Hydrogen Shows Promise as Brain-Boosting Supplement
- Authors
- Nikola Todorovic, Sergej M. Ostojic
- Journal
- Nutrition and Health
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1177/02601060241266389
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Serbia
- Health Condition
- Neurodegenerative Disorders
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists found that a simple gas called hydrogen might help your brain work better by reducing harmful inflammation and making your thinking sharper, but they need to do a lot more research on actual people before we know if it really works.
Key Finding
Current clinical evidence suggests molecular hydrogen may improve executive function, alertness, and memory across healthy individuals and those with neurodegenerative disorders and cancer, though the total number of human studies remains limited.
Summary
This review article examines molecular hydrogen (H2), a simple molecule with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as a potential cognitive enhancer. The authors surveyed existing research and found that a small number of clinical trials suggest H2 may improve executive function (planning and decision-making), alertness, and memory in healthy people as well as those with neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. However, they emphasize that very few human studies have been conducted so far, and more rigorous research is needed to confirm these findings.
Practical Takeaway
While this review identifies promising early signals from clinical trials, it is a summary of existing research rather than a new study, and the authors explicitly note that only a handful of human studies have been conducted. Anyone considering hydrogen water should recognize that the evidence base is still quite small, and much more rigorous research is needed before definitive claims about cognitive benefits can be made.
Abstract
Molecular hydrogen (H2, dihydrogen) is an antioxidant and signaling molecule with potent antioxidative, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Despite the growing interest in H2 as a potential therapeutic agent, the evidence regarding its potential as a nootropic remains limited. Only a handful of studies on the human population have evaluated its effects, although there are suggestive indications of its efficacy. The present paper overviews H2's potential as a novel agent for improving cognitive functions in health and disease contexts, highlighting its mechanisms of action and areas for further investigation. Current evidence suggests that H2 improves executive function, alertness and memory in several clinical trials, from healthy young and elderly individuals to individuals with altered circadian rhythms, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. Further investigations are needed to confirm the potential positive effects of dihydrogen as a nootropic agent in both health and disease.