Category Archives: Learn

Mid afternoon slump?  Need caffeine to get you going in the morning?  Maybe a Molecular Hydrogen tablet is worthwhile considering instead….

In the recent study, published in June 2020, Hydrogen vs. Caffeine for Improved Alertness in Sleep-Deprived Humans¹, it was found the effects of a Hydrogen Rich Water (HRW) and caffeine had similar effects.

The study involved 23 participants, 18 men and 5 women, all apparently healthy.  The inclusion criteria were that they had to be a) between 18 and 30, b) to have a body mass index between 18.5 and 25.0 kg/m2 and c) no major chronic diseases or acute disorders.  And finally participants were sleep deprived in a lab for 24 hours.

Participants were assessed on two different scales, the Visual Analog Scale for alertness (for more detail on this test see 2) and Attention Network Test with subscales for alerting, orienting, and executive control (for more detail on this test see 3) before and after taking taking HRW or caffeine.

Findings of this study were “that both caffeine and hydrogen-rich water acutely affected markers of alertness in young sleep deprived men and women, with the effects being nearly similar between interventions.”

So if you need to or want to ease off the caffeine a little?  Or if you just want to see if something helps get you going?  Isn’t Molecular Hydrogen worth a try?

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11062-020-09852-7
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_analogue_scale
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/attention-network-test

Most people have heard of the wonders of fasting, but just in case you haven’t here are a few of the benefits¹:

• Weight and body fat loss
• Increased fat burning
• Lowered blood insulin and sugar levels
• Reduction in HbA1C
• Improved mental clarity and concentration
• Increased energy
• Increased growth hormone
• Activation of cellular cleansing by stimulating autophagy
• Reduction of inflammation
• Increased productivity (doesn’t take time and can be done anywhere)

And there are so many types of fasting, intermittent, crescendo, extended…the list goes on and what is and isn’t allowed during the fast eg some fasts allow only water whilst at the other end of the spectrum Dr Walter Longo’s Fasting Mimicking Diet, allows “fasting with food”.

So how does Molecular Hydrogen work with fasting?

According to Dr Daniel Pompa

“when you’re fasting, a lot of very toxic people produce something called hydroxy free radicals.  They make you feel like crap. Simply put, Hydrogen Molecules down regulate the hydroxy free radicals.”²

Molecular Hydrogen can make fasting easier.  So, if you’ve been struggling to increase the length of your fasting window, aren’t Molecular Hydrogen Tablets worth trying?

1. https://thefastingmethod.com/the-science/
2. https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/diet-variation-and-feast-famine-cycles/

To begin to understand the effects of Molecular Hydrogen, human studies are a great place to start. These show what can be. This article reviews Molecular Hydrogen and Sports Performance looking at some of the published studies.

There are 4 studies I would like to look at. 1 refers to middle age women, the other 3 refer to younger athletes.

Firstly we begin with the study titled 28-Days Hydrogen-Rich Water Supplementation Affects Exercise Capacity in Mid-Age Overweight Women.¹

Twelve women, from 40 to 66 years of age participated in the study. Their BMI’s were between 25.5 and 32.2. They were split into two groups of 6 and one group was given 1 litre Hydrogen Rich Water, the other group was given tap water.

We must note here that the concentration of the Hydrogen Rich Water was approx. 9 parts per million.

The conclusions from the study are “Results indicate that HRW can be used as an alternative hydration formulation to positively affect exercise performance in mid-age overweight women.”

Secondly, the title of the next study is Selective protective effect of hydrogen water on free radical injury of athletes after high-intensity exercise.² The study group involved 60 athletes and the sport we are talking about here is swimming. Note that each person had made the swim team in a University town in China. Each participant was male, between 14 and 22 and in good health during the study.

The group was split 30/30 into a control group (who were given mineral water) and a hydrogen water group.

The hydrogen water was sourced from Japan and the concentration of hydrogen is not disclosed.

The athletes were instructed to be mindful of their diet. Also taking any form of antioxidants was prohibited during this period.

The study lasted 8 days. Each day the athletes consumed either mineral or hydrogen water before, during and after exercise.

The conclusions from the study were “Hydrogen water supplement can effectively reduce the oxidizing substance before, during, and after exercise, preventing free radical damage caused by high-intensity exercise.”

Thirdly, the study is titled Effects of hydrogen rich water on prolonged intermittent exercise.³ The study group was very small and only involved 8 experienced male cyclists from 34-48 years old.

The participants reported doing approximately 9 hours of exercise per week over 5 sessions.

