Hydrogen Therapy and Health

Chapter 1 – The Important Role of Free Radicals in the Onset of Disease

To understand the preventive and health-preserving effects of molecular hydrogen in “treating diseases before they occur,” one must first understand what free radicals are, and what relationship they have with the development of diseases. This is because the theoretical foundation for molecular hydrogen in disease prevention and treatment lies precisely here.

Modern medical research has found that free radicals are closely related to the occurrence of human diseases. They play an important role in the onset of more than 200 types of illnesses and are regarded as a major enemy to modern human health. Some researchers call cytotoxic free radicals “the culprit of diseases, the source of all ailments.” Eliminating harmful free radicals in the body can therefore help prevent or treat diseases and promote better health.

Free radicals are known as “the culprit of diseases, the source of all ailments.” Their involvement in over 200 diseases is alarming.

1. What Are Free Radicals?

Under normal circumstances, the electrons in the biomolecules that make up our body’s cells exist in pairs, like a married couple, which is a stable state. When the human body is affected by certain harmful factors, a biomolecule may lose an electron under external force—just like a couple separating—becoming a “free radical.”

In medical biology, free radicals refer to molecules, ions, atoms, or atomic groups that are free-floating and contain one or more unpaired electrons.

A free radical is like a “partnerless thug” that seeks to snatch electrons from other molecules in order to pair up. This gives them strong oxidative reactivity, enabling them to easily attack vital molecules in the body—damaging DNA, proteins, lipids, and other substances—thus harming the organism.

When too many free radicals are produced in the human body, they can trigger a variety of diseases. Because they lack electrons for pairing, free radicals steal electrons from biomolecules, leaving those molecules “diseased” once deprived.

2. How Are Free Radicals Produced?

Free radicals can be induced by many factors and are generally categorized as exogenous (external) and endogenous (internal).

Exogenous free radicals are produced under the influence of external factors and are an important cause of harm to the body. Common sources include air pollution, excessive work stress, food and water contamination, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, toxins and drugs, overexertion in exercise, intense psychological stress, and long-term overwork. These harmful free radicals increase oxidative stress in the body and attack vital biomolecules. Once their production exceeds the body’s ability to neutralize them through antioxidant systems, the dynamic balance between oxidation and antioxidation is lost—leading to health damage or even disease.

Endogenous free radicals are generated during the body’s natural metabolic processes. They are indispensable reactive substances that participate in normal cellular activities, such as acting as secondary messengers. In healthy individuals, although metabolism may sometimes produce excess free radicals, the body has its own systems to clear them and maintain oxidative balance. However, as a person ages or their constitution weakens, these antioxidant systems decline. Excess free radicals cannot be eliminated in time, accelerating aging and contributing to diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

3. Why Can Free Radicals Trigger Diseases?

The mechanisms by which free radicals cause disease are complex, but the core lies in two basic properties: high chemical reactivity and instability.

High chemical reactivity means free radicals are extremely reactive and aggressive. They can chemically react with various biomolecules such as DNA, proteins, and lipids—causing oxidative, addition, cleavage, or disproportionation reactions that damage these molecules. Through a chain amplification effect, the initial free radicals react with nearby biomolecules, producing abnormal molecules and more new free radicals. These new radicals then attack healthy molecules, repeating the cycle and causing widespread damage, which may lead to disease.

Instability comes from the unpaired electrons of free radicals. These electrons are unstable and quickly seize electrons from nearby biomolecules or atoms, altering their structure. Because of this, free radicals cannot exist for long in the body—they must take electrons from other molecules, damaging them in the process, much like a third party breaking up a family. These traits allow free radicals to damage macromolecules like DNA, altering cell structure and normal functions, thus endangering health.

4. Which Diseases Can Free Radicals Cause?

Extensive research shows that free radicals are the “culprit of diseases,” causing or participating in the onset of nearly 200 types of illnesses, and in some cases playing a key role in disease development.

For example, in ionizing radiation injury and related radiation diseases, the initial mechanism involves radiation transferring energy to the body, generating hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen radicals, hydrated electrons, and other free radicals, which then attack vital biomolecules, causing various radiation injuries.

Free radicals also act as major “accomplices” in other diseases, promoting their onset, progression, and deterioration. Examples include atherosclerosis, diabetes, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, alcohol poisoning, ischemia-reperfusion injury in organs, inflammatory diseases, sports injuries, and diseases of the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, brain, and skin.

Therefore, free radical-induced diseases involve almost all bodily systems, including the cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, reproductive, nervous, endocrine, hematological, and musculoskeletal systems, with a wide variety of disease types.

Chapter 2 – The Unique Functions of Molecular Hydrogen and Its Mechanisms for Disease Prevention and Treatment

For a long time, people only knew that lack of oxygen would lead to death, and that inhaling gases such as chlorine or carbon monoxide could be fatal. However, hydrogen gas was, for many years, poorly understood and long mistaken as a physiologically inert gas with no biological activity. This misconception was not completely overturned until May 2007. That year, foreign researchers reported in the world’s leading medical journal Nature Medicine that hydrogen gas has significant biological activity and can effectively prevent and treat cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, with better effects than edaravone, a drug commonly used in clinical practice.

This groundbreaking discovery opened a new chapter in human understanding of the biological activity of molecular hydrogen and launched a wave of research into its disease-prevention and treatment capabilities. Since then, interest in the biological functions of molecular hydrogen has surged worldwide, and its health benefits continue to be uncovered and expanded.

So—what is molecular hydrogen? What unique biological activities does it have? Why can it prevent or treat diseases? What benefits does it offer to the human body? This chapter will briefly address these questions and explain the scientific basis for molecular hydrogen’s contribution to health.

1. What Is Molecular Hydrogen?

Molecular hydrogen is a substance that has long existed on Earth. It consists of two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded together to form a hydrogen molecule—commonly referred to as hydrogen gas (chemical symbol H₂). Regardless of whether we call it molecular hydrogen, hydrogen gas, or hydrogen molecule, they refer to the same substance. The English term is molecular hydrogen. In Japanese, both hydrogen and hydrogen gas are collectively called 水素 (suiso), and water containing dissolved hydrogen gas is called 水素水 (suiso-sui).

In China, different names for the same substance arise due to differences in naming conventions in various scientific fields.

Astronomy: Refers to H₂ as molecular hydrogen.
Medical journals: International publications mostly use molecular hydrogen. Many domestic researchers also use this term, making “molecular hydrogen” a scientifically reasonable choice.
Physics: Focuses on the state of matter—solid, liquid, or gas. For example, water is ice below 0°C, liquid between 0°C and 100°C, and vapor above 100°C. Similarly, hydrogen is solid below about –259.1°C, becomes liquid above –259.1°C, and turns into gas above –253°C, hence the term hydrogen gas.
Chemistry: Often names substances according to molecular structure, thus calling H₂ a hydrogen molecule.

Important note: Hydrogen ions, negative hydrogen ions, hydrogen atoms, and hydrogen elements are not the same as molecular hydrogen. The biological activity and health benefits of molecular hydrogen do not apply to all hydrogen-containing substances. Although hydrogen is abundant on Earth, the form widely recognized by the international medical community as beneficial to human health is molecular hydrogen (H₂), not other hydrogen compounds. It is incorrect to assume that “anything containing hydrogen” will have health benefits.

2. Mechanisms by Which Molecular Hydrogen Prevents and Treats Diseases

Based on domestic and international studies, the unique health-preserving and disease-preventing effects of molecular hydrogen can be summarized into seven mechanisms, resulting from multiple synergistic actions:

