Hydrogen Therapy Shows Promise for Healthy Aging and Age-Related Diseases
- Authors
- Zhiling Fu, Jin Zhang, Yan Zhang
- Journal
- Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1155/2022/2249749
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Neurodegenerative Disorders
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists found that a simple gas called molecular hydrogen can help fight aging by cleaning up harmful stuff in your cells and activating your body's natural defense systems. This discovery could lead to new treatments for age-related diseases like heart problems, brain diseases, and cancer.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen may combat aging through multiple mechanisms: directly neutralizing harmful free radicals, activating cellular defense pathways, and regulating key aging processes including inflammation, mitochondrial function, and autophagy (cellular cleanup).
Summary
This review examines how molecular hydrogen (a gas that can be dissolved in water) may help slow aging and prevent age-related diseases. Hydrogen appears to work by neutralizing harmful molecules called free radicals, activating the body's natural defense systems, and affecting processes like inflammation and cell repair. The authors suggest hydrogen could potentially help protect against conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and brain disorders that become more common with age.
Practical Takeaway
This is a review of basic research and laboratory studies—not a clinical trial—so it does not provide evidence that hydrogen water works in humans. While the proposed mechanisms are scientifically interesting, much more human research is needed before hydrogen can be recommended as an anti-aging treatment. Early evidence suggests potential, but clinical studies are required to determine safety and effectiveness.
Abstract
Ageing is a physiological process of progressive decline in the organism function over time. It affects every organ in the body and is a significant risk for chronic diseases. Molecular hydrogen has therapeutic and preventive effects on various organs. It has antioxidative properties as it directly neutralizes hydroxyl radicals and reduces peroxynitrite level. It also activates Nrf2 and HO-1, which regulate many antioxidant enzymes and proteasomes. Through its antioxidative effect, hydrogen maintains genomic stability, mitigates cellular senescence, and takes part in histone modification, telomere maintenance, and proteostasis. In addition, hydrogen may prevent inflammation and regulate the nutrient-sensing mTOR system, autophagy, apoptosis, and mitochondria, which are all factors related to ageing. Hydrogen can also be used for prevention and treatment of various ageing-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, and cancer. This paper reviews the basic research and recent application of hydrogen in order to support hydrogen use in medicine for ageing prevention and ageing-related disease therapy.