Japanese are known for being among the nations with the highest life expectancy at 83.6 years. The reason for their long life has long been the subject of scientific interest. It has been vaguely attributed to the dietary patterns of the Japanese.
But the 2007 research on molecular hydrogen changed the world's view not only on hydrogen therapy for diseases, but also on the possibility of increasing life expectancy through hydrogen. Since then, there have been hundreds of researches on various therapeutic effects of hydrogen. However, hydrogen was used long before these effects were discovered. Even in ancient times, the Japanese bathed in natural pools with high molecular hydrogen content. The popularity of electrolysed reduced water (ERW), where the water is ionised using an electrolyser, was introduced in the early 1900s. This water was called by various names such as "Shin'nooru solution" or "Synnohl liquid". The electrolysed, reduced water was known to contain healing properties. Only recently have scientists come to know that the active substance in ERW is molecular hydrogen.
It is now also known that healing waters such as the water of Lourdes or the Hunza water contain an increased amount of hydrogen.
If you search the market, there are many companies offering ERW as a means to prevent many diseases. But people are sceptical about these devices due to wrong marketing strategies. Although the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved the use of ERW as early as 1965, these products entered the US market only recently. The way they are advertised often has no real scientific basis. A good scientific basis is needed to prove the enormous benefits of hydrogen without obscuring them through false marketing strategies. In the meantime, many studies have shown the great potential of hydrogen, mostly in animal models, but recently also increasingly in human studies, i.e. conducted with human patients. We have a list of studies that may interest you.
A lot of research has been done to look for the potential of the hydrogen molecule. Some of these properties are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, anti-apoptotic and anti-allergic. So how can hydrogen help people live longer? The answer to this question lies in these listed properties of hydrogen. Hydrogen has been shown to reduce the ageing process.
In a 2013 study conducted in Japan, researchers found that centenarians (people aged 100 and older) had a high concentration of hydrogen in their breath. It was significantly higher compared to older people with diabetes and healthy young adults. These were mainly older people who were slim and had no other diseases. It was thought that their gut microbiota produced the hydrogen gas from the undigested carbohydrates and other food particles. This can be influenced by the environment and the genetic makeup of the individual.
This was further supported by measuring the hydrogen in the breath of the offspring who lived in the same house as the centenarians. There was no significant difference between the centenarians and their offspring who lived in the same house. The researchers concluded that increased production of hydrogen gas in the gut may contribute to the longevity of the Japanese centenarians and that this is related to their diet and gut microbiota.
Oxidative stress through the production of reactive oxygen species is associated with many disease processes. Although reactive oxygen species occur naturally in our bodies due to energy metabolism, they can be produced in excess by air pollution, smoking, strenuous exercise, ultraviolet radiation and physical and psychological stress. Acute oxidative stress is known to occur in inflammation, organ transplantation, bleeding after surgery, ischemia-reperfusion injury such as occurs in heart attacks or brain infarctions, and others. Diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, malignant diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic inflammatory processes as well as the ageing process are considered to be the result of chronic oxidative stress.
To prevent diseases and prolong life, it is important to have antioxidants. Researchers have found that antioxidants that people can take in addition, such as vitamins (e.g. vitamin E and A), not only reduce the reactive oxidative species, but also influence the important molecules of cell signal transduction. This side effect has increased mortality and limited the use of antioxidants to prolong life.
However, it has been found that hydrogen only reduces the effects of harmful oxygen free radicals such as hydroxyl and does not interfere with physiological free radicals such as hydrogen peroxide. This makes hydrogen the ideal antioxidant that can be used to prevent all these disease processes.
One effect that occurs during ageing is neuronal degeneration. Even though life span is extended, quality of life can be affected if the brain does not function as we would like it to.
Hydrogen is known to have a protective effect against diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction and associated oxidative stress are the main reasons for the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain seen in patients with Parkinson's disease. Drinking hydrogen-rich water has been shown to stop the progression of Parkinson's disease in several models with rats.
Recently, there was a pilot clinical trial investigating the effects of hydrogen water on the progression of Parkinson's disease in Japanese patients. We mentioned this randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study in the article on the cytoprotective properties of hydrogen. Using specific scores, it was shown that the disease worsened in the group without hydrogen water application, while the scores improved in the hydrogen water group (with significance).
Hydrogen also protects cells from apoptosis or cell death by regulating genes. This effect is important in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, where there is degeneration and loss of neurons. Studies in animal models have shown that hydrogen is able to protect these cells and preserve cognitive function.
