Hydrogen Water Shows Promise for Brain Protection and Neurological Diseases

Scientists found that hydrogen gas can protect brain cells by cleaning up harmful molecules that damage them, and drinking hydrogen-enriched water might help prevent or treat brain diseases like Alzheimer's and stroke.

Molecular hydrogen selectively neutralizes hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite, two particularly damaging types of reactive oxygen species that harm nerve cells in both acute neurological emergencies and chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

This review examined how molecular hydrogen (a gas that can be dissolved in water) might protect nerve cells from damage caused by harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species. The researchers looked at studies showing that hydrogen can neutralize particularly damaging types of these harmful molecules and reviewed evidence from both laboratory and clinical research on how hydrogen therapy might help with both sudden neurological emergencies and long-term brain diseases. The review suggests that drinking hydrogen-enriched water could potentially help prevent or reduce symptoms of these conditions.

This is a review of existing research rather than a new study with specific results. While it summarizes evidence suggesting hydrogen water may have neuroprotective potential, most of the underlying research appears to be from laboratory and animal studies. Anyone interested in hydrogen water for neurological health should note that definitive clinical evidence in humans remains limited, and this review does not provide the specific safety or efficacy data needed to make individual health decisions.

Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species is considered a major mediator of tissue and cell injuries in various neuronal conditions, including neurological emergencies and neurodegenerative diseases. Molecular hydrogen is well characterized as a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals…

Read the full abstract on PubMed