Selective removal of toxic free radicals
Various harmful external factors can lead to excessive free radicals in the body, many of which are highly toxic (e.g., hydroxyl radicals) and can cause or worsen diseases. Molecular hydrogen selectively neutralizes these harmful radicals without affecting beneficial physiological free radicals. In other words, it acts like a “targeted eliminator,” removing only the harmful radicals—thereby preventing disease at its source and delaying cellular aging.
Enhancing the body’s antioxidant capacity
With age or under certain conditions, the body’s antioxidant capacity declines, and oxidative stress increases, damaging DNA and other macromolecules. Molecular hydrogen significantly boosts the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD and GSH, helping maintain oxidative balance and reducing oxidative cell damage.
Acting as a signaling molecule
Like nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide, molecular hydrogen has signaling functions—but without their toxic side effects. It can activate important intracellular signaling pathways, such as:
- Nrf2 pathway: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune-enhancing, anticancer effects.
- Forkhead box (FoxO) transcription factors: activating antioxidant defenses.
- Inhibiting overactive Wnt/β-catenin signaling in certain inflammatory diseases and cancers, helping restore normal cell regulation.
Protecting cell membranes
Cell membranes are vital to life functions, yet membrane phospholipids and lipoproteins are easily oxidized. Molecular hydrogen can protect these molecules from oxidation, preserve membrane integrity, and protect organ functions—particularly in heart muscle cells.
Exceptional tissue penetration
Many organs have dense protective barriers (e.g., blood–brain barrier, blood–testis barrier, placenta) or limited blood supply (e.g., inner ear), making it difficult for most drugs to reach them. As the smallest molecule in nature, molecular hydrogen easily crosses these barriers, diffusing rapidly and evenly throughout the body, penetrating cell membranes, and reaching sites that other therapies cannot.
Compatibility with other therapies
Molecular hydrogen does not interfere with other treatments, making it suitable for combination therapy. Examples include:
- Enhancing the tumor-killing effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy while reducing side effects.
- Working synergistically with lipid-lowering, blood sugar-lowering, or anti-inflammatory drugs to boost efficacy.
- Combining with other wellness practices for better preventive effects.
Safe, simple, and non-toxic
Unlike many drugs and supplements that have side effects, molecular hydrogen is a naturally occurring substance already present in the human body. Divers have long inhaled high concentrations of hydrogen without adverse effects. In recent years, many countries have recognized its safety, approved it as a food additive without usage limits, and even included hydrogen therapy in medical insurance (e.g., Japan). Multiple hydrogen products are now commercially available and easy to use.

3. Diseases for Which Molecular Hydrogen Has Preventive or Therapeutic Effects

Medical studies worldwide have shown that molecular hydrogen benefits a wide range of conditions—over 100 types of illnesses, many related to oxidative stress and free radical damage. More than 20 diseases have been validated in human clinical use; others are still in the animal research stage or undergoing large-scale human trials.

Categories include:

Radiation-related damage: UV, nuclear radiation, X-rays, space radiation.
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: atherosclerosis, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral thrombosis, myocardial infarction, hypertension, myocardial fibrosis.
Metabolic disorders: diabetes, fatty liver, gout, osteoporosis, obesity.
Neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease.
Inflammatory diseases: hepatitis, pancreatitis, colitis, periodontitis, sepsis.
Oncology supportive care: reducing side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Other conditions: alcohol intoxication, air pollution-related damage, carbon monoxide poisoning, retinal diseases, noise-induced hearing loss, sports injuries, reproductive system disorders, skin diseases, malignant tumors.

Many of these conditions currently lack specific preventive or wellness measures. Molecular hydrogen can protect healthy tissues by selectively removing toxic free radicals, reducing oxidative stress, and alleviating inflammation—fulfilling the “prevent before illness” principle. It can also serve as an adjunct therapy to improve pathological conditions, relieve symptoms, and enhance patients’ quality of life.

Chapter 3 – The Radioprotective Health Benefits of Molecular Hydrogen

Our environment contains many types of radiation that are harmful to health—nuclear radiation, X-rays, cosmic radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and electromagnetic radiation. These forms of radiation can induce the production of large amounts of harmful free radicals in the body, with oxidative damage being their primary harmful mechanism. This can impair health—mild exposure may affect quality of life, while severe exposure can be life-threatening.

Prolonged exposure to radiation environments or receiving high-dose exposure can result in immune suppression, reduced resistance, acute and chronic radiation sickness, internal radiation injury, skin radiation damage, and even radiation-induced cancers. How to medically prevent or reduce the adverse health effects of radiation has long been an international challenge.

A research team led by Professor Cai Jianming from the Second Military Medical University, after screening hundreds of compounds and natural substances, was the first in the world to discover that molecular hydrogen can effectively eliminate toxic free radicals induced by radiation. It can increase the activity of antioxidants such as SOD and GSH, enhance antioxidant capacity, reduce damage to DNA and other biomacromolecules, and promote the repair of molecules, cells, and tissues damaged by free radicals. This work represents a major breakthrough in addressing the global problem of radiation protection.

1. Protection of the Hematopoietic System

The hematopoietic system is highly sensitive to radiation. Radiation can damage hematopoietic stem cells and their microenvironment; high-dose exposure can cause symptoms similar to aplastic anemia, leading to decreased numbers of blood cells, multiple hemorrhages, and various infections.

Studies have shown that molecular hydrogen can reduce ionizing radiation–induced bone marrow damage, protect hematopoietic stem cells, increase hematopoietic cell counts, and raise peripheral white blood cell and platelet levels. This suggests that molecular hydrogen can effectively prevent radiation damage to the hematopoietic system, reduce decreases in white blood cells and platelets, and help treat diseases related to poor hematopoietic function (such as aplastic anemia).

2. Protection of Gastrointestinal Tissue

Gastrointestinal epithelial cells are also highly sensitive to radiation. Radiation can damage gastrointestinal stem cells, disrupt the intestinal mucosal barrier, and cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloody stools, toxin entry into the bloodstream, and loss of appetite.

Research has shown that molecular hydrogen can reduce radiation-induced damage to gastrointestinal tissue, protect intestinal stem cells, preserve mucosal integrity, promote repair of damaged intestinal tissue, and improve gastrointestinal function. These findings indicate not only that molecular hydrogen can prevent radiation damage to the gastrointestinal tract, but also that by removing harmful substances and reducing gastrointestinal disease, it may help alleviate side effects of radiotherapy for gastrointestinal tumors—such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite—thereby improving quality of life.

3. Protection of the Liver and Liver Function

The liver is one of the most important human organs. During radiotherapy for liver and abdominal tumors, normal liver tissue is inevitably exposed to radiation, resulting in collateral damage.

Studies have shown that molecular hydrogen can protect normal liver cells, reduce radiation-induced liver injury, decrease hepatocyte death, and promote repair of damaged hepatocytes. It can lower radiation-induced elevations in ALT and AST levels, thereby protecting liver function. This suggests that molecular hydrogen can prevent liver radiation injury, improve side effects of tumor radiotherapy, and help restore normal liver function. Its hepatoprotective effects may also help reduce hangover symptoms and post-alcohol discomfort.

4. Protection of the Male Reproductive System

Radiation is an important environmental factor contributing to infertility and reduced reproductive capacity in modern, reproductive-age populations. The reproductive system is highly sensitive to radiation, so protecting it from free radical damage is crucial for reproductive health.

Studies have shown that molecular hydrogen can reduce ionizing radiation–induced testicular damage, promote repair of injured tissue, reduce radiation-induced sperm mutations, increase sperm count, and improve sperm quality. This suggests that molecular hydrogen can prevent radiation injury to the male reproductive system and help protect against environmental radiation effects on testes and sperm, thereby safeguarding normal reproductive function.

5. Protection of the Skin

Skin aging can be accelerated by ultraviolet and ionizing radiation. Studies have shown that molecular hydrogen can reduce radiation-induced skin damage, as evidenced by weakened inflammatory responses, reduced tissue lesions, faster skin cell repair, and quicker hair regrowth.

Additionally, researchers from Korea, Nanjing Medical University, and Tianjin Medical University have found that molecular hydrogen can prevent ultraviolet-induced skin damage and accelerate repair of injured skin tissue. This demonstrates that systemic or topical application of molecular hydrogen products can help counteract UV-related skin damage, suggesting benefits not only in preventing radiation-induced skin injury but also in daily skincare.

6. Protection of the Lungs

The lungs are the body’s most important respiratory organs and a primary target of harmful environmental agents such as smog.

Studies have shown that molecular hydrogen can reduce ionizing radiation–induced pneumonitis and subsequent pulmonary fibrosis, lessen inflammation, protect lung cells, and improve lung function. These results suggest significant application value for patients undergoing chest radiotherapy for thoracic tumors, as radiation pneumonitis and fibrosis are common complications that hinder treatment effectiveness. Molecular hydrogen can help protect normal lung tissue and reduce such complications.

This protective effect is also beneficial for smokers, as smoking generates large amounts of free radicals harmful to health. Molecular hydrogen can help reduce smoking-related damage by removing harmful free radicals and limiting oxidative injury.

7. Protection of Immune Function

The immune system is essential for defending against disease. Individuals with weakened immunity are more susceptible to illness. The immune system is also highly sensitive to radiation and vulnerable to attack by radiation-induced free radicals.

Studies have shown that molecular hydrogen can protect key immune organs such as the thymus and spleen, reduce lymphocyte death caused by ionizing radiation, increase immune factor secretion, and improve blood profiles—raising peripheral immune cell counts by more than twofold. This suggests molecular hydrogen can prevent radiation damage to the immune system and protect against other harmful immune-suppressing factors, thereby enhancing immunity and maintaining health.

