Hydrogen-rich water: The advantages and diverse applications of a new favorite for health

On the path of pursuing a healthy lifestyle, people’s demands for drinking water are constantly increasing. In recent years, hydrogen-rich water, as a new type of functional drink,

has gradually come into the public eye and attracted much attention. So, what exactly makes hydrogen-rich water unique? In what aspects can it contribute to our health?

Hydrogen-rich water, simply put, is water rich in hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas, as the smallest molecule in nature,

has extremely strong penetrating power and can easily pass through ordinary containers such as plastic, glass, and aluminum foil.

It can also diffuse into any organ, tissue, cell, mitochondria, and cell nucleus of the human body through the skin and mucous membranes.

Under normal circumstances, hydrogen is only slightly soluble in water. At normal temperature and atmospheric pressure, its saturated concentration is 1.66PPM.

Through specific technical means, such as electrolytic metal reduction and physical mixing, more hydrogen molecules can be dissolved in water,

thereby making hydrogen-rich water. Its PH value is generally between 7.5 and 10.0. It shows a weakly alkaline nature.

This characteristic enables it to help neutralize acidic toxins in the body and maintain acid-base balance

Free radicals are constantly produced during the metabolic process of the human body. A moderate amount of free radicals play a certain role in the normal physiological functions of the body.

However, when too many free radicals are produced or the body’s own antioxidant defense system is unable to effectively eliminate them, it will trigger an oxidative stress response,

causing damage to cells and subsequently leading to aging and the occurrence of various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,

and cancer. The prominent advantage of hydrogen-rich water lies in its powerful antioxidant performance.

Hydrogen is a highly effective antioxidant that can selectively and efficiently eliminate cytotoxic free radicals, especially the most toxic hydroxyl radicals (· OH).

Without affecting the reactive oxygen species with physiological functions, it reduces the damage of free radicals

to cells and achieves the balance of the internal environment of the body. Activate and stimulate the body’s self-repair mechanism

to prevent and improve various sub-health conditions and chronic diseases.

Inflammation is a defense response of the body to various stimuli, but chronic inflammation can cause long-term damage to the body.

A sub-journal of Nature confirmed that hydrogen can inhibit inflammatory factors by regulating the NF-kB signaling pathway

and has a significant improvement effect on low-intensity inflammations such as chronic pharyngitis and arthritis. For instance,

for people suffering from chronic pharyngitis, after long-term consumption of hydrogen-rich water,

the inflammatory symptoms in the pharynx will be significantly alleviated, reducing discomforts such as a foreign body sensation, pain and coughing in the pharynx.

Hydrogen molecules are small in size and have strong penetrating power, enabling them to quickly enter the interior of cells and participate in metabolic processes.

Patients with type 2 diabetes who drank 250ml of hydrogen-rich water before meals had their peak glucose concentration reduced by 1.8mmol/L

and the delay time of insulin secretion shortened by 12 minutes. In terms of lipid metabolism, hydrogen-rich water can increase the activation rate of PPARα receptors in the liver by 58%,

promote the efficiency of fatty acid β -oxidation, thereby reducing fat accumulation and helping to control weight and improve problems such as fatty liver.

For patients with hyperuricemia, hydrogen-rich water can enhance the expression level of hydrogen ion uric acid transporters in renal tubules

and accelerate uric acid metabolism. After drinking it for about 3 to 6 months, the blood uric acid level will be significantly improved, with reduced gout attacks and alleviated symptoms

For athletes and people who exercise regularly, hydrogen-rich water plays an important role.

A study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine shows that drinking hydrogen-rich water can reduce lactic acid accumulation by 25% after exercise,

enhance the efficiency of ATP production, and accelerate muscle recovery. After engaging in high-intensity exercise, the human muscles produce a large amount of lactic acid,

leading to muscle soreness and fatigue. Drinking hydrogen-rich water can promote the catabolism of lactic acid, alleviate oxidative stress responses,

help athletes recover their physical strength more quickly, reduce fatigue after exercise, and improve athletic performance

In animal models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease,

hydrogen-rich water has shown the effect of reducing oxidative damage to neurons. A study by Qilu Hospital of Shandong University found

that hydrogen-rich water can reduce oxidative stress damage to the brain, improve sleep quality and enhance daytime concentration.

For people who have been working under high pressure for a long time and are mentally tense, drinking hydrogen-rich water can help relieve brain fatigue,

improve sleep and enhance work efficiency

Hydrogen is an endogenous gas in the human body. The intestinal flora of normal people produce hydrogen during metabolism,

and both exhaled and expelled gases contain hydrogen. A large number of biomedical studies have fully confirmed the safety of hydrogen. Japan,

the United States and China (in 2014) all listed hydrogen as a legal food additive. Bagged hydrogen-rich water can be bought, sold and consumed at will,

without any restrictions on the group or quantity. Drinking hydrogen-rich water basically has no side effects.

