Health Benefits of Electrolysed Hydrogen Water: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Living Organisms

Abstract

Molecular hydrogen, known for being the smallest and lightest molecule, is a powerful reducing agent with significant biological effects. Its unique properties, including its minimal size and neutral charge, enhance bioavailability, allowing it to easily penetrate cellular membranes and deliver therapeutic benefits. 

Once thought to be physiologically inert, hydrogen is now recognised for its potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a valuable therapeutic agent. Electrolysed hydrogen water (EHW), which is rich in molecular hydrogen, exhibits strong antioxidative effects and shows promise in treating various diseases.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by inflammation can worsen inflammation, leading to secondary oxidative stress. This creates a feedback loop between ROS and inflammatory responses, contributing to the onset and progression of chronic diseases. 

Electrolysed Hydrogen Water has been shown to disrupt this harmful cycle by reducing inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress across multiple disease models, indicating its potential as a therapeutic agent. EHW also demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory effects, particularly in pain management. For example, it has been effective in reducing pain in models such as sciatic nerve ligation and inflammatory pain. 

In cases of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), EHW effectively alleviates abdominal pain by reducing TNBS-induced inflammation and oxidative stress, suggesting its potential for clinical applications. Additionally, hydrogen selectively targets harmful radicals, and the intake of EHW helps balance stress-induced hormonal imbalances, potentially easing disorders related to chronic stress.

1. Introduction

Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a unique physicochemical molecule with distinct characteristics such as small size, low mass, neutral charge, and nonpolar nature, which give it exceptional diffusivity among gases, enabling it to penetrate cellular membranes. 

Research has demonstrated that hydrogen selectively scavenges reactive oxygen species and free radicals, like hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and peroxynitrite (ONOO−), making it an effective treatment for various diseases due to its antioxidant properties. Hydrogen water, especially electrolysed hydrogen water (EHW), offers a practical alternative to daily hydrogen gas inhalation by dissolving hydrogen at high concentrations. 

Recent studies have highlighted its diverse biological effects, primarily its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory impacts on inflammatory pain and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as its anti-apoptotic and anti-allergic effects. Over 100 clinical studies have showcased its therapeutic potential across various diseases.

While both electrolysed Hydrogen Water and hydrogen-enriched water demonstrate antioxidative effects, EHW is particularly effective in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), which enhances its health benefits. 

Electrolysed Hydrogen Water interrupts the feedback loop between ROS and inflammatory responses that significantly impacts disease pathogenesis, thereby reducing further inflammation. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects have been observed in various disease models, and it has proven effective in different pain models, suggesting its potential for alleviating abdominal pain in conditions like IBD. 

EHW also exhibits numerous protective benefits, including mitigating oxidative stress, cognitive impairment, brain edema, and inflammation in various models. This review will focus on the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-stress effects of electrolysed hydrogen water, considering several aspects of EHW within this summary.

2. Properties of Hydrogen

Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a stable, neutral molecule made up of two hydrogen atoms. It is colourless, odourless, non-toxic, and the lightest substance in its gas, liquid, or solid states. 

Due to its unique properties, hydrogen acts as both an oxidising and reducing agent, allowing it to interact with both non-metallic and metallic elements. In combustion reactions, hydrogen acts as a reducing agent to form water, while in reactions with sodium, it behaves as an oxidant, producing sodium hydride. 

Research using tritium, a hydrogen radioisotope, has shown that most hydrogen absorbed by mammalian cells is rapidly excreted and not oxidised in the organs. In aqueous solutions, hydrogen reacts with free radicals in the body. 

The small size, low mass, neutral charge, and nonpolar nature of molecular hydrogen give it the highest diffusivity among gases for penetrating cellular membranes, reaching even the mitochondria and nucleus. 

These properties enhance hydrogen's effectiveness in its various biological interactions. 

Despite its low atmospheric concentration, hydrogen gas can dissolve in water up to a concentration of 1.6 ppm without altering the pH of the solution at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.

3. Antioxidant Effects of Hydrogen

Historically, hydrogen was considered physiologically inert and believed to be non-reactive with living organisms. It does not react with biological compounds, including oxygen, at body temperature without a catalyst. However, certain enzymes in bacteria, known as hydrogenases, can utilise hydrogen as an energy source or as a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism.

Mammalian cells lack hydrogenase genes, which led to the assumption that hydrogen serves no function in mammals. 

This perspective changed in 2007 when Ohsawa et al. demonstrated that hydrogen could scavenge highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, such as hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite, thereby protecting cells against oxidative stress. 

Since then, extensive research has investigated hydrogen's therapeutic and preventive effects, with over 1000 papers published on its efficacy in disease models where oxidative stress is a direct or indirect factor in nearly all organs. 

Hydrogen has been found to possess multiple functions, including anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-allergic effects, and it stimulates energy metabolism.

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4. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Electrolysed Hydrogen Water 

The relationship between ROS signalling and inflammatory responses is well-documented. When the body encounters stimuli such as infection or trauma, the activation of inflammatory cells leads to increased ROS production, which plays a crucial role in defending against pathogens. 

However, excessive ROS production can lead to oxidative stress and inflammation, contributing to the development of chronic diseases. Studies have shown that consuming EHW can suppress the elevation of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress by disrupting the feedback loop between ROS and proinflammatory mediators. 

This regulation has been observed in various disease models, including colitis and arthritis, among others, suggesting that EHW could be beneficial in preventing the development of chronic diseases.

5. Analgesic Effects of Electrolysed Hydrogen Water

EHW's anti-inflammatory properties have also shown efficacy in pain management, particularly in diseases associated with inflammatory reactions. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of EHW in various pain models, such as sciatic nerve ligation and inflammatory pain. In a rat model of IBD, Electrolysed Hydrogen Water was found to alleviate abdominal pain by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, indicating its potential for clinical applications in managing pain related to chronic inflammatory conditions.

6. Anti-Stress Effects of Electrolysed Hydrogen Water

Physical and psychological stress triggers the secretion of adrenal glucocorticoids and increases metabolism, leading to ROS production. Excessive ROS can impair cognitive functions and disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to stress-related disorders. EHW has been shown to alleviate stress responses by reducing oxidative stress and normalising hormone secretion, suggesting its potential to mitigate disorders related to chronic stress.

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7. Other Biological Effects of Electrolysed Hydrogen Water

Beyond its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Electrolysed Hydrogen Water has demonstrated neuroprotective effects, mitigating oxidative stress injury and cognitive impairment in various models. It has also shown potential in protecting against radiation damage and inhibiting cellular senescence, highlighting its diverse therapeutic applications.

8. Conclusions and Perspectives

Electrolysed Hydrogen Water offers potential health benefits primarily due to its antioxidant properties. While most studies on EHW are based on animal models, clinical research is needed to explore its mechanisms of action and efficacy in humans. 

Future studies should focus on identifying the most effective uses of molecular hydrogen, determining optimal dosages, and understanding the underlying mechanisms behind EHW's effects to advance its therapeutic applications.

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