Molecular Hydrogen: Simple, Safe …Powerful

Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been extensively researched and has shown benefits in over 170 diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, acute brain injury and chronic neurodegenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The table below outlines a small number of the many conditions which can be improved by molecular hydrogen:

A FEW Examples

The role of molecular hydrogen in all of these conditions will be explained more fully in separate posts but here are a few notable examples:

CANCER

The evidence for use of molecular hydrogen for cancer is rapidly accumulating and is highly promising. The fact that it’s such a safe modality and can be combined with any of the standard cancer therapies, means that it’s worth considering.

According to a published review of molecular hydrogen effects on cancer: “The research articles collectively showed that hydrogen gas can reduce tumour growth, increase apoptosis rate, and improve patients’ quality of life (QOL) such as breathing, appetite and physical fitness. There are varying concentrations used among the included studies, however, the most employed concentration of hydrogen gas seems to be 67%, in combination with 33.3% oxygen…”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10152878/

The following case report provides an indication of the potential benefits of molecular hydrogen in the management of metastatic cancer: “Chen et al. also reported the results of a case study of a patient with a brain tumor that had multiple metastases from lung cancer [44]. The patient was treated with standard therapy that had no effects, and metastases transferred from the lungs to the brain, bones, adrenal glands, and liver. After 4 months of monotherapy with H2 gas (67%) for 2–6 h per day, the size of several brain tumors was significantly reduced, as was the amount of spinal fluid from hydrocephalus associated with the brain tumors. They reported that after one year, all brain tumors had disappeared and the increase in the size of the lung and liver cancers had been controlled…”

Molecular Hydrogen as a Novel Antitumor Agent: Possible Mechanisms Underlying Gene Expression - PMC

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Hundreds of lab based and animal studies indicate the molecular hydrogen is potentially a very powerful weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. More and more clinical studies are now also producing equally exciting results. A small controlled study which was published in 2023, compared two groups of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment with inhaled hydrogen was administered to one group and the second (control) group was untreated.

At 3 months the cognitive test scores for the hydrogen treatment group had actually declined more than the control group.

However by 6 months the cognitive test scores for the hydrogen treatment group were significantly better than the control group. The degree of improvement in the hydrogen group was also significantly better than the improvement documented for a common Alzheimer’s drug called donepizil. At 6 months hydrogen inhalation was discontinued but patients in both groups were monitored for another 6 months. The untreated group continued to experience a progressive decline in cognitive scores whereas the treated group improved further - even after treatment was discontinued. This contrasts with the experience with using donepizil where patients tend to experience modest improvement for 6 months and then decline even with continued drug treatment.

By 1 year (6 months off of active therapy) the inhaled hydrogen group had started to regress but their test scores were still superior to baseline. At the 1 year mark the untreated group showed the greatest decline in cognitive test scores, having steadily declined over the entire duration of the study.

Brain scans carried out on the inhaled hydrogen group also indicated that there was  structural and functional improvement of the neurons in the hippocampus - the part of the brain most affected by this disease. This hard data supports the effectiveness of inhaled hydrogen.

Very importantly, the continued improvement in cognitive tests and brain scans for several months after treatment was discontinued, was highly encouraging. This suggests that inhaled hydrogen has a “disease modifying effect” (able to alter the course of the disease). This has not been documented with standard pharmaceutical therapy.

Is this really possible?

You may be wondering how can one simple molecule have all of these far reaching effects. The answer lies in the ability of molecular hydrogen to improve critical aspects of cellular function which play a role in the wide array of acute and chronic diseases.

SELECTIVE ANTIOXIDANT: Oxidative stress, a key contributor to the leading causes of death, has spurred a search for potent antioxidants to mitigate the impacts of excessive oxidative harm within the body.

However it is now clear that overuse of antioxidants can also be damaging. This is because some oxidative compounds perform critically important functions in the body and therefore if they are all indiscrimately extinguished, this will also have a damaging effect. For example, the health promoting effects of exercise and other beneficial therapies are actually facilitated by a small, transient increase in oxidative compounds. It is now known that excessive use of antioxidants can negate these beneficial effects.

Nonetheless, it has become evident that excessive use of antioxidants can be detrimental. This is due to the vital roles played by certain oxidative compounds in the body. If all oxidative compounds are indiscriminately neutralized, it can have adverse effects. For instance, the health benefits of exercise and other beneficial   therapies rely on a brief, controlled rise in oxidative compounds. Excessive antioxidant consumption is now recognized to counteract these advantageous effects.

