Hydrogenated Water
26/8/19
Some beverage and 'health' companies are selling water that has been 'hydrogenated'. Essentially they have dissolved hydrogen gas in the water, similar to the way carbon dioxide is dissolved in aerated drinks. These companies claim the usual non-specific health benefits and charge a much higher price for their 'HWater' product than regular water. The premise behind it is that added hydrogen acts as an antioxidant to reduce inflammation and the effects of oxidative stress. As one brand puts it on their website: "Supplementing H2 [H2? meethinks they think hydrogen is the H2 part of water and not the H part] has been shown by research to provide multiple beauty, health and exercise advantages, including reducing oxidative stress from harmful free radicals, decreasing inflammation from stressors such as exercise and daily life, as well as fighting many forms of disease, and boosting energy, mental clarity and focus."
Needless to say, any studies claimed to show efficacy are at best tangential (done on the use of hydrogen itself in health) or poorly controlled and the claims made from these are way more than the authors intended. Even if hydrogenated water could be shown to have specific and measurable benefits, hydrogen is not very soluble and any held in suspension quickly dissipates in most standard packaging. There is no control for dose or method - some gas is pre packaged, some is added chemically in the form of powder or blocks added to your glass of water and some are done via machines that can be bought for several thousand $.
This form of water has been big in Japan for several decades and is now spreading to Europe and the Americas. Of course, these same companies will sell oxygenated water with the same sort of claims made for hydrogenated water. Another claim is that the extra hydrogen helps your body repel radio waves from WiFi and cellphones, though we have yet to see that studies that show this. Bottom line, drink plenty of water, we are so fortunate in Scotland that we have plenty of it!