Hydrogen Water Selectively Kills Cancer Cells While Sparing Normal Cells
- Authors
- Yasukazu Saitoh, Hajime Okayasu, Li Xiao, Yoshikazu Harata, Nobuhiko Miwa
- Journal
- Oncology Research Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics
- Year
- 2008
- DOI
- 10.3727/096504008786991620
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Oral Cancer
- Body System
- Oral
TL;DR
A special type of water with neutral pH and enriched with hydrogen can slow down the growth of cancer cells without harming normal cells.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-enriched water inhibited the growth and invasion of cancer cells in laboratory tests while causing minimal harm to normal cells, apparently by reducing damaging oxidant molecules inside the cancer cells.
Summary
Researchers tested a special type of water enriched with hydrogen gas on cancer cells and normal cells in laboratory dishes. The hydrogen-enriched water slowed the growth of tongue cancer and fibrosarcoma (a type of muscle cancer) cells while leaving normal mouth cells relatively unharmed. The water appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules called oxidants (unstable oxygen-containing compounds) inside the cancer cells.
Practical Takeaway
This is very early laboratory research using cancer cells in dishes, not human studies, so it cannot yet support any health claims about hydrogen water and cancer prevention. The hydrogen concentration in the water dropped significantly within minutes, which raises questions about how much active hydrogen would reach cells in real use. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before any therapeutic recommendations could be made.
Abstract
The properties and effects of neutral pH hydrogen-enriched electrolyzed water (NHE water) on tumor cells were examined. NHE water diminished hydroxyl radicals as demonstrated by ESR in a cell-free system. Human tongue carcinoma cells HSC-4 were inhibited for either colony formation efficiencies or colony sizes by NHE water without significant inhibition to normal human tongue epithelial-like cells DOK. Furthermore, NHE water caused growth inhibition, cell degeneration, and inhibition of invasion through the reconstituted basement membrane to human fibrosarcoma cells HT-1080. Intracellular oxidants such as hydroperoxides and hydrogen peroxides were scavenged in HSC-4 or HT-1080 cells by NHE water. In the human oral cavity, a dissolved hydrogen concentrations (DH) of NHE water was drastically declined from 1.1 to 0.5 ppm, but settled to 0.3-0.4 ppm until 180 s, upon static holding without gargling. Thus, NHE water was shown to achieve tumor-preferential growth inhibition and tumor invasion together with scavenging of intracellular oxidants, and is expected as a preventive material against tumor progression and invasion.