Hydrogen Water Shows Promise for Diabetes and Cancer Prevention
- Authors
- Sanetaka Shirahata
- Journal
- Animal Cell Technology: Basic and Applies Aspects
- Year
- 2002
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-94-017-0728-2_5
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Body System
- Endocrine
TL;DR
Scientists found that special "reduced water" (water that's been electrically treated) can help fight diseases like diabetes and cancer by getting rid of harmful molecules in your body called free radicals. This matters because if it really works in people, it could be a simple and natural way to prevent and treat lots of different diseases.
Key Finding
In animal models, electrolyzed reduced water showed antioxidative effects (reduced harmful molecules) and improved glucose uptake and insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes, while also suppressing tumor growth and activating immune responses against cancer.
Summary
Researchers studied electrolyzed reduced water (water that has been treated with electrical current to add hydrogen molecules) and compared it to naturally occurring mineral waters known as "miracle waters." In laboratory and animal studies, this water appeared to reduce harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species inside cells, improve how cells take up sugar, and slow the growth of cancer cells in mice. However, this research was conducted in test tubes and animals, not in people.
Practical Takeaway
While these laboratory and animal results are intriguing, they do not yet demonstrate that reduced water works the same way in humans. The study itself acknowledges that rigorous clinical trials in people are needed. Anyone considering reduced water for diabetes or cancer should discuss it with their doctor, as animal studies often do not translate to human benefit.
Abstract
Although water is a very stable substance, it is easily electrolyzed to produce hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Weak current produces only active hydrogen and hydrogen molecule without production of oxygen molecule. Active hydrogen is so small that almost all minerals adsorbs or absorbs it. These facts prompted us to propose “active hydrogen theory of reduced water”. We have demonstrated that electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) and ground waters such as Hita Tenryosui water in Japan, Nordenau water in Germany, Tracote water in Mexico, which are so called miracle water because of their improving activity on various diseases, are all antioxidative water containing active hydrogen and can scavenge intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Reduced water stimulated glucose uptake into muscle and adipocyte cells as well as insulin. It also stimulated the secretion of insulin from pancreatic beta cells and improved the sugar tolerance damage in type 2 diabetes model mice. Reduced water impaired the tumor phenotypes such as rapid growth, anchorage independent growth in a soft agar, morphology, telomere maintenance, and abilities of invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. It activated the cancer immune systems, suppressing the tumor growth in vivo. Reduced water is expected for utilization for prevention and therapy of various diseases.