The group was split into 4 and 4. For the first 2 weeks each participant was given either 2 litres of Hydrogen Rich Water(HRW) or 2 litres of ordinary water(PLA) per day and then the groups switched for another 2 weeks (ie the group of 4 men who first had HRW was then given PLA for 2 weeks and vice versa). Athletes were also instructed to minimise drinking of other beverages at this time.

Please note that the concentration of the HRW given was very low at 450 parts per billion.

The conclusions from the study was “TWO weeks HRW intake may help to maintain peak performance output (PPO) in repetitive sprints to exhaustion over 30 minutes.”

And the final study was titled Pilot study: Effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on muscle fatigue caused by acute exercise in elite athletes.⁴

Ten male soccer players were the participants in this study. All between the ages of 18 and 22. All were involved in daily training. None were smokers or taking medication or supplements.

The Hydrogen Water used was generated from magnesium sticks in water and the concentration reported was 1.02mM.

The group was halved in 2 groups of 5 and 5. For the first exercise experiments one group consumed 1.5 litres Hydrogen Water, the other ordinary water. A week was allowed to pass and the groups were switched ie the group of 5 that had hydrogen water previously now consumed ordinary water.

The conclusion from the study was that “data demonstrated that consumption of HW reduced blood lactate levels and improved muscle fatigue after acute exercise.”

In conclusion, after reviewing the studies regarding Molecular Hydrogen and sports performance there seems to be a high possibility that hydrogen water can help you in the realm of sports performance. Why not give it a try?

To make it affordable to try molecular hydrogen use the coupon code Try30 to purchase a bottle of 30 Hydrotabs with 20% off and free shipping. Find this shop page HERE. If you have any queries, concerns or comments please CONTACT US.

Resources

1.https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2018&issue=05001&article=02411&type=Fulltext

2.https://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/selective-protective-effect-of-hydrogen-water-on-free-radical-injury-of-athletes-after-highintensity-exercise.pdf

3.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316737342_Effects_of_hydrogen_rich_water_on_prolonged_intermittent_exercise

4.https://medicalgasresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2045-9912-2-12

Stiff, sore, inflamed …. do you have these symptoms? have you been diagnosed with arthritis?

There are many touted cures for arthritis including medication, surgery, herbs, supplements, exercise, weight management, copper bracelets, bee sting therapy and even meditation. It seems that every day there is a new article promising “a cure.”  Some of these “cures” come with risks and consequences and many of them have little scientific backing by way of studies and research. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a simple product that could potentially help, a product that did no harm and that contained some scientific backing. Over the years there have been a number of studies that indicate that drinking hydrogen rich water has the ability to help those with rheumatoid arthritis.

We will now review those studies before drawing conclusions.

The definition of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as per Arthritis Australia is an autoimmune disease that causes pain and swelling of the joints.¹

The studies will be considered in order that they were published.

So initially we will review a study titled “Consumption of water containing a high concentration of molecular hydrogen reduces oxidative stress and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an open-label pilot study”² published in October 2012.

For this small study 20 people were involved, 5 who had a recent diagnosis (< 12 months) of RA, 15 an older diagnosis.  16 of the individuals had tried or were currently using RA medications.  Medication was not stopped throughout the study.  And it should be noted that one patient was already in remission from RA.

The patients drank water containing a high concentration of hydrogen (4 to 5 ppm H₂ water) daily for 4 weeks, followed by a wash-out period of 4 weeks. They then drank the Hydrogen Water again for another 4 weeks. They consumed 530 ml of Hydrogen Water within 1 h every day during the 4-week drinking period.

Blood was taken at the beginning, at various periods into and at the end of the study to assess levels of the participants oxidative damage and inflammatory markers.

After the study completion of the 19 individuals not in remission from RA, a further 9 people were diagnosed to be now in remission.

The conclusion from the study was “We suggest that high H₂ water may be useful to complement conventional RA therapy by reducing oxidative stress.”

The next study is from October 2013 and is titled Molecular Hydrogen: New Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Related Diseases³. 

This study is a discussion piece of other studies but states in conclusion that “H₂ is an inert gas present within the human body and is not classified as a medicine, but it has been shown to have therapeutic and diagnostic potential for RA.”  The authors continue to say that “Additional investigations of the benefits of H₂ for RA patients are urgently needed, as H₂ therapy has tremendous potential, but is currently under-utilized and its benefits are not thoroughly explored.”

Another study from August 2014 titled Therapeutic efficacy of infused molecular hydrogen in saline on rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study and its aim is defined as being was to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of H₂-saline infusion for treatment of RA.⁴

This was again a small study involving only 26 RA patients whose blood levels for various markers, including oxidative stress and inflammation were monitored.

