Hydrogen Therapy: A 200-Year Medical History Finally Getting Its Due
The On/Off History of Hydrogen in Medicine: Will the Interest Persist This Time Around?
Research hubs: Oxidative Stress · Inflammation · Brain & Nervous System · Cardiovascular System
- Authors
- Tyler W. LeBaron, Kinji Ohno, John T. Hancock
- Journal
- Oxygen
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.3390/oxygen3010011
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- United States
- Health Condition
- Oxidative Stress
- Body System
- Gastrointestinal
TL;DR
Scientists have been studying hydrogen as medicine on and off for over 200 years, but nobody really took it seriously until a big study in 2007 got everyone excited again. Now with thousands of studies backing it up, hydrogen therapy might finally be ready to become a real, widely-used medical treatment!
Key Finding
Scientific interest in hydrogen as a medical therapy has grown dramatically since 2007, now supported by over 2,000 publications and more than 100 human studies — a sharp contrast to centuries during which hydrogen was considered biologically inactive.
Summary
This review article traces the history of hydrogen (H2) as a medical tool, from early writings in 1793 through its use in surgery and deep-sea diving, up to the modern wave of research sparked by a key 2007 study. For most of history, scientists believed hydrogen was biologically inert (meaning it had no effect on living tissue), but recent research has challenged that view. The authors summarize over 2,000 publications — including more than 100 human studies — that have explored hydrogen's potential medical effects. The article does not present new experimental data; it is a historical and narrative overview.
Practical Takeaway
This is a review of history and existing literature, not a new clinical trial, so it does not prove that hydrogen water produces specific health benefits. It does suggest that the field of hydrogen medicine has a serious and growing body of research behind it, which may give consumers more confidence that the topic is being studied rigorously. Anyone evaluating hydrogen water should look to the individual studies cited within reviews like this one for specific evidence.
Abstract (excerpt)
Over 2000 publications including more than 100 human studies seem to indicate that humans have only recently benefited from or known about the medical effects of H2 within the past 15 years. However, we have unknowingly benefited from H2 since the dawn of time, from H2-producing bacteria to the use…