8. Applications of Molecular Hydrogen’s Radioprotective Effects

The radioprotective effects of molecular hydrogen have broad value in radiation protection and in preventing free radical–related diseases. Products developed from these research results have already been applied in routine health maintenance in certain military units, proving popular for preventing conditions related to toxic free radicals and oxidative damage.

These benefits also extend to the general public, including those in radiation-related occupations such as pilots, astronauts, nuclear submarine crew, nuclear power plant workers, medical imaging professionals (both doctors and patients), nuclear accident rescue personnel, nuclear fuel extraction and production workers, and individuals with prolonged computer and electronics exposure. NASA is also applying these research results to protect astronauts’ health.

Moreover, molecular hydrogen can help reduce radiotherapy-related side effects in cancer patients. Clinical human trial data show that molecular hydrogen can increase white blood cell counts in patients undergoing radiotherapy, reduce nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, improve appetite, and enhance overall quality of life.

Chapter 4 – The Anti-Aging Effects of Molecular Hydrogen

Everyone will inevitably grow old—aging is a natural law of life. In some elderly people, aging is accompanied by health problems such as dementia. How to slow the aging process, prevent or reduce the occurrence of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, has become a shared concern.

Japanese research has found that many centenarians have molecular hydrogen levels in their exhaled breath three times higher than the average person, suggesting that the unique biological activity of molecular hydrogen may significantly contribute to longevity. This discovery offers new hope for extending lifespan and improving quality of life in the elderly.

1. Causes of Human Aging

To understand why molecular hydrogen can have anti-aging effects, we must first understand why humans age. For decades, scientists worldwide have studied the causes of aging. Many researchers believe free radicals are the primary cause, with free radical–induced inflammation and oxidative damage being key drivers of tissue and cellular aging.

In 1956, British scientist Professor Harman first proposed the free radical theory of aging, linking free radicals to aging and disease, and showing that removing free radicals can extend lifespan. The theory has been widely accepted, as it explains many aging-related symptoms—such as age spots, wrinkles, reduced immunity, and dementia.

Free radicals cause aging through three main mechanisms:

Promoting accumulation of lipofuscin and crosslinking of biomacromolecules
Free radicals oxidize lipids, producing peroxidation products that crosslink and damage proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules. Lipid peroxidation promotes the formation of lipofuscin, which accumulates in cells and tissues, contributing to aging. For example, lipofuscin in skin cells causes age spots; in brain cells, it impairs memory and cognition, even leading to dementia. Lipid peroxidation can also damage the lens and retina, leading to vision problems such as presbyopia and cataracts. Collagen crosslinking decreases its solubility, elasticity, and water retention, leading to skin sagging, more wrinkles, and reduced bone regeneration in old age.
Damaging and reducing organ cells
Organs are made of cells, and damage or loss of cells is a key reason for organ aging. Unsaturated fatty acids in cell and organelle membranes are highly susceptible to free radical attack, leading to peroxidation and cell loss. This accelerates aging—for example, reduced neurons in the brain cause slower thinking, poorer memory, and reduced sensory function. Free radicals can also damage DNA, altering genetic information, causing protein/enzyme synthesis errors, and lowering enzyme activity—furthering organ deterioration.
Weakening immune function
The immune system is vulnerable to free radical damage. Free radical–induced immune decline increases susceptibility to tumors and autoimmune diseases, where the immune system attacks the body’s own healthy tissues—such as in systemic sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. Research shows that autoimmune diseases are closely related to free radical damage.

2. Why Molecular Hydrogen Has Anti-Aging Effects

Modern research shows that timely removal of harmful free radicals, maintaining the balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses, and reducing oxidative stress can lower the incidence of age-related diseases. Molecular hydrogen has multiple functions in this regard:

Free radical scavenging: As people age, free radical damage to proteins and DNA—especially mitochondrial DNA—increases. Excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) aggravate oxidative stress, induce mitochondrial gene mutations, and shorten mitochondrial lifespan. Molecular hydrogen can counteract harmful free radicals, reduce lipofuscin accumulation and biomacromolecule crosslinking, and slow organ cell damage and loss.
Antioxidant enhancement: Declining antioxidant capacity is a key cause of aging. Molecular hydrogen boosts the body’s antioxidant capacity, reducing ROS-induced protein, lipid, and DNA damage, increasing cell vitality, lowering central nervous system inflammation, and extending cell lifespan.
Immune protection: Molecular hydrogen mitigates free radical–induced immune decline, helping reduce illness and delay aging.

Foreign studies show that long-term consumption of hydrogen-rich water optimizes cellular energy metabolism, reduces body weight, lowers obesity-related disease risk, and extends lifespan in animals prone to premature aging.

Prof. Zhao Chao of Fudan University’s Geriatric Medicine Research Center proposed that molecular hydrogen delays aging by selectively removing harmful oxygen free radicals. Japan’s Toho University School of Medicine confirmed its anti-endothelial cell aging effects, while researchers at Wonkwang University in Korea found it protects against general cellular aging. A large body of research supports its selective free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities—helping maintain oxidative balance, protect biomacromolecules and cells, and extend lifespan.

Interestingly, some long-lived Japanese families have gut microbiota that produce more hydrogen gas than average, resulting in higher endogenous hydrogen levels. Many members live past 100. Some early-stage Alzheimer’s patients who inhaled hydrogen regularly for a period showed significant symptom reduction and improved cognitive abilities. This suggests that regular use of molecular hydrogen in daily life may greatly help slow aging.

3. Health Benefits for Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are common in middle-aged and elderly populations, with incidence rates rapidly rising due to improved living standards and longer lifespans. These conditions seriously harm health, and preventing or reducing their occurrence has become a major societal concern.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD): Also known as senile dementia, AD is a primary degenerative brain disorder of late life, characterized by loss of cortical neurons, brain atrophy, amyloid deposition, and neurofibrillary tangles, with massive loss of memory neurons. Symptoms include memory decline, impaired thinking, poor judgment, difficulty recognizing objects, and emotional instability.

Studies by scholars such as Li Jian from China Medical University found that molecular hydrogen reduces brain oxidative stress, lowers inflammatory cytokines, reduces astrocyte activation, and alleviates amyloid pathology in AD animal models by inhibiting inflammatory pathway activation—improving cognition, memory, and behavior. These findings provide a scientific basis for using molecular hydrogen products to prevent or treat AD.
Parkinson’s disease (PD): Another common neurodegenerative disorder threatening elderly health. Small-scale Japanese clinical trials by Yoritaka et al. showed that drinking high-concentration hydrogen-rich water daily for 48 weeks significantly improved PD symptoms compared to a control group, whose condition worsened. Eighteen research institutions in Sweden, Japan, and other countries are conducting larger multi-center human trials.

Japanese research shows that hydrogen-rich water suppresses tyrosine hydroxylase overexpression in toxin-induced PD models, reduces brain oxidative stress, protects dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, and mitigates degenerative neurological changes—demonstrating clear therapeutic potential for PD.

Chapter 5 – The Effects of Molecular Hydrogen on Diabetes

With changes in dietary patterns, the acceleration of aging in the population, and major shifts in lifestyle, diabetes has become the third most serious chronic disease threatening human health—following cancer and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular diseases.

In recent years, the number of diabetes patients in China has risen sharply, and it is estimated that by 2025, the number of people with diabetes in China will exceed 38 million. According to WHO projections, by 2025 there will be 300 million adult diabetes patients worldwide.

Diabetes seriously endangers human health. How to effectively prevent and treat diabetes, improve the survival quality of patients, and prevent complications has become one of the urgent challenges for modern medical science. Research has found that molecular hydrogen can play a beneficial role in the prevention and management of diabetes, making it a promising wellness tool.

1. Relationship Between Free Radicals and Diabetes

Increasing evidence in recent years has shown that the pathogenesis of diabetes is closely related to oxidative stress induced by free radicals. Free radical–induced oxidative stress plays a key role in the development and progression of diabetic vascular complications.

High blood sugar can:

Increase electron donors in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, leading to excessive free radical production.
Activate pathways such as the polyol pathway and protein kinase C, causing vascular damage.
Impair mitochondrial energy metabolism, producing large amounts of free radicals that cause oxidative damage.

Oxidative stress from free radicals can also regulate signaling pathways, leading to decreased insulin sensitivity and damage to pancreatic β-cells. Reactive oxygen species damage vascular endothelial cells, causing both macrovascular and microvascular complications.

