Hydrogen Water Protects Brain Cells from Oxidative Damage
Electrochemically reduced water protects neural cells from oxidative damage
Research hubs: Oxidative Stress · Brain & Nervous System
This research was done on cells or tissue in a lab, not in people or animals.
- Evidence type
- Laboratory study (cells or tissue)
- Authors
- Taichi Kashiwagi, Hanxu Yan, Takeki Hamasaki, Tomoya Kinjo, Noboru Nakamichi, Kiichiro Teruya, Shigeru Kabayama, Sanetaka Shirahata
- Journal
- Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
- Year
- 2014
- PMID
- 25383141
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Delivery
- Water (Electrolysis)
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 25 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Drinking a type of water with special properties, called electrochemically reduced water (ERW), can help protect brain cells from damage caused by harmful molecules linked to aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
Key Finding
Electrochemically reduced water significantly protected multiple types of nerve cells from damage caused by reactive oxygen species, with the protective effect attributed to dissolved hydrogen and platinum nanoparticles in the water.
Summary
This laboratory study tested whether electrochemically reduced water (water treated with electricity to add hydrogen and tiny platinum particles) could protect nerve cells from damage caused by harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species. Researchers exposed several types of rat nerve cells to this special water and then exposed them to damaging chemicals. The treated water reduced cell death, decreased harmful molecules inside cells, and protected nerve networks from damage.
Practical Takeaway
While this cell-culture study suggests hydrogen-enriched water may have nerve-protective properties, it is very early-stage research conducted only in laboratory dishes, not in living organisms or humans. Much more research would be needed to determine whether these effects would occur in the human brain or provide any benefit for age-related brain conditions.
Abstract (excerpt)
Aging-related neurodegenerative disorders are closely associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stresses and their incidence tends to increase with aging. Brain is the most vulnerable to reactive species generated by a higher rate of oxygen consumption and glucose utilization compared…