For the last four years, a new drink has been appearing on the American market with claims to boosting people’s health. This drink is hydrogen water. Is it really going to improve your health? The testing processes have not had time to be completed. Some testing results show promising benefits, but the jury is still out. However, there are lots of people who are convinced it makes them feel better. It may be worth trying.
Hydrogen Water Is Expensive to Buy
Hydrogen water is expensive to buy in stores. It can cost $3.00 per can and more depending on the company. One company sells a 30-pack of 8 oz cans for $90.00. However, there are ways of making your own hydrogen water that are safe and actually more effective than the cans/bottles.
The easiest and most affordable way to make safe hydrogen water is using the right brand of magnesium-based hydrogen tablets. They provide a safe, regulated amount of the chemicals needed to change tap water into hydrogen water. Hydrogen water does not really taste or smell any different than tap water except that it has added hydrogen. The added hydrogen is what makes it beneficial.
What is Hydrogen Water?
Hydrogen water is plain water with extra hydrogen gas added. Hydrogen is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, and non-toxic gas that can bind to oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon to form numerous compounds like water, sugar, and others. In plain water, the hydrogen is bound to the oxygen and so the body does not absorb much of it. But the theory is that when extra hydrogen gases are added to the water, they are free and can be more easily absorbed into the body.
Those wanting to make hydrogen water at home can purchase tablets or hydrogen water machines. These machines can be very costly. The tablets cost less.
What are The Benefits of Drinking Hydrogen Water?
Proponents of hydrogen water claim that it has benefits such as added energy, decreased inflammation, slower aging, and better athletic performance. Limited studies have indicated some benefits similar to antioxidants in reducing oxidative stress. It may also be helpful for people undergoing cancer treatments. It does not cure cancer but makes the cancer treatments easier to take. Hydrogen water does not have any bad side effects so it is safe to drink and see for yourself if it has the benefits you want.
Possible Ways to Make Hydrogen Water
There are several possible ways to make hydrogen water at home with varying results and safety concerns. Some of these methods are better left to manufacturers with equipment and safety measures available.
1. In laboratory settings hydrogen water may be made by bubbling hydrogen gas through the water. But pure hydrogen gas is explosive and flammable. It also has poor solubility in water. It may take as much as 1/2 hour to get the right saturation and in that time too much hydrogen gas might have been released into the air to be safe. This method also requires a pressurized tank of hydrogen gas. These tanks have their own safety issues and their sale is limited.
2. Hydrogen water can be made with electrolysis machines using one of two technologies. These are water ionizers and proton exchange membranes. Basically, they decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen gas with an electrical current. There needs to be a certain level of mineral content in the water for the water ionizer to work. The results may be lower than needed levels of hydrogen in the water. The machines can get a layer of minerals built up on the plates that reduce their performance. Proton exchange machines don’t get the mineral build-up and work a little better than the water ionizers, but still, deliver a low level of added hydrogen in the water.
3. Different elemental earth metals can be used in the production of hydrogen gas when they are put in contact with water. They are potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, lithium, and aluminum. These are different from the salt forms that are used in food supplements. The salt forms will not react with water to produce hydrogen.
Each of these metals has the possibility of safety issues and is better left to commercial technologies rather than home use.
4. Hydrides are compounds that have had hydrogen gas bonded to a metal. They can be used to store and release hydrogen gas. But so far, the technical limitations prevent these compounds from being used to produce safe hydrogen water.
The safest way to make hydrogen water at home seems to be purchasing a hydrogen water machine or using purchased magnesium-based hydrogen tablets. The machines need maintenance to keep them from getting a mineral build-up or scales. They can be expensive. The tablets are easy to use and cost less than the machines.
Water is Important
Water, just plain water is one of the healthiest beverages we can drink. It has no sugar, fat, salt, or calories. It has no bad side effects. But by adding more hydrogen to this water, beverage companies claim it has added benefits for the consumer. We really do not know how much hydrogen added to water will provide extra benefits. It is safe to try hydrogen water and see if it really boosts your energy and makes you feel better and more energetic.
At the very least, drinking hydrogen water may convince people to drink more water and that is a good thing. Most people do not drink enough water for their general health. Soda pop, coffee, tea, energy drinks, juice, and other flavored drinks should not be counted as water consumption though they do add fluids we need. Plain water, hydrogen water, and other beverage consumption will help to replace all the liquids our bodies lose during the day and keep us hydrated. Water is needed to maintain a balance of body fluids, control calories, energize muscles, help skin look better, help our kidneys function, and maintain digestion and bowel functions.
Our bodies are approximately 60% water, so drinking water in any form is necessary to maintain bodily fluids for digestion, absorption, movement of nutrients through the body, circulation, creation of saliva, and maintaining the body temperature. The thought is that if plain water is so good, then water with added hydrogen will be even better for us.