Therefore, finding a highly effective, non-toxic, and convenient scavenger of toxic oxygen free radicals could open new directions for preventing and treating diabetes and its vascular complications. Molecular hydrogen is exactly such a substance.

2. Deadly Dangers of Diabetes

Aside from reducing patients’ quality of life, the most dangerous aspect of diabetes lies in its complications, which affect multiple organs and systems, such as:

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
Diabetic nephropathy
Eye diseases
Nervous system damage

These complications severely threaten the life and safety of patients. Around 50% of diabetes-related deaths are due to vascular complications. High blood sugar damages vascular tissues, impairs cell proliferation and vasodilation mechanisms, causes vascular dysfunction, and leads to conditions such as atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases.

3. The Role of Molecular Hydrogen in Preventing and Treating Diabetes

Molecular hydrogen has been shown to have preventive and therapeutic effects on certain forms of diabetes, and research reports on this are increasing.

For example:

Japanese clinical trial: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human study, diabetic patients drank 0.9 L of high-concentration hydrogen water daily for 2 months. Results showed improved abnormal glucose metabolism, reduced fasting blood glucose, increased insulin sensitivity, significantly reduced LDL cholesterol, and lowered urinary 8-isoprostane. Over 65% of patients with impaired glucose tolerance returned to normal glucose tolerance test results.
Another Japanese study: Involving 20 patients with metabolic syndrome (obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, and hypertension), drinking 1.5–2 L of hydrogen water daily for more than 8 weeks increased HDL cholesterol and SOD activity. Long-term intake demonstrated safety, non-toxicity, and efficacy of molecular hydrogen for diabetes prevention and management.
Domestic experience: In China, thousands of diabetes patients have incorporated molecular hydrogen products into their daily wellness routines, achieving notable results. Some patients experienced reduced blood glucose levels, some were able to reduce their dosage of hypoglycemic drugs or insulin, and others saw improvement in diabetic complications.

These human application results indicate that molecular hydrogen, as a daily health maintenance product, is highly beneficial in preventing diabetes. For diabetic patients, it can help lower blood glucose levels and prevent or alleviate the deadly complications of the disease, thereby improving both survival and quality of life.

Chapter 6 – The Effects of Molecular Hydrogen on Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is closely related to cardiovascular diseases and is a major cause of coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction, and hypertension. Research in China and abroad has found that molecular hydrogen can slow the progression of atherosclerosis and reduce vascular inflammation, providing a new daily preventive approach for such diseases.

1. Atherosclerosis and Its Mechanisms

Atherosclerosis is a long-term pathological process involving multiple factors, characterized mainly by lipid-driven oxidative stress and inflammation. These processes lead to the accumulation of macrophages and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), impairing normal vascular function.

The pathological basis of atherosclerosis is lipid metabolism disorder, starting with lesions in the arterial intima. Typically, lipids and complex carbohydrates accumulate first, accompanied by hemorrhage and thrombus formation. This is followed by tissue proliferation, calcium deposition, and gradual degeneration and calcification of the arterial media. These changes cause the arterial wall to thicken and harden, narrowing the vessel lumen and impeding blood flow.

Because the lipid deposits in the arterial intima appear yellow and paste-like, the condition is called “atherosclerosis” (from Greek: “athero” meaning gruel or porridge).

2. Major Health Risks of Atherosclerosis

The consequences of atherosclerosis depend mainly on the location of vascular lesions and the severity of ischemia in the affected organs. Its major clinical manifestations include coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction, and peripheral vascular disease.

Coronary atherosclerosis: When the lumen narrows by more than 75%, symptoms such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, and even sudden death can occur.
Cerebral atherosclerosis: Can lead to cerebral ischemia, brain atrophy, or cerebral hemorrhage.
Renal atherosclerosis: Often causes refractory hypertension, increased nighttime urination, and, in severe cases, renal insufficiency.
Intestinal atherosclerosis: May result in abdominal pain, indigestion, constipation, and, in severe cases, intestinal wall necrosis, bloody stools, or bowel obstruction.
Peripheral vascular atherosclerosis: Can also cause hypertension. The incidence of atherosclerosis is significantly higher in hypertensive patients, and the two conditions often coexist, influencing and exacerbating each other.

3. The Role of Molecular Hydrogen in Preventing and Treating Atherosclerosis

Eliminating free radicals and reducing oxidative stress are considered important strategies for preventing and treating atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Molecular hydrogen offers the advantages of scavenging free radicals and counteracting oxidative stress, as well as lowering plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), reducing inflammation, and stabilizing existing atherosclerotic plaques—thereby slowing disease progression.

Professor Qin Shucun, director of the Atherosclerosis Research Institute at Taishan Medical University, led a team that conducted in-depth studies in this field. Building on animal experiments, they carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in humans and found that drinking hydrogen-rich water for 2 months could regulate blood lipids—raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and lowering LDL—suggesting that molecular hydrogen helps prevent and treat atherosclerosis and dyslipidemia. Their research won the Shandong Provincial Science and Technology Progress Second Prize, adding to the scientific evidence supporting molecular hydrogen’s health benefits.

International clinical trials have also shown that drinking saturated hydrogen saline can reduce oxidative lipid production. Moreover, saturated hydrogen saline can lower oxidative stress levels in arterial tissue, reduce macrophage accumulation at atherosclerotic lesion sites, and—based on animal model studies—may act at the genetic and protein levels by inhibiting activation of transcription factors related to inflammation, thereby reducing the development of atherosclerosis.

These experimental and clinical findings provide a solid theoretical basis for applying molecular hydrogen in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Chapter 7 – The Role of Molecular Hydrogen in Maintaining Immunity

Immunity is the body’s natural shield for defending against external invasion. Its vital functions include: recognizing and eliminating any foreign invaders (bacteria, viruses, harmful substances, etc.); promptly clearing abnormal cells (mutated, necrotic, senescent, or cancerous cells) and infected cells; and identifying and removing various “foreign molecules” that are harmful to health.

A normal immune system is essential for maintaining health:

Low immunity makes a person more susceptible to infections and cancer.
Excessive immunity can also be harmful, causing allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases.

Free radicals are closely linked to immune function, and molecular hydrogen’s ability to eliminate harmful free radicals makes it easy to understand why it can help maintain normal immunity—through anti-inflammatory effects and immune enhancement.

1. Relationship Between Free Radicals and Human Immunity

Human immunity relies on a healthy immune system composed of immune organs, immune cells, and immune-active substances. It is the most effective defense against pathogens and a key factor in maintaining internal homeostasis.

Immune organs: bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes, thymus, tonsils
Immune cells: lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages
Immune-active substances: immunoglobulins, antibodies, interferons, lysozymes, interleukins, etc.

Any abnormality in one part of the immune system can affect health. Free radicals can act on the immune system, causing:

Lymphocyte damage, leading to immune suppression, decreased resistance, and higher susceptibility to bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
Destruction of cell membranes, impairing nutrient absorption and waste removal, and reducing the ability to defend against pathogens.
Overactivation of allergic responses, resulting in allergic rhinitis, asthma, or dermatitis.
Triggering of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, by directly or indirectly damaging immune regulation.

Timely elimination of excess free radicals reduces oxidative reactions and helps maintain normal immunity, defend against free radical damage, resist disease, and slow aging.

2. Scientific Basis for Molecular Hydrogen in Boosting Immunity

Studies have found that molecular hydrogen supports immunity in multiple ways:

Protecting immune organs such as the thymus and spleen from free radical and oxidative damage.
Reducing immune cell death caused by hydroxyl radicals, increasing counts of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes/macrophages, and improving peripheral blood profiles.
Promoting hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and stimulating secretion of hematopoietic factors, accelerating immune cell regeneration.
Regulating secretion of immune factors such as interleukins and interferons.
Reducing oxidative damage to cell membranes, thereby maintaining the integrity and function of biological membranes in the immune system.

These findings suggest that regular use of molecular hydrogen can help protect the immune system, reduce the impact of harmful environmental factors on immunity, and promote better overall health.

3. Molecular Hydrogen in Treating Inflammatory Diseases

Inflammation is an immune response and a common pathological process in many diseases. It is closely related to oxidative stress, with high concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) participating in inflammatory reactions.

Molecular hydrogen can alleviate tissue and cellular damage caused by inflammation and has therapeutic potential for inflammation-related diseases.