The study conclusion was “we have demonstrated that intravenous infusion of H₂ is effective in treating RA. This method could be useful not only for controlling RA but also for preventing age-related inflammatory diseases.”

The final study is titled Molecular hydrogen decelerates rheumatoid arthritis progression through inhibition of oxidative stress.⁵ It was published in October 2016.

This final study is a mouse study with an animal model of RA.  It should be noted that in conclusion the study stated “Our data demonstrated that H₂ could be a novel therapeutic molecule in the treatment of RA and further investigation is need to explore its exact role.”

We, along with all the people who could be helped by Molecular Hydrogen, are eagerly awaiting the additional investigations into this therapy.  While we wait, isn’t this worth a try?

To make it affordable to try molecular hydrogen use the coupon code Try30 to purchase a bottle of 30 Hydrotabs with 20% off and free shipping. Find this shop page HERE. If you have any queries, concerns or comments please CONTACT US.

1. https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/types-of-arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3563451/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3788323/
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567576914002124?via%3Dihub
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5095341/

Metabolic Syndrome is defined¹ as a clustering of at least three of the five following medical conditions:

central obesity,

high blood pressure,

high blood sugar,

high serum triglycerides, and

low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

This is what makes the next series of studies so fascinating as it is estimated that 20%-30% of the population in industrialized countries has metabolic syndrome².

The first study is titled “Molecular hydrogen affects body composition, metabolic profiles, and mitochondrial function in middle-aged overweight women.”³

This was a very small study with only 10 middle aged women as paticipants.  Half were given hydrogen-generating minerals each day or a placebo caplet each day for 4 weeks.

The concentration of hydrogen from the hydrogen generating minerals was approximately 6 parts per million.

The results from this study showed that after H2 intervention individuals exhibited the following:

            reduced body fat percentage,

            A significant drop in serum triglycerides, and

            Fasting serum insulin levels dropped.

The study made the conclusion that “It appears that orally administered H₂ as a blend of hydrogen-generating minerals might be a beneficial agent in the management of body composition and insulin resistance in obesity.”

The second study is titled “Hydrogen-rich water decreases serum LDL-cholesterol levels and improves HDL function in patients with potential metabolic syndrome.”⁴

20 individuals participated in this study.  All were 43 years of age or above.  There were 12 males and 8 females.  Study participants were selected on the basis that they had one or more of the following conditions: higher blood pressure, pre-diabetic glucose levels, higher cholesterol, and finally a higher BMI or waist circumference measurement.  (Parameters were set for each measure.)

Each participant consumed .9-1.0 litre per day of hydrogen rich water each day for 10 weeks.  The hydrogen concentration was estimated to be 0.2mM.

The conclusion from the study was that “supplementation with H₂-rich water seems to decrease serum LDL-C and apoB levels, improve dyslipidemia-injured HDL functions, and reduce oxidative stress, and it may have a beneficial role in prevention of potential metabolic syndrome.”

A final study titled “Effectiveness of Hydrogen Rich Water on Antioxidant Status of Subjects with Potential Metabolic Syndrome—An Open Label Pilot Study”⁵ also had 20 participants. All were 40 years old or above.  10 were male, 10 were female and again study subjects were required to have one or more of the following conditions: higher BMI, higher waist circumference, higher blood pressure, pre-diabetic glucose levels, or higher cholesterol.  (Parameters were set for each measure.)

For 3 months prior to the study, participants were required to keep their weight stable, and those subjects that were smokers were encouraged not to change their smoking habits. Subjects were required to discontinue other natural health products three weeks prior to commencing the study and to maintain their current level of physical activity and dietary habits during the course of the study.

Subjects were to drink between 1.5 – 2.0 litres of Hydrogen Rich Water per day for the 8 weeks of the study duration.  It was determined that the hydrogen concentration was maintained between 0.55 and 0.65 mM per day.

The conclusion from this final study was “drinking hydrogen rich water represents a potentially novel therapeutic and preventive strategy for metabolic syndrome.”

We need to note again that these studies did have a smaller number of participants but if any of these health issues trouble you, is molecular hydrogen worth considering as a potential intervention?

To make it affordable to try molecular hydrogen use the coupon code Try30 to purchase a bottle of 30 Hydrotabs with 20% off and free shipping. Find this shop page HERE. If you have any queries, concerns or comments please CONTACT US.

Resources

1          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome

2          https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/metabolic-syndrome#1

3          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28560519

4          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3679390/

5          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831093/