If you noticed more athletes talking about hydrogen-rich water, you’re not alone. Recent studies have shown there are significant benefits to drinking hydrogen water. In our own testing, we’ve found that this molecular hydrogen-infused water offers incredible energy and antioxidants.
Would hydrogen-rich water help your body? We review some of the claims made about hydrogen water, including benefits and side effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water.
Why People Drink Hydrogen Water
Hydrogen water is purified water that has been infused with additional hydrogen molecules, producing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Hydrogen gas has been infused with water for decades, but it was only within the last 10 years that more people had access to hydrogen water ionizers at home, like the Tyent H2 Hybrid hydrogen water ionizer. Products like this water filter are able to produce molecular hydrogen water with extremely negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP), which increases antioxidants.
Hydrogen is known as the odorless, colorless, non-toxic gas, and it can bind to other elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. It’s also the most abundant element in the universe.
What the Science Says About Hydrogen Water
One theory as to why hydrogen-rich water is better for you comes from the science that the human body doesn’t absorb hydrogen in plain water as well as it does when water is ionized through a hydrogen water ionizer.
Hydrogen water machines are able to infuse hydrogen gas into purified water, making anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants more accessible to your body. These hydrogen water generators typically also provide alkaline water thanks to electrolysis plates.
If you’re looking for purified hydrogen water benefits, many studies have shown that hydrogen water can drastically increase your energy, improve your mood, reduce stress, and decrease muscle fatigue.
Benefits of Hydrogen Water
Multiple studies have pointed to the fact that hydrogen-rich water contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Through sports science studies, many professional sports teams now stock hydrogen water in their locker rooms to help athletes recover after intense training.
There are many other benefits, however. For example, cancer patients in radiation therapy start to drink hydrogen water to help with gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, and stress.
Here are some of the definitive benefits of drinking hydrogen water supported by research:
Antioxidant Benefits
Free radicals are everywhere. It’s in the air pollution when you walk outside. These free radicals are said to oxidative stress, which can lead to inflammation and chronic diseases, such as cancer.
Molecular hydrogen has been proven to fight off free radicals and also supports your cells, protecting them from oxidative stress.
One study conducted over 8 weeks included 49 people with liver cancer. One group drank hydrogen-rich water while receiving radiation therapy. The other group received a placebo. The participants who drank hydrogen water reported a much higher quality of life with decreased stress, less nausea, and less pain.
Reduces Muscle Fatigue
One of the reasons that so many athletes drink hydrogen water is because of the increased muscle recovery and less muscle fatigue. After an intense workout, it’s not uncommon to have significant muscle soreness and feel drained of all energy. However, multiple studies found that when athletes drank hydrogen water after working out, they were able to recover faster with less fatigue and pain.
Part of the study found that hydrogen-rich water was capable of reducing inflammation while also slowing down lactate in the blood, which is typical of muscle fatigue after working out.
One study involved male cyclists who drank 68 ounces of hydrogen water. These cyclists reported greater power output during their spring training in comparison to those who only drank regular water.
Benefits for Metabolic Syndrome Problems
Many Americans today suffer from a combination of issues including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These can all fall under metabolic syndrome, which is typical of those with high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess belly fat, and higher triglyceride levels.
Chronic inflammation is one of the leading causes thought to increase metabolic syndrome risks and symptoms. Research has shown that hydrogen water is effective at lowering oxidative stress and reducing the risks related to metabolic syndrome.
Participants in a 10-week study drank 30 to 34 ounces of hydrogen water every day. Those who drank the hydrogen-rich water showed a reduction in bad LDL cholesterol and an increase in good HDL cholesterol, as well as higher antioxidant activity.
Can You Drink Too Much Hydrogen Water?
Even with these exemplary benefits, it’s possible to consume too much water. However, the FDA has marked hydrogen-rich water as GRAS or generally recognized as safe. This means that it’s completely approved for human consumption and isn’t known to cause any harm.
However, there are various levels of molecular hydrogen infusion, and you may not get the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties just by dropping in a hydrogen water tablet into your tap water. Instead, you should look into hydrogen water ionizers like the Tyent H2 hydrogen ionizer that combines alkaline water and hydrogen water into one.
Alkaline water greatly benefits hydrogenated water because it has more antioxidants thanks to its higher negative ORP. You can look for ORP between -850 and -1050 when looking at hydrogen water ionizers to see if it would produce a greater number of antioxidants.
Do You Need to Drink Hydrogen Water?
Plain water is considered one of the healthiest choices to drink, but when you combine water filters with an ionizer and hydrogen generator, you’re increasing the number of anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants all at once.
For those who consistently work out and deal with muscle fatigue regularly, hydrogen-rich water can help your body maintain lower oxidative stress and prevent lactate from causing sore muscles. It’s also very beneficial to anyone undergoing radiation therapy, as well as those suffering from gastrointestinal issues. If you’re thinking about trying hydrogen water, you should read our hydrogen water ionizer review to see if it would be beneficial to have this water filter in your home.