Animal model studies have shown benefits in conditions such as colitis, pancreatitis, chronic hepatitis, periodontitis, obstructive jaundice, sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma. For example:

Acute pancreatitis model: Hydrogen water inhibited neutrophil infiltration, reduced oxidative stress, suppressed pancreatic cell apoptosis and NF-κB activity, and promoted pancreatic cell proliferation—thereby reducing tissue edema and lowering serum amylase levels.
Oral wound healing: Researchers at Tokushima University in Japan found hydrogen water promoted wound healing in rats’ oral tissue.
Rheumatoid arthritis: Ishibashi et al. conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showing that hydrogen therapy improved symptoms.

In Asia, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are common, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stools, blurred vision, and joint discomfort, and may progress to cancer. Many patients who consumed high-concentration hydrogen water experienced significant improvement, avoiding surgery. Animal studies confirm hydrogen’s preventive and therapeutic potential in inflammatory bowel disease.

Mechanisms of action include:

Selective antioxidant activity—eliminating harmful free radicals, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, and reducing oxidative tissue damage.
Downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines—lowering interleukin, TNF, and interferon levels, and reducing inflammatory cell infiltration.
Possible activation of anti-inflammatory signaling pathways—enhancing the body’s own immune regulation.

4. Molecular Hydrogen in Immune-Related Skin Diseases

Professor Luo Xiaoqun, director of the Skin Immunology Laboratory at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, reported at the 2016 International Forum on Clinical and Translational Medicine on the use of molecular hydrogen in difficult-to-treat skin diseases such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, dermatomyositis, skin allergies, and cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorders. Preliminary results showed:

Overall efficacy rate: 81% (about 54% cured, 27% improved, 19% no effect).

She noted the great potential of hydrogen therapy in refractory skin diseases, while emphasizing the need for larger-scale clinical studies and deeper understanding of mechanisms.

Other studies have found:

Japan: Potential benefits for skin allergies.
Korea (Yonsei University): Four weeks of hydrogen water intake reduced allergy-related inflammatory cytokines in mice with dust mite–induced skin allergies.

Skin pigmentation after burns is a cosmetic concern with limited treatment options. The PLA Shenyang Military Region General Hospital conducted a clinical trial in 67 patients with post-burn facial hyperpigmentation:

Hydrogen water group (34 cases) vs. saline control group (33 cases), facial compresses 3 times daily for 30 minutes over 30 days.
Results: Hydrogen water group showed almost complete pigment resolution and high patient satisfaction; the control group showed partial fading with lower satisfaction.

5. Molecular Hydrogen in Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD)

GVHD is a life-threatening immune rejection complication in bone marrow transplant patients, with limited treatment options beyond immunosuppressants.

A team led by Professor Cai Jianming at the Second Military Medical University, together with the Hematology Department of the Navy General Hospital, studied hydrogen therapy for GVHD.

Case example: A 54-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome developed severe chronic GVHD three years post-transplant, affecting the skin, oral cavity, eyes, intestines, liver, lungs, and joints. Multiple therapies failed to halt disease progression.
After daily hydrogen water supplementation, symptoms gradually eased; after 3 months, organ function significantly improved, and after 6 months, only mild residual symptoms remained in the skin and eyes—indicating substantial therapeutic benefit.

6. Molecular Hydrogen in Hemodialysis

Professor Nakayama and colleagues at Kyushu University of Health and Welfare in Japan dissolved hydrogen into dialysis fluid and found:

Significant reductions in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and peroxidase activity—both markers of inflammation.
In 12 uremic patients, levels of reduced albumin increased, and dialysis efficacy improved.

Similar reports have grown in recent years, showing promising prospects for molecular hydrogen in hemodialysis treatment.

Chapter 8 – The Role of Molecular Hydrogen in Anti-Tumor Activity

Cancer is the number one enemy to human health. With rapid population growth and industrial development, the living environment for humanity has worsened, and cancer incidence has increased year by year. How to prevent cancer and how to effectively treat it have become primary health concerns worldwide.

Studies in cell and animal models have shown that molecular hydrogen has certain anti-tumor effects. However, whether molecular hydrogen has anti-cancer effects in humans is still less well-documented, and conclusions cannot yet be definitively drawn.

The most noteworthy role of molecular hydrogen in human cancer is cancer prevention.

Its selective antioxidant properties can reduce DNA mutations.
Its anti-inflammatory effects can mitigate precancerous lesions and reduce gene mutations.
Molecular hydrogen is non-toxic and free of side effects, making it a safe and effective daily wellness measure for high-risk populations.

It may play an active role in controlling precancerous conditions and preventing cancer. Secondary roles include reducing cancer treatment side effects, and finally, enhancing therapeutic outcomes when combined with various treatments.

1. Mechanism by Which Free Radicals Cause Cancer

Free radicals are also related to cancer occurrence. Many cancers involve DNA mutations caused by oxidative stress, and many precancerous conditions involve chronic inflammation. The causes of cancer are complex, involving genetic, chemical, dietary, lifestyle, and environmental factors.

With the advancement of free radical medicine, the role of free radicals in cancer has become a focal point for researchers. Findings include:

Carcinogenic factors such as ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, and certain chemicals induce the production of free radicals in the body.
Carcinogens like nitrosamines and benzo[a]pyrene generate free radicals during their reaction with cells.
Free radicals in tobacco tar and air pollution can cause lipid peroxidation, damaging key cellular components such as mitochondria, microtubules, enzymes, and proteins.
Some carcinogens require metabolic activation in the body to form free radicals, which then attack DNA.

Free radicals can cause DNA damage, chromosomal abnormalities, and altered gene expression, leading to malignant cell transformation and tumor formation. Lipid peroxidation products caused by free radicals can change normal DNA sequences, causing mutations that trigger cancer development.

In all three stages of carcinogenesis—initiation, promotion, and progression—free radicals are generated and participate actively. Their toxicity can be:

Direct: Directly damaging cellular components, causing mutations and cancer.
Indirect: Harmful environmental factors trigger massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) release, which, combined with cytotoxic free radicals, damage cells and promote cancer.

2. Anti-Tumor Effects of Molecular Hydrogen

Given the important role of free radicals in cancer development, it is easy to see why eliminating excess free radicals could reduce cancer occurrence or slow its progression. Regular use of free radical scavengers and antioxidants is significant in cancer prevention. Molecular hydrogen’s selective removal of harmful free radicals makes it a promising anti-tumor agent.

Historical and modern research findings include:

1975 study: Foreign scientists published a paper in a leading scientific journal showing that inhaling 97.5% hydrogen at 8 atmospheres for 14 days effectively treated malignant skin tumors in animals, controlling squamous cell carcinoma. This was the first proposal that molecular hydrogen’s antioxidant effects could be anti-tumor, though it drew little follow-up at the time.
Japanese studies: Giving hydrogen-rich water to animals with cirrhosis prevented the development of primary liver cancer.
In vitro research: Hydrogen water significantly removed toxic free radicals, harmful hydrogen peroxide, and peroxides from tumor cells, inhibiting tongue cancer cell growth without affecting normal human tongue epithelial cells—demonstrating selective anti-tumor effects. Hydrogen also inhibited human fibrosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion, thereby both slowing tumor growth and reducing invasiveness.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Found that hydrogen-rich water inhibited tumor growth in colorectal cancer-bearing mice by suppressing tumor cell proliferation, promoting apoptosis, regulating intracellular redox balance, and modulating interferon-related gene expression.

These findings suggest molecular hydrogen may have value in preventing, inhibiting tumor growth, and reducing tumor invasiveness.

3. Molecular Hydrogen in Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are among the most common clinical cancer treatments, working by killing tumor cells with radiation or drugs. However, these methods also damage normal tissue cells, causing side effects such as:

Radiation dermatitis
Reduced white blood cell and platelet counts
Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite
Radiation-induced enteritis or pneumonitis
Hair loss

These side effects not only affect quality of life but can also reduce treatment efficacy. The challenge is how to kill tumor cells while protecting normal cells from radiation and drug toxicity.

Molecular hydrogen’s dual effect—anti-tumor activity plus protection of normal cells from radiochemotherapy damage—offers a new adjuvant therapy option.

Research findings:

Radiotherapy in liver cancer: A foreign clinical study found that drinking high-concentration hydrogen water during radiotherapy significantly reduced side effects, improved quality of life, and reduced nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, while improving appetite and taste. Another study found hydrogen not only reduced side effects but also increased radiation’s tumor-killing effect while protecting liver function.
Chemotherapy: Taishan Medical University’s Yang Qingxi found that lung, stomach, colon, and breast cancer patients who drank high-concentration hydrogen water for two weeks during chemotherapy had improved treatment outcomes, reduced drug toxicity, and better hematopoietic, heart, liver, kidney, and physical function than control groups—leading to better quality of life.
Animal studies: A 2015 foreign study showed that hydrogen significantly enhanced the anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil’s effects, reducing tumor volume more than the drug alone and increasing survival rates.