One of the key features of molecular hydrogen is that it SELECTIVELY neutralizes only the most damaging oxidative compounds such as hydroxyl and peroxynitrite radicals. These highly destructive free radicals readily cause DNA fragmentation (damage to genetic material which can increase cancer risk), lipid peroxidation (damage to the cell wall and other critical structures) and protein inactivation (disturbs cellular function and growth). Conversely, while molecular hydrogen indirectly reduces elevated levels of other oxidative compounds, it doesn't directly neutralize these substances, which preserves their physiological effects.

BIOAVAILABILITY: Many potentially beneficial compounds show extremely positive effects in a test tube but this does not always translate to the same level of benefit in the body. There are many possible reasons for this but an important factor is whether the compound can reach its therapeutic target.

Molecular hydrogen is the smallest molecule in existence and is has a neutral charge so it’s not repelled by any substance. As a result, hydrogen can easily and quickly penetrate into all tissues and cells and easily enter the critical sub-cellular structures such as the nucleus (cellular control site) and mitochondria (energy production site). This is highly advantageous because the mitochondria and nucleus are the sites where the majority of the oxidative damage occurs.

Larger polarized antioxidant compounds have limited access to many tissues, especially the brain. In contrast, molecular hydrogen can access virtually every cell within the body with 10-30 minutes of drinking hydrogen rich water. It’s distribution is even more rapid when it is inhaled.

REGULATES INFLAMMATION: Perhaps one of the most important effects of molecular hydrogen is the activation of the Nrf2 pathway once it gains access within the cell. The Nrf2 pathway regulates more than 500 anti-oxidant and detoxifying enzymes in the body. So molecular hydrogen tips the balance towards significantly reduced inflammation. As this is an indirect effect which is controlled by the sophisticated feedback systems in the cell, this avoids excessive dampening of physiologic levels of inflammation which are needed for proper functioning and cellular defense.

APOPTOSIS: Apoptosis is a very important process of controlled cell death, essential in specific situations but potentially harmful if it occurs excessively. Molecular hydrogen has demonstrated its protective role by mitigating apoptosis following various types of cellular damage. For instance, a scientific study illustrated that molecular hydrogen inhibited neuronal loss resulting from apoptosis during acute brain injury caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage. Conversely, molecular hydrogen has also been observed to impede cancer growth through various mechanisms, including the promotion of apoptosis in cancer cells.

AUTOPHAGY: Molecular hydrogen can stimulate the removal of senescent (aging) cells through a process known as autophagy. This is significant because senescent cells, while functioning poorly, consume resources, heighten inflammation, and harm nearby cells. However, in different situations, molecular hydrogen curtails autophagy, which can be more advantageous, such as in cases of heart failure. These diverse effects underscore the remarkable homeostatic (balancing) influence exerted by molecular hydrogen, as it predominantly operates through the body's inherent control systems to yield its highly beneficial outcomes.

GENE EXPRESSION/CELLULAR SIGNALING: The widespread benefits of molecular hydrogen are also due to its ability to induce master genes and affect enzyme pathways that control inflammation, metabolic function, growth of blood vessels, immune function, allergic reactions and many other important functions.

ANTI-AGING: Pre-mature aging is driven by all of the above factors explained above. By mitigating these damaging effects, molecular hydrogen is able to reduce and reverse the effects of cellular aging.

SAFETY

Divers have safely used hydrogen gas at very high concentrations for many years. Thousands of studies have been carried out particularly since the seminal publication in 2007 by a Japanese physician-scientist, Dr. Ohta, who pioneered this treatment. To date no human studies related to hydrogen therapy have not reported any adverse effects, affirming its safety.

Molecular Hydrogen Therapy at Luminnova Health

Luminnova Health offers a number of molecular hydrogen therapy options. Recommended options depend on your treatment aims and availability. Hydrogen rich water is made by simply adding effervescent tablets to room temperature water. They should NEVER be swallowed whole!!

Hydrogen can be inhaled via a nasal cannula. Hydrogen gas is odorless and this is a highly relaxing therapy. Treatment sessions are 30-60 minutes. Various eye and ear disorders can be treated by direct exposure to hydrogen via the special eye mask and ear tubules.