Hydrogen Water May Work Through Appetite Hormone to Protect Brain

TL;DR

Scientists found that drinking hydrogen-rich water might help protect your brain and body by triggering your stomach to make more of a hormone called ghrelin, which has healing powers throughout your body—but they're not sure yet if this is safe long-term in humans or if it could increase cancer risk.

Key Finding

A mouse study found that drinking hydrogen-rich water triggers increased ghrelin production in the stomach, and this ghrelin may be responsible for hydrogen water's beneficial effects on brain health and other conditions observed in animal research.

Summary

This review examines how hydrogen water might work in the body by triggering the release of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin is known to stimulate appetite and growth hormone, but research in mice suggests it may also protect the brain, reduce inflammation, and support liver health. However, the authors note that while animal studies show promise, it's unclear whether hydrogen water actually increases ghrelin in humans, and there are concerns about whether long-term ghrelin increases could affect cancer risk.

Practical Takeaway

While this review suggests hydrogen water may work through ghrelin-related mechanisms in animals, human studies are needed to confirm whether the same effect occurs in people. The authors raise an important caution: if hydrogen water does increase ghrelin long-term in humans, the potential cancer risk from sustained ghrelin elevation would need careful evaluation before recommending it as a health intervention.

Abstract (excerpt)

Molecular hydrogen (H2) can scavenge hydroxyl radical and diminish the toxicity of peroxynitrite; hence, it has interesting potential for antioxidant protection. Recently, a number of studies have explored the utility of inhaled hydrogen gas, or of hydrogen-saturated water, administered…

Read the full abstract via DOI