Chapter 9 – The Protective Role of Molecular Hydrogen on the Liver

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the relationship between free radicals and various liver diseases. Timely removal of harmful free radicals can protect liver cells, reduce liver damage, and improve liver function. As a result, many researchers have studied the preventive and therapeutic effects of molecular hydrogen on liver injury.

The earliest report came from French scholars in 2001, who conducted research on inhaling hydrogen gas to treat schistosomiasis-induced liver cirrhosis. In 2007, Japanese scholars investigated hydrogen’s effects on hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury. Since then, both domestic and foreign researchers have explored the preventive and therapeutic roles of molecular hydrogen in conditions such as cirrhosis, fatty liver, liver transplantation, alcoholic liver injury, cholestatic liver injury, and drug-induced liver injury.

Research results have shown that molecular hydrogen, as a novel antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, can help the liver clear inflammatory necrotic cells, effectively scavenge harmful free radicals, significantly inhibit lipid peroxidation, and reduce oxidative damage to hepatocytes. In this way, it can effectively prevent the occurrence and progression of various liver diseases or injuries, thus serving a liver-protective and liver-nourishing role.

1. Prevention and Treatment of Free Radical–Induced Liver Injury

Professor Cai Jianming’s research team at the Second Military Medical University found that molecular hydrogen can effectively prevent and treat liver tissue damage induced by harmful free radicals such as hydroxyl radicals and hydrated electrons. It significantly inhibits the series of oxidative and inflammatory reactions triggered by hydroxyl radicals in the liver and promotes repair of injured tissue.

In animal experiments, hydrogen use markedly reduced radiation-induced liver damage, decreased hepatocyte degeneration and necrosis, lessened morphological abnormalities, accelerated repair, and improved hepatocyte vitality. Liver function indicators such as ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) were significantly improved.

Joint research by Japanese and Korean scientists also found that molecular hydrogen can alleviate fatigue, loss of appetite, and digestive discomfort caused by radiotherapy in liver cancer patients.

Other studies have shown that inhaling 2% hydrogen gas or drinking hydrogen-rich water can significantly reduce liver cell injury from ischemia–reperfusion damage, lower transaminase levels, and protect liver function. Molecular hydrogen has been applied not only in acute hepatocyte injury but also in cirrhosis and jaundice after bile duct obstruction.

Japanese studies further demonstrated that long-term consumption of hydrogen-rich water can markedly improve high-fat-diet–induced fatty liver, enhance liver function, prevent liver fibrosis, and stimulate expression of hepatic fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), which plays a key role in regulating glucose metabolism.

2. Molecular Hydrogen and Liver Detoxification

Professor Yang Jiamei’s team at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital of the Second Military Medical University found that molecular hydrogen protects liver tissue from oxidative and inflammatory damage after drug-induced liver injury, reducing the severity of damage.

Similarly, researchers from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University demonstrated that molecular hydrogen can reduce oxidative damage and inflammatory responses caused by acetaminophen (paracetamol), alleviate histopathological changes, protect liver function, and promote hepatocyte regeneration. Scholars from Shaoxing People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University, found that hydrogen produced by intestinal bacteria can also promote hepatocyte regeneration.

Interestingly, many have found that molecular hydrogen can help relieve alcohol intoxication and reduce alcoholic liver injury. The liver is the primary organ for processing alcohol, metabolizing ethanol into acetaldehyde (via alcohol dehydrogenase and catalase) and then into acetic acid (via aldehyde dehydrogenase), which is further broken down into CO₂ and water. When excessive alcohol intake overwhelms the liver’s metabolic capacity, it accumulates in the body, damaging the liver and affecting the brain and other organs.

Alcohol also induces free radical production, and oxidative stress from excessive free radicals plays a key role in alcohol-related damage. Animal experiments have confirmed that molecular hydrogen protects against alcoholic liver injury, alleviating both acute and chronic alcohol-induced liver damage in rats, and improving liver function. The protective mechanism may involve free radical scavenging, antioxidative stress, anti-inflammatory action, reduced lipid peroxidation, and inhibition of certain signaling pathways involved in alcohol-induced damage.

Many regular users of molecular hydrogen products report that drinking high-concentration hydrogen water significantly improves hangover symptoms, reduces fatigue, headache, nausea, and loss of appetite, and speeds up physical and mental recovery.

3. Protection of Liver Function After Hepatectomy

Hepatectomy is one of the most common surgical treatments for liver cancer and other diseases, but it inevitably causes some degree of liver function damage, which in severe cases can lead to liver failure. Protecting liver function after surgery is an important clinical concern.

Professor Yang Guangshun’s team at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital established an expanded hepatectomy model in pigs. After portal vein occlusion was relieved, 250 mL of hydrogen-rich saline was infused via the right gastroepiploic vein, and the infusion was continued daily for the first three postoperative days. Results showed that hydrogen-rich saline effectively reduced hepatocyte injury after surgery, promoted hepatocyte proliferation, reduced oxidative free radical damage during ischemia–reperfusion, and significantly inhibited cell apoptosis.

4. Molecular Hydrogen as an Adjunct in Hepatitis Treatment

Dr. Xia Chunxiang and colleagues at Huai’an Fourth People’s Hospital, Jiangsu Province, conducted a clinical study on chronic hepatitis B. Thirty patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B drank 1.2–1.8 L of hydrogen-rich water daily for six weeks. Although it did not lead to hepatitis B viral gene conversion to negative status, molecular hydrogen reduced oxidative stress and alleviated oxidative damage, making it beneficial as an adjunctive therapy.

A Harvard Medical School study also suggested that increasing hydrogen levels in the body can aid in hepatitis treatment. While research in this area remains limited, the lack of toxicity and the absence of interference with other medications make molecular hydrogen a potentially useful wellness aid for hepatitis patients.

5. Other Health Benefits for Fatty Liver and Related Conditions

Researchers at Okayama University, Japan, found that long-term hydrogen-rich water consumption counteracted fatty liver caused by a high-fat diet in animals. Improvements in liver tissue structure and function were comparable to those from pioglitazone, a conventional fatty liver drug, but with the added advantage of no toxicity or side effects. They also found that long-term hydrogen-rich water consumption reduced the occurrence of liver cancer related to fatty liver.

Associate Professor Wang Jin and colleagues at the Endocrinology Department of Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, studied molecular hydrogen’s effects on high-fat-diet–induced fatty liver and its molecular mechanisms. They found significant improvements in hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia caused by fatty liver, clear protection of hepatocytes, and potential preventive effects against fatty liver.

Academician Wang Hongyang’s team at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital used hydrogen-rich saline for one month in animal models of liver cirrhosis and found beneficial effects through antioxidative stress, anti-inflammatory mechanisms, reduced angiogenesis, and decreased vascular resistance, thus improving portal hypertension caused by cirrhosis.

Recently, Liu Qu and colleagues from the PLA General Hospital further investigated the mechanism of hydrogen’s protective effects in bile duct obstruction–induced cirrhosis, focusing on mitochondrial oxidative damage pathways.

Chapter 10 – Molecular Hydrogen in the Prevention and Treatment of Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Ischemia–reperfusion injury refers to the tissue damage that occurs in ischemic diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke when blood supply is restored. The damage is caused by free radical attack, leading to injury in cells of the previously deprived tissues. In the rescue and treatment of ischemic diseases, clinicians have gradually realized that tissue injury is often not caused by ischemia itself, but by the sudden restoration of blood flow after a period of ischemia. This type of injury is called ischemia–reperfusion injury.

Extensive experimental studies have confirmed that the key mechanism of ischemia–reperfusion injury is the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after ischemia, leading to oxidative damage. Molecular hydrogen has been proven effective in preventing and treating such injuries.

1. Therapeutic Effects of Molecular Hydrogen on Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Researchers in multiple countries have conducted numerous animal experiments on molecular hydrogen’s effects in treating various types of ischemia–reperfusion injury, including ischemia in the brain, heart, liver, lungs, intestines, kidneys, and retina. Severe damage can occur in these tissues after reperfusion.

It has been observed that administration of sufficient molecular hydrogen before, during, and after injury can significantly reduce the severity of tissue damage and decrease necrosis. The current consensus is that molecular hydrogen alleviates ischemia–reperfusion injury primarily through its selective free radical scavenging and antioxidant effects. It markedly reduces oxidative damage markers such as 8-OHdG (a marker of DNA oxidative damage), MDA (malondialdehyde), and 4-HNE (4-hydroxynonenal, a lipid peroxidation product), and significantly decreases apoptosis and necrosis of affected cells.

