Hydrogen Gas Protects Against Radiation Damage in Cancer Patients

Scientists found that a simple gas called molecular hydrogen can protect your body from damage caused by radiation therapy used to treat cancer. When people with liver cancer drank hydrogen water during their treatment, they felt better and had fewer side effects, which means hydrogen could be a safe new way to help cancer patients.

Molecular hydrogen selectively neutralizes harmful free radicals (hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite) produced by ionizing radiation, and a randomized controlled trial showed patients undergoing radiotherapy for liver cancer who consumed hydrogen water reported improved quality of life.

This review examines how molecular hydrogen (H₂) may protect against damage from ionizing radiation (the type used in cancer treatment). Radiation damages cells partly by creating harmful molecules called hydroxyl radicals; hydrogen appears to neutralize these radicals. Laboratory studies in cells and animals showed protection, and one randomized controlled trial found that patients with liver cancer undergoing radiotherapy who consumed hydrogen water reported better quality of life compared to those who didn't.

While early evidence from animal studies and one human trial suggests hydrogen water may help protect against radiation damage and improve quality of life during cancer radiotherapy, the human evidence is limited to a single trial with unreported sample size and duration. Anyone considering hydrogen water during cancer treatment should discuss it with their oncologist, as this remains an emerging area of research.

Molecular hydrogen (dihydrogen, H(2)) acts as a therapeutic antioxidant by selectively reducing hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and peroxynitrite (ONOO-). It has been well-known that ionising radiation (IR) causes oxidative damage and consequent apoptosis mainly due to the production of •OH that follows…

Read the full abstract on PubMed