Hydrogen Gas Shows Promise as Safe Medical Treatment for Many Diseases
- Authors
- Shin-Ichi Hirano, Yusuke Ichikawa, Bunpei Sato, Fumitake Satoh, Yoshiyasu Takefuji
- Journal
- Clean Technologies
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.3390/cleantechnol2040033
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Oxidative Stress Related Diseases
- Body System
- Cellular
TL;DR
Scientists found that hydrogen gas might be an amazing new medicine because it can clean up harmful substances in your body that cause diseases, and it doesn't have any bad side effects. This could change how we treat lots of different health problems in the future.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas can selectively neutralize harmful reactive oxygen species like hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite while appearing to cause no adverse effects in the body.
Summary
This review article examines hydrogen gas as a potential medical treatment. Hydrogen can neutralize harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species (unstable atoms that damage cells) and convert them into water. Because hydrogen is inert (chemically inactive) and appears to cause no side effects, researchers suggest it could become a new type of therapy for diseases related to oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules).
Practical Takeaway
This is a review article summarizing existing research rather than a new study with human participants, so it cannot establish whether hydrogen water or hydrogen gas actually works as a medical treatment in people. While the theoretical mechanism is interesting, much more rigorous human research would be needed before hydrogen could be considered an established therapy. Early evidence suggests potential, but claims of medical benefits are not yet supported by clinical trials.
Abstract
Hydrogen (H 2) is promising as an energy source for the next generation. Medical applications using H 2 gas can be also considered as a clean and economical technology. Since the H 2 gas based on electrolysis of water production has potential to expand the medical applications, the technology has been developed in order to safely dilute it and to supply it to the living body by inhalation, respectively. H 2 is an inert molecule which can scavenge the highly active oxidants including hydroxyl radical (·OH) and peroxynitrite (ONOO −), and which can convert them into water. H 2 is clean and causes no adverse effects in the body. The mechanism of H 2 is different from that of traditional drugs because it works on the root of many diseases. Since H 2 has extensive and various effects, it may be called a 'wide spectrum molecule' on diseases. In this paper, we reviewed the current medical applications of H 2 including its initiation and development, and we also proposed its prospective medical applications. Due to its marked efficacy and no adverse effects, H 2 will be a next generation therapy candidate for medical applications.