2. Therapeutic Effects of Molecular Hydrogen on Cardio-Cerebral Ischemic Diseases

Molecular hydrogen has been shown to be beneficial in treating ischemic conditions such as cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, subarachnoid hemorrhage, neonatal brain injury, and retinal ischemia. It can significantly reduce infarct size, decrease cell death and apoptosis, and accelerate tissue repair.

Many research teams worldwide have published studies in this field. For example, Professor Zhang He from the United States has published nearly 20 papers on hydrogen therapy for cerebrovascular diseases. Overall, both domestic and international researchers generally recognize the effectiveness of molecular hydrogen in cell and animal models.

Clinical progress has also been encouraging:

Researchers have demonstrated that injection of hydrogen-rich saline significantly benefits brainstem stroke patients by improving cognitive function after cerebral ischemia.
A multicenter study involving over 10 hospitals in Japan found that inhalation of 2% hydrogen gas protects against brain injury caused by cardiac arrest. Hydrogen can be used alone or in combination with hypothermia, with better results when combined.
A clinical study led by Professor Suzuki from the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Keio University Hospital showed that inhaling 2% hydrogen gas for 16 hours is safe and protective in brain injury after cardiac arrest. This study was listed by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as part of the country’s Advanced Medical Care B system. Some experts have called hydrogen inhalation for post-resuscitation patients a revolutionary new therapy that protects life and brain function, promotes recovery, and helps patients return to society sooner.

In July of this year, Professor Hirohisa Ono from Juntendo University reported in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases the results of a clinical study on hydrogen inhalation in acute stroke patients. Fifty patients with acute cerebral infarction were enrolled—25 in the hydrogen treatment group and 25 in the control group.

The treatment group received 3% hydrogen gas inhalation twice daily for 1 hour each time over 7 days, instead of edaravone.
The control group received conventional therapy including edaravone without hydrogen inhalation.

Results showed that the hydrogen group had significantly better outcomes: higher blood oxygen saturation, less brain tissue necrosis, better clinical severity scores, and faster functional recovery. The study concluded that hydrogen therapy for stroke is safe, non-toxic, and promotes recovery from brain injury, with notable therapeutic value.

3. Role of Molecular Hydrogen in Organ Transplant Protection

Ischemia–reperfusion injury also occurs during organ transplantation, often causing inflammation, functional impairment, or even organ failure. The protective effects of molecular hydrogen against ischemia–reperfusion injury make it a potential organ preservation agent.

Professor Nakao from the University of Pittsburgh was the first to report that continuous inhalation of 2% hydrogen gas prevented postoperative motility disorders in rats after small intestine transplantation, significantly improving jejunal smooth muscle contractility and alleviating mucosal damage. Later studies confirmed that hydrogen inhalation also protects against injury after heart, lung, and kidney transplants, significantly reducing post-transplant damage. Researchers proposed that this protection is not only due to antioxidative effects, but also to the induction of antioxidant enzymes and enhancement of anti-inflammatory responses.

Thoracic surgeons from Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, found that dissolving hydrogen into organ preservation solution markedly reduced oxidative damage and apoptosis-related gene expression in donor hearts. When preserved at 4°C, hydrogen-treated hearts resumed beating 75% faster after rewarming than untreated hearts, greatly accelerating recovery and improving preservation outcomes. This indicates that molecular hydrogen can protect organs both before and after transplantation.

Chapter 11 – Protective Effects of Molecular Hydrogen on the Eyes and Ears

The eyes and ears are vital sensory organs, and protecting vision and hearing is essential for overall health. Numerous studies in China and abroad have reported on the protective effects of molecular hydrogen against eye diseases. Major research contributions have come from institutions such as the Fourth Military Medical University, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, PLA General Hospital, and Beijing Tongren Hospital. Their findings indicate that molecular hydrogen helps protect the visual system and treat certain ocular diseases, including blue light–induced retinal damage, hyperbaric oxygen–induced retinal neovascularization, diabetic retinopathy and neovascularization, and cataracts.

In Japan and other countries, studies have also been published, including one patented technology that uses localized hydrogen gas bathing to treat periocular diseases.

Research on the protective effects of molecular hydrogen on the ears is relatively limited and currently focuses mainly on noise-induced hearing loss.

1. Protective Effects Against Retinal Damage

Multiple institutions worldwide have conducted research on molecular hydrogen’s ability to prevent and treat retinal cell damage. For example:

Japan Medical University: Professor Ohta studied continuous local administration of hydrogen-rich eye drops for retinal ischemia injury in rats, finding that hydrogen quickly diffused into the vitreous humor and reduced oxidative damage and retinal ganglion cell apoptosis caused by ischemia–reperfusion.
Other studies found that molecular hydrogen inhibits microglial activation—important in optic nerve degeneration—thus protecting the optic nerve.
Fourth Military Medical University: Professor Zhang Ming’s team found that molecular hydrogen reduces retinal cell damage from intense light exposure and protects retinal ganglion cell layers.
Additional research shows hydrogen reduces free radicals and oxidative stress–induced retinal injury, protects photoreceptor cells and retinal structure, and improves dark adaptation. Some scholars believe hydrogen could slow photoreceptor degeneration, offering new protective strategies for macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

For diabetic eye disease:

Around 26% of diabetic patients develop retinopathy, which can eventually cause blindness.
Oxidative stress plays a key role—ROS damage retinal vascular structure and function, disrupt the blood–retinal barrier, and increase inflammation.
Studies show molecular hydrogen can reduce retinal cell apoptosis, inhibit drug-induced vascular permeability, and decrease retinal thickening.
In streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, hydrogen prevented blood–retinal barrier breakdown.
While clinical trials on diabetic retinopathy are lacking, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human study found hydrogen improved glucose and lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetics, suggesting potential benefits for diabetes-related ocular diseases—especially those with severe metabolic disturbance.

2. Anti-Cataract Effects

Cataracts are a major cause of blindness, affecting 80% of people over 70. With global aging, cataract-related vision loss will become more severe. The classic theory identifies ROS as the main culprit, as they cause protein crosslinking, degradation, and oxidative damage in the lens, as well as lens epithelial cell apoptosis.

Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University: Daily use of hydrogen-rich saline for 10 days prevented selenite-induced cataracts in rats.
Other studies show hydrogen-saturated saline maintains water-soluble protein content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and glutathione (GSH) levels in the lens, while lowering malondialdehyde (MDA), thus slowing cataract onset and progression.
Japanese research found topical hydrogen water reduces cellular damage after cataract surgery.
PLA General Hospital: Professor Huang Yifei highlighted studies showing hydrogen delays cataract formation by preserving enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activity, suggesting potential value as an adjunct therapy for cataracts.

3. Treatment of Corneal Injury

Japanese studies found molecular hydrogen protects against alkali burn–induced corneal injury, a relatively common clinical condition that causes acute inflammation and pathological neovascularization. Current treatments (anti-angiogenic drugs, argon laser, photodynamic therapy, limbal stem cell transplantation) have limited results.

ROS are key pathogenic factors in alkali burns, directly inducing pathological neovascularization via NF-κB activation and triggering inflammatory factor release.
Animal experiments showed hydrogen reduced corneal neovascularization and NF-κB activation, lowering inflammatory factor levels.
These findings suggest hydrogen could be a novel treatment option for alkali burns.

Hydrogen in cataract surgery protection:

Professor Tsutomu I of Japan Medical University demonstrated in rabbits that hydrogen reduces corneal damage from ultrasonic phacoemulsification.
During the procedure, ultrasound generates hydroxyl radicals, damaging corneal endothelial cells. Hydrogen selectively scavenges these radicals, protecting the cells from oxidative injury.

4. Prevention and Treatment of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Medically harmful noise refers mainly to continuous high-intensity noise. Strong impulse noise causes shearing and compression movements between the basilar and tectorial membranes, leading to mechanical damage to cochlear structures, ischemia, hypoxia, impaired aerobic metabolism, and overproduction of ROS and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). These free radicals damage cochlear cells and DNA, reduce antioxidant capacity, and trigger apoptosis, resulting in hearing loss.

Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University: Professor Zhou Yide showed hydrogen-rich saline reduces noise-induced cochlear hair cell apoptosis.
PLA General Hospital and First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University found hydrogen reduces hair cell loss and hearing threshold shifts in guinea pigs exposed to noise, with faster recovery. Mechanistically, hydrogen penetrates the blood–labyrinth barrier, clearing mitochondrial ROS in hair cells.
National Defense Medical College, Japan: Professor Saitama found that 5 days of daily 5-hour hydrogen inhalation reduced hearing threshold shifts and hair cell death in noise-exposed guinea pigs.

