©Arlene R. Taylor PhD    www.arlenetaylor.org

I watch people around me not drinking water and I turn into the “water police!”
I’m constantly asking: “Are you drinking water?”
Being dehydrated very quickly affects my energy!
—Jessica Parker Kennedy

The door to my office opened and a trio marched in. Each face, in its own style, proclaimed that this was serious business. Should be interesting, I thought.

The tall one blurted out first: “Do you still drink alkaline water?”

Before I could reply, the short one asked: “So, are you going to switch to hydrogen water, and what is that anyway?”

I opened my mouth, but the middle one cut in. “I thought water was hydrogen!”

I waved them toward two chairs and a stool. They settled themselves, faces still serious.

“One at a time,” I chuckled. “Yes, every day I am home where my ION Thrive machine lives, I drink alkaline water exclusively. And if I am just away from home for a day or two, I carry alkaline water with me.”

“Are you getting rid of your alkaline machine?” the tall one interrupted.

“Heavens, no,” I replied. “I drink alkaline water every day; and when I want some Hwater, I use a little machine that dissolves additional hydrogen gas into the alkaline water, increasing its baseline hydrogen content.”

“I looked it up,” said the middle one. “Everyone knows that water—H2O—already has two hydrogen atoms.  Who needs more than two?”

“Since about 2007, scientists have been studying hydrogen specifically,” I replied. “Think back to freshman college chemistry. Hydrogen is a chemical element with the symbol H and an atomic number of 1.”

“I remember now,” said the short one. “The instructor said that in one of its forms, hydrogen is the most abundant chemical substance in the Universe. I read recently that Tyler LeBaron, founder of the Molecular Hydrogen Institute [MHI], is one of the scientists studying hydrogen water.”

“Emerging studies are fascinating,” I agreed, nodding. “They strongly suggest that hydrogen water can be beneficial to the human brain and body in a myriad of ways.”

“How?” asked the middle one, taking paper and pen from a backpack.

I explained that studies have shown dozens of benefits and provided several examples:

• Researchers found that molecular hydrogen, which is the same element added to hydrogen water, was able to reduce oxidative damage and protect cells against inflammation, which helped to alleviate symptoms of study participants who had rheumatoid arthritis. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5095341/   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567576914002124]

• In another study, participants who drank between 1.5 and 2 liters of hydrogen water over a period of 8 weeks were able to dramatically decrease markers of metabolic syndrome, decrease a common precursor to metabolic syndrome known as thiobarbituric acid, and increase a powerful antioxidant enzyme known as superoxide dismutase. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831093/]

• Young athletes who drank hydrogen water before exercise showed reduced lactic acid build-up during heavy exercise and decreased muscle fatigue. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3395574/]

• Studies with Parkinson’s disease found that drinking hydrogen water helped protect the individuals against oxidative damage in the brain and helped prevent cognitive impairment that is associated with Parkinson’s. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407490/]

• Hydrogen functions as a powerful antioxidant, crossing cell membranes and targeting organelles such as the mitochondria, i.e., energy factories in the cell nucleus. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17486089]

“Enough already,” said the tall one. “I came here today expecting to hear that hydrogen water was just another fad . . .if not a scam” 

“I’m a serious tennis player,” said the short one. “I could sure benefit from reduced lactic acid build-up!”

“Any studies about cancer?” asked the middle one. “I have two girlfriends who are getting radiation for breast cancer and one of them also has type 2 diabetes.”

“I know of a few studies,” I replied.

• A study with mice showed positive results with both obesity and diabetes type 2. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083400]

• A clinical trial of human patients with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance found that drinking hydrogen water (900 mL) for 8 weeks decreased cholesterol, normalized glucose tolerance, and improved insulin resistance in a majority of the treated patients. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083400]

• Hydrogen has potential for improving the quality of life of patients during chemotherapy by efficiently mitigating the side effects of cisplatin, a widely used anti-cancer drug. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19148645]

• The consumption of hydrogen-rich water is a potentially therapeutic strategy for improving quality of life in patients with liver tumors after radiation exposure. Drinking hydrogen-rich water reduces the biological reaction to radiation-induced oxidative stress without compromising anti-tumor effects.

“You just handed me source material for a paper I need to write for my biology class,” said the tall one.

“I’m going to research hydrogen water machines,” said the middle one. “I’m into prevention and longevity!”

“Thank you,” said the short one. “May we come again to hear more benefits of hydrogen water?”

Of course! The trio crowded through the door, all talking at once.

Smiling, I turned on my little Hwater machine for another 12 ounces of hydrogen-rich water. I’m happy just thinking about its potential benefits. After all, optimum brain and body health is serious business!