Hydrogen-rich water is suitable for all kinds of people as daily drinking water. For white-collar workers under high pressure, it can relieve fatigue,

boost energy and help them cope with high-intensity work. People in a sub-healthy state can regulate their body functions and improve their overall health after drinking it.

Drinking it can help the elderly enhance their immunity and prevent chronic diseases. For elderly pregnant women, drinking hydrogen can effectively promote the catabolic metabolism of lactic acid,

alleviate oxidative stress responses, and also regulate metabolism to prevent gestational diabetes and hypertension. Its tissue repair effect can promote postpartum recovery.

Meanwhile, hydrogen-rich water can significantly reduce pregnancy reactions. Children with poor immunity who drink it can improve their immunity

and prevent common health problems such as obesity and allergies. It is recommended to drink 1.5 to 2 liters of hydrogen-rich water every day to continuously nourish the body with hydrogen.

Hydrogen-rich water has also demonstrated outstanding effects in the field of beauty and skin care. It can be directly applied to the face after being soaked in a compressed mask,

or gently tapped into the skin of the face, neck and body with your hands. The tiny molecules of hydrogen-rich water can easily penetrate deep into the skin,

playing a role in moisturizing and skin care. It is also extremely effective for wrinkles, dark spots and skin allergy symptoms caused by free radicals.

A double-blind trial conducted by the Tokyo Institute of Aesthetic Medicine showed that a daily spray of 300ml hydrogen-rich water increased the water content of the stratum corneum by 34% and reduced the percutaneous water loss rate (TEWL) by 28% after 4 weeks. It is particularly suitable for the repair of sensitive skin.

The combined use of hydrogen-rich water and B vitamins can reduce the fluorescence value of facial AGEs (Advanced glycation end products)

by 42% and increase the density of collagen fiber arrangement by 19%, which is helpful for anti-glycation and delaying skin aging. In addition,

rinsing the scalp with hydrogen-rich water can reduce the number of Malassezia on the scalp by 67%, increase the activity markers of hair follicle stem cells by 3.2 times,

regulate the scalp microecology, and improve scalp health.

Using hydrogen-rich water in cooking can bring a different quality improvement to food. Cooking rice with hydrogen water increases the content of resistant starch by 23%,

making the rice taste better and healthier. When soaking fruits and vegetables, the degradation rate of pesticide residues increases by three times,

effectively removing harmful substances on the surface of fruits and vegetables, allowing us to eat with greater peace of mind.

Taking advantage of the strong dissolving power of hydrogen-rich water for substances such as oils and sugars (four times that of ordinary water),

it can be used as the special water for cooking high-end tonic products such as Cordyceps sinensis and ginseng soup.

Soak the tonic products in hydrogen-rich water for 30 minutes before cooking, and the beauty and tonic effects will be doubled.

Soaking the washed rice in hydrogen-rich water for a while before cooking can restore the oxidized rice caused by contact with air,

and the cooked rice will be particularly fragrant. When making freshly squeezed juice and homemade jam at home,

using hydrogen-rich water can better preserve the original flavor of the fruits and give them a unique taste.

Although hydrogen-rich water cannot replace drug treatment for diseases, it plays a positive role in the auxiliary treatment and rehabilitation process of some diseases.

For instance, for diabetic patients, hydrogen-rich water can enhance the secretion function of the islets, regulate sugar and lipid metabolism, lower blood sugar,

and at the same time improve peripheral circulation disorders, as well as alleviate complications such as diabetic retinopathy and skin ulcers.

For people suffering from chronic inflammation (such as chronic pharyngitis, chronic gastritis, chronic prostatitis, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, etc.),

in most cases, the inflammation can be completely improved within 3 to 6 months after drinking hydrogen-rich water. In the rehabilitation departments of some hospitals,

it is also recommended that patients drink hydrogen-rich water appropriately to help their bodies recover.

hydrogen-rich water also has application potential in agriculture. In terms of planting, irrigating or soaking seeds with hydrogen-rich water can enhance the stress resistance of plants,

such as improving their drought resistance, and also increase the germination rate of seeds.

In terms of animal husbandry, providing animals with hydrogen-rich water for drinking may help improve their health conditions and enhance the efficiency of animal husbandry.

For instance, studies have found that feeding poultry with hydrogen-rich water enhances their immunity, reduces the risk of illness, and also increases their growth rate

Hydrogen-rich water, with its unique advantages, has shown broad application prospects in multiple fields. Whether it is the general public pursuing a healthy lifestyle,

specific groups paying attention to beauty care, sports health care, medical rehabilitation, or agricultural producers, they can all discover the value of hydrogen-rich water.

With the continuous deepening of scientific research and the further development of technology, it is believe that hydrogen-rich water will bring more surprises

and changes to our lives and become a powerful assistant for people in their pursuit of a healthy and high-quality life. However,

it should be note that although hydrogen-rich water has many benefits, it is not a panacea. Maintaining a balanced diet,

moderate exercise and good living habits remain the foundation for maintaining good health.