Metabolic syndrome and, in particular, diabetes mellitus type 2 are diseases that are becoming increasingly common in modern times. They include disturbances in the body's metabolic processes that lead to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death worldwide. Drinking hydrogen-rich water can lower plasma levels of glucose and triglycerides, and long-term use can even lead to fat loss and obesity. It can protect the liver from changes to a fatty liver, which can lead to cirrhosis, even if no alcohol has been consumed. Hydrogen also has a positive effect on the development of atherosclerosis (as described in previous articles), considering that a stroke can weaken a person and make them bedridden, which can significantly reduce their quality of life.
Molecular hydrogen can also suppress chronic inflammatory diseases. These are seen in older people and lead to disability and chronic pain. The constant pain can depress a person and affect their health. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are some of the diseases where debilitating symptoms can be reduced by administering hydrogen.
As we age, the body gradually breaks down and the skin is the first thing that shows a person is old by becoming wrinkled and thin. Antioxidants are already added to the skin in lotions, creams and other remedies.
Hydrogen-rich water has been shown to reduce wrinkles already formed in humans by preventing cell death and damage to DNA. In a recent study, Japanese subjects had taken a daily bath in hydrogen-rich water (0.2 - 0.4 ppm H2) for 3 months. The result was that type 1 collagen synthesis was increased 2-fold after 3 - 5 days due to increased fibroblast activity in the hydrogen-enriched water samples compared to controls. Neck wrinkles were shown to improve significantly at the end of the 90-day bathing sessions. Thus, hydrogen may be a future skin care product. (In fact, it has already been produced by American dermatologists).
All this evidence suggests that hydrogen can, in some ways, turn back the clock and lead us to a long and healthy life by scavenging free radicals, regulating gene expression and modifying the signal transduction processes in our cells. Although hydrogen was once thought to be an inert gas with no function, it has been shown that it could be the elixir of life that we have all been waiting for.
References
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Nouril, P. (2017). Is hydrogen the new holy grail of anti-ageing? The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 October 2017, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/face/hydrogen-new-holy-grail-anti-ageing/
(2017). Molecularhydrogenfoundation.org. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from http://www.molecularhydrogenfoundation.org/core-information/alkaline-ionized-water-history-and-medical-approval/.
Kato, S., Saitoh, Y., Iwai, K., & Miwa, N. (2012). Hydrogen-rich electrolyzed warm water suppresses wrinkling against UVA radiation along with type I collagen production and reduction of oxidative stress in fibroblasts and prevention of cell injury in keratinocytes. Journal Of Photochemistry And Photobiology B: Biology, 106, 24-33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2011.09.006
Aoki, Y. (2013). Elevated concentrations of hydrogen gas in respiratory air in Japanese centenarians. Anti Aging Medicine, 10 (5), 101-105.
Kamimura, M., &Ichimiya, S. (2016). Molecular hydrogen stimulates gene expression of transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α to enhance fatty acid metabolism. NPJ Aging Mech Dis.
Kamimura, M., Nishimaki, K., Ohsawa, I., &Ohta, S. (2011). Molecular hydrogen ameliorates obesity and diabetes by inducing hepatic FGF21 and stimulating energy metabolism in db/db mice. Obesity (Silver Spring), 1396-403
Shinbo, T., et al, Breathing nitric oxide plus hydrogen gas reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury and nitrotyrosine production in murine heart. Am J Physiol Heart CircPhysiol, 2013. 305(4): p. H542-50.
Fu, Y., et al, Molecular hydrogen is protective against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced nigrostriatal degeneration in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience Letters, 2009. 453: p. 81-85.chondrial function in rats. J Surg Res, 2014.
Fujita, K., et al, Hydrogen in drinking water reduces dopaminergic neuronal loss in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl- 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine mouse model of Parkinson's disease. PLoS One, 2009. 4(9): p. e7247.
Chiasson, J.L., et al, Acarbose treatment and the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension in patients with impaired glucose tolerance: the STOP-NIDDM trial. JAMA, 2003. 290(4): p. 486-94.
Hashimoto, M., et al, Effects of hydrogen-rich water on abnormalities in aSHR.Cg-Leprcp/NDmcr rat - a metabolic syndrome rat model. Medical Gas Research, 2011. 1(1): p. 26.
Yoritaka, A., Takanashi, M., Hirayama, M., Nakahara, T., Ohta, S. and Hattori, N. (2013) Pilot Study of H2 Therapy in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Movement Disorders, 28, 836-839.