These studies strongly support hydrogen’s protective role against noise-induced hearing loss. Importantly, hydrogen can rapidly cross the blood–labyrinth barrier, effectively reducing oxidative damage in the inner ear—something most antioxidants cannot achieve. This suggests regular hydrogen use could help protect people working in noisy environments.

Chapter 12 – Protective Effects of Molecular Hydrogen on the Reproductive System

The reproductive system is particularly sensitive to harmful environmental factors, which can easily lead to reproductive dysfunction or decreased sexual performance. These disorders are closely related to free radicals, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The bioactivity of molecular hydrogen also plays an important role in protecting the reproductive system.

1. Protection of the Male Reproductive System

The editorial team of this book was the first in China and abroad to discover that molecular hydrogen can reduce cytotoxic free radical–induced damage to the testes, promote tissue repair, reduce radiation-induced sperm mutations and apoptosis in mice, increase sperm count, enhance sperm motility, and improve sperm quality. Molecular hydrogen was also found to raise serum testosterone levels, with testicular size and weight greater than in the non-hydrogen-treated control group.

Researchers at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University conducted similar studies and found that molecular hydrogen protects the male reproductive system, helping to mitigate the harmful effects of adverse environmental factors on the testes.

2. Effects on Diabetes-Related Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile difficulty is a form of male sexual dysfunction that causes considerable distress. About 50% of men with diabetes experience varying degrees of erectile dysfunction, likely due to excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tissues.

The Urology Department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University demonstrated that in diabetic animal models, drinking hydrogen-rich water can improve erectile function by reducing oxidative damage, decreasing apoptosis, increasing endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) levels, and regulating vascular function.

3. Anti-Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) Effects

Premature ovarian failure refers to ovarian dysfunction leading to amenorrhea before the age of 40, with early onset of postmenopausal symptoms. The exact mechanism is unclear, but contributing factors include infection, autoimmune diseases, heavy smoking and alcohol consumption, excessive psychological stress, extreme dieting, and harmful environmental exposures.

Researchers at the Reproductive Medicine Center of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, recently found that molecular hydrogen has significant therapeutic effects on premature ovarian failure in experimental animals. These results suggest that molecular hydrogen has promising potential in protecting ovarian function and enhancing fertility.

4. Treatment of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common condition among women of reproductive age, characterized by the ectopic growth of endometrial tissue that undergoes periodic bleeding, leading to fibrosis and nodule formation in surrounding tissues. Symptoms include dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and menstrual irregularities, causing both physical and psychological distress.

Conventional treatments mainly aim to block estrogen action, but these often have many side effects and are not highly effective.

A research team led by Professor Liu Yuhuan from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, recently found that molecular hydrogen is effective in treating endometriosis. In their study, rats with endometriosis inhaled a high-concentration hydrogen–oxygen gas mixture once a day for four consecutive weeks. By the eighth week, the ectopic endometrial tissue volume had decreased, cell proliferation was inhibited, and the animals’ estrous cycles were unaffected.

Chapter 13 – Effects of Molecular Hydrogen on Sports Injuries

Intense physical exercise produces large amounts of free radicals, which are closely related to exercise-induced fatigue and muscle injuries. The ability of molecular hydrogen to selectively remove harmful free radicals and reduce oxidative damage helps prevent and alleviate injuries caused by strenuous exercise.

1. Protective Effects for High-Intensity Athletes

Soochow University conducted a study involving 40 male athletes from the Beijing Swimming Team. The study concluded that during high-intensity swimming, free radical production increases, antioxidant capacity decreases, and lipid, protein, and DNA damage occur. Drinking hydrogen-rich water significantly reduced these oxidative stress injuries, with the best results observed when supplementation was provided before, during, and after exercise—significantly better than supplementation only during exercise.

Ou Minghao and colleagues from the Hunan Institute of Sports Science studied 18 female judo athletes and found that hydrogen-rich water supplementation significantly reduced the post-training increase in free radicals, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, and improved the body’s antioxidant capacity. This provided protection against lipid peroxidation caused by heavy training loads. The results indicate that drinking hydrogen-rich water can reduce discomfort after strenuous exercise and may be suitable for preventing exercise-related injuries during fitness training.

International research has also reported similar findings. For example, a Japanese study suggested that hydrogen-rich water is an excellent drink for athletes—drinking it before exercise reduced post-exercise lactate levels, alleviating muscle fatigue and functional decline.

Similarly, Serbian sports health researcher Ostojic S.M. demonstrated that drinking hydrogen-rich water can prevent blood acidification caused by lactate accumulation in judo athletes after intense exercise. Blood acidification leads to fatigue; providing athletes with 2 liters of hydrogen-rich water daily reduced arterial carbon dioxide and bicarbonate levels, lessening acidification and aiding recovery.

2. Relief of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

Chronic fatigue syndrome is common among well-educated white-collar workers, possibly due to heavy workloads, high stress, irregular lifestyles, and weakened immunity. Main symptoms include persistent fatigue, short-term memory decline, poor concentration, muscle pain, sore throat, joint pain, headache, unrefreshing sleep, and post-exertional malaise. It resembles neurasthenia or a “sub-health” state, and currently there is no specific treatment.

Germany was among the first to notice the effects of molecular medicine. As early as 1992, patents related to the use of molecular hydrogen for health and disease treatment were filed. In 2013, an immunology professor at the world-renowned Max Planck Institute in Germany conducted research on molecular hydrogen medicine. In one case, he described a patient with CFS—an office administrator responsible for laser printing—who achieved remarkable recovery after drinking hydrogen-rich water. The patient consumed 250–1000 mL daily for 4 consecutive weeks, resulting in almost complete disappearance of CFS symptoms: improved memory and concentration, relief from sore throat, headache, and muscle pain, hair regrowth, better sleep quality, restored muscle function, and no recurrence of symptoms.

3. Relief of Exercise-Related Soft Tissue Injuries

Professor Hoffman and colleagues studied the effects of molecular hydrogen on sports-related soft tissue injuries. They examined male professional athletes with acute soft tissue injuries and analyzed treatment results after 2 weeks of molecular hydrogen administration. The hydrogen-treated group showed significantly reduced plasma viscosity and faster recovery of joint flexion and extension range in the injured limb compared to the control group. This suggests that molecular hydrogen has a positive effect on recovery from soft tissue injuries in professional athletes.

Chapter 14 – Detoxification and Protective Effects of Molecular Hydrogen

There have been numerous studies on the detoxification and protective effects of molecular hydrogen, including its role in carbon monoxide poisoning, pesticide residues, smog hazards, chemotherapy drug toxicity, paraquat poisoning, and more.

1. Molecular Hydrogen Against Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas commonly produced by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing materials—seen in coal gas poisoning, coal-burning heating, vehicle exhaust, gas water heaters, etc. Even at low concentrations, CO can be life-threatening. Each year, there are numerous tragic incidents of CO poisoning worldwide.

CO poisoning can cause acute death as well as chronic damage.

Acute mechanism: CO binds to hemoglobin, forming carboxyhemoglobin, preventing oxygen transport, leading to tissue hypoxia.
Chronic mechanism: CO exerts toxic effects on tissues and cells, especially the cerebral cortex, which can cause delayed encephalopathy.

The best emergency treatment for acute CO poisoning is hyperbaric oxygen therapy. However, there is no ideal treatment for chronic CO poisoning. Molecular hydrogen may aid in recovery from such damage.

Professor Sun Xuejun from the Second Military Medical University shared an observation: In a fertilizer factory in northern China, workers exposed to CO leaks often developed encephalopathy. Some were later reassigned to the plant’s hydrogen purification workshop, and unexpectedly, their brain damage recovered more quickly and thoroughly than those who were not reassigned.

Inspired by this, his team conducted studies and confirmed that hydrogen-saturated saline offered protective effects against acute CO poisoning-induced brain injury. The mechanism may involve hydrogen’s antioxidant activity, protection against necrosis, apoptosis, and autophagy, and reduction of immune injury. As a safe and convenient method, hydrogen therapy could potentially be used before and during hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjuvant in CO poisoning prevention and treatment.

2. Molecular Hydrogen Against Side Effects of Certain Chemotherapy Drugs

Many anticancer drugs have severe side effects—sometimes intolerable for patients. For example, doxorubicin and cisplatin are widely used but highly toxic to the heart, liver, and kidneys. The challenge is to maintain their tumor-killing effect while reducing toxicity.

Studies have shown that hydrogen administration