hydrogen-infused water, or magnesium water. Washing with magnesium and hydrogen water prevented the formation of amines (amino acid degradation metabolites) in butter during long-term storage by removing the responsible oxidizing species. Ordinary water allowed the formation of amines.
Theory 2: Hydrogen water is a hormetic stressor. Hormesis describes the exposure of an organism to a mild stressor that causes an adaptive response. Examples of hormesis include exercise (damages muscles and thus becomes stronger), intermittent fasting/calorie restriction (mild « starvation » improves metabolic health), exposure to cold, and even dietary polyphenols which act as mild pesticides that cause an anti-inflammatory effect. antioxidant response in the body. Hydrogenated water triggers the same NrF2 pathway that other hormetic stressors also trigger.
These elements are not necessarily contradictory. Both may be true to some extent. In fact, many researchers believe that hydrogen water is both a direct eliminator And a hormetic stressor. What appears to be the case is that hydrogen water exerts antioxidant effects and can stem the tide of oxidative stress.
Do you need hydrogen water?
Not everybody.
However, if you need it, it really seems to work. The fact that it is selectively effective – that it has little or no effect in otherwise healthy young people who are not really experiencing oxidative stress, but rather improves the health of people with oxidative stress high – is a good sign. This is not something everyone has to accept. It is a supplement that can help people suffering from specific medical conditions: metabolic syndrome, inflammatory diseases, even something like depression. It is probably also useful for people engaged in intensive physical training.
In other words, it helps if you need it and has little or no effect if you don’t need it. It’s fine if you’re sick or stressed and it’s benign if you’re not.
I’d say it’s worth it if you’re interested.
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