HEALTH BENEFITS OF HYDROGEN WATER

Medically reviewed by Aviv Joshua, MS

Hydrogen water is simply regular water with more hydrogen added. It’s become a popular health product often sold in fancy packaging—not just regular old plastic bottles. You can even find hydrogen tablets to drop into regular water or water pitchers that add more hydrogen at the press of a button. Descriptors like hydrogen-rich or hydrogen-infused are often used to signal that the product is hydrogen water.

Regular water already has hydrogen (hence its chemical formula: H2O), but the idea behind hydrogen water is that the added hydrogen is more accessible to our cells and acts as an antioxidant.

You can find claims that hydrogen water helps with everything from weight loss to energy to inflammation and more, but most of these claims aren’t rooted in science. Keep reading to dive into the evidence-based benefits and risks of hydrogen water.

May Improve Athletic Performance

Muscular fatigue is a common limitation when it comes to exercise performance. That fatigue is caused in part by an increase in reactive oxygen species (unstable molecules that can cause harm to cells). Hydrogen water might improve athletic performance thanks to its antioxidant effects, which can help counter these reactive oxygen species.

One study found that drinking hydrogen water before working out improved endurance and reduced fatigue. Another found that drinking hydrogen water over seven days improved cycling performance in trained cyclists, but not in untrained ones. Finally, a third study found that drinking hydrogen water over two weeks resulted in better cycling sprint performance than a placebo. However, this study had only eight participants.

There’s potential in these results, but other studies have yielded different ones. For example, a 2020 study didn’t find any significant improvements in uphill running performance from drinking hydrogen water.

May Reduce Inflammation

Since hydrogen can act as an antioxidant, hydrogen water may help reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation is associated with many diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and allergies, so finding ways to reduce inflammation may help prevent and manage these conditions.

A 2020 study found that over four weeks, participants who drank 1.5 liters per day of hydrogen water had greater antioxidant capacity and reduced inflammatory responses compared to those who drank the same amount of regular water.

Another study found that drinking hydrogen water for 24 weeks improved markers of inflammation in participants with metabolic syndrome compared to a placebo. That being said, studies on this are limited so more studies are needed to confirm these findings.

May Improve Metabolic Health

Metabolic syndrome happens when you have at least three of the following symptoms:

High blood pressure
High blood sugars
High triglycerides
Low HDL cholesterol—the “good” kind of cholesterol
A waist circumference over 40 inches (men) or 35 inches (women)

It’s concerning because it increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. It turns out that hydrogen water may improve metabolic health and markers of metabolic syndrome.

A 2020 study found that markers of metabolic health like glucose metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and inflammation improved after 24 weeks of high-concentration hydrogen water supplementation. The authors concluded it could be a helpful adjuvant therapy, so it shouldn’t replace conventional treatment approaches. Ultimately, more research is necessary to confirm these findings.

Nutritional Facts of Hydrogen Water

Just like regular water, hydrogen water doesn’t have any calories, protein, fat, or carbohydrates.

It may have trace amounts of vitamins or minerals depending on the manufacturer or the water you’re adding the hydrogen to. Some vitamins and minerals you may find in hydrogen water include:

Magnesium
Potassium
Zinc
Calcium
Sodium
Vitamin A
Fluoride
Iron

The most evident nutritional benefit of hydrogen water is that it’s a source of hydration for the body. It can contribute to your total hydration without any pesky added sugars.

The Dietary Reference Intakes recommends that adult men consume 3.7 liters of total water from foods and beverages, with an estimated 3 liters from beverages. For adult women, the recommendation is 2.7 liters of total water, with about 2.2 liters of beverages. That being said, these are just general estimations. How much water you need depends on factors like your activity level, local climate, and breastfeeding status.

Risks of Drinking Hydrogen Water

Studies haven’t found any real harms associated with drinking hydrogen water. The biggest potential issue is that hydrogen water is quite expensive compared to regular water. A dozen bottles cost upwards of $50 and a water pitcher that adds hydrogen costs $150 or more (some go for as much as $1,000). For people with limited disposable income, this could cause financial stress without strong enough research to justify the cost.

Tips for Consuming Hydrogen Water

Hydrogen water can be enjoyed just like regular water, but when it comes to storage, there are some different considerations.

Since hydrogen is a tiny molecule, it’s best to store hydrogen water in an aluminum or glass container rather than plastic so the hydrogen doesn’t seep out.
You can typically keep hermetically sealed hydrogen water bottles or pouches for years.
Once opened, manufacturers recommend drinking hydrogen water within a few hours to get the hydrogen benefits.

A Quick Review

Hydrogen water has gained popularity for a variety of purported health benefits, many of which aren’t backed by research. However, some studies suggest hydrogen water might help with inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and athletic performance.

If you’re interested in trying it, the chance of experiencing unpleasant side effects is low. Just know that it’s quite pricey and more research is necessary to confirm its potential health benefits.

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2024-03-29T10:01:13Z dg43tfdfdgfd