Perhaps you’ve heard the buzz. There’s a whole new generation of water ionizers and they infuse hydrogen into the water. “Sounds dangerous. Won’t they explode?” You’re thinking of a hydrogen bomb, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Not what we’re talking about here. Molecular Hydrogen is the chemical formula H2. It is actually the H in H2O – so it’s already part of the chemistry of water. Hydrogen (H) is the smallest and lightest element in the periodic table. When ingested, it travels throughout the bloodstream and—according to a 2013 review published in the journal Medical Gas Research—weasels its way into the mitochondria, the energy centers of a cell, and penetrates the nucleus, where the majority of DNA is stored. Once there, it significantly reduces free radicals—inflammation-causing molecules linked to everything from accelerated skin aging to cancer. “So what will this do for me?” Human, animal, and cell studies show that this hydrogen exerts beneficial effects via three primary methods. 1) Instantaneously converts the toxic hydroxyl radicals in your body to water 2) Maintains the homeostatic levels of our body’s own antioxidants 3) Has a beneficial effect on cell signaling, cell metabolism, and gene expression, which gives it anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-aging effects. “So it acts like an anti-oxidant, is anti-inflammatory and has anti-aging effects. Sounds great but I thought hydrogenation was bad for me? What about hydrogenated margarine?” Infusing hydrogen into water is very different from hydrogenating margarine. “To be very clear about this, H2 molecular hydrogen gas is NOT a foreign substance,” says Tyler LeBaron, founder of the Molecular Hydrogen Institute (MHI), and one of the foremost authorities in the science of hydration. “In fact, after a fiber-rich meal our gut bacteria produces a large amount of this hydrogen gas which diffuses into the blood and exerts many beneficial effects which is another reason why your Mom was right and told you to, ‘Eat your vegetables because they are good for you.’”
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