Hydrogen Gas Shows Promise as Safe Cancer Treatment
- Authors
- Shin-Ichi Hirano, Haru Yamamoto, Yusuke Ichikawa, Bunpei Sato, Yoshiyasu Takefuji, Fumitake Satoh
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijms22168724
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Cancer
- Body System
- Cellular
TL;DR
Scientists found that hydrogen gas might help fight cancer by stopping harmful molecules called free radicals from damaging your cells' DNA, and the cool part is it seems to do this without making you sick like regular cancer drugs do.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen may act as an anticancer agent through two mechanisms: directly neutralizing hydroxyl radicals (a major cause of DNA damage) and indirectly triggering protective gene expression changes in cells.
Summary
This review article examines how molecular hydrogen (H2), a simple gas molecule, might help fight cancer. Cancer develops when DNA gets damaged by harmful molecules called free radicals. Hydrogen gas can neutralize one particularly dangerous type of free radical called hydroxyl radicals. The review suggests that hydrogen may work against cancer both by directly eliminating these harmful molecules and by triggering the body's own protective defense systems through changes in gene activity.
Practical Takeaway
This is a review article summarizing existing research rather than a new study with experimental results, so it does not provide direct evidence about hydrogen water's effects in humans. While the review suggests hydrogen gas has theoretical anticancer potential and may be safer than conventional chemotherapy, no human clinical trials are mentioned, and the actual effectiveness in treating cancer remains unproven. Anyone considering hydrogen as part of cancer treatment should consult their oncologist, as this early-stage research does not yet support its use as a cancer therapy.
Abstract
While many antitumor drugs have yielded unsatisfactory therapeutic results, drugs are one of the most prevalent therapeutic measures for the treatment of cancer. The development of cancer largely results from mutations in nuclear DNA, as well as from those in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Molecular hydrogen (H2), an inert molecule, can scavenge hydroxyl radicals (·OH), which are known to be the strongest oxidizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body that causes these DNA mutations. It has been reported that H2 has no side effects, unlike conventional antitumor drugs, and that it is effective against many diseases caused by oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Recently, there has been an increasing number of papers on the efficacy of H2 against cancer and its effects in mitigating the side effects of cancer treatment. In this review, we demonstrate the efficacy and safety of H2 as a novel antitumor agent and show that its mechanisms may not only involve the direct scavenging of ·OH, but also other indirect biological defense mechanisms via the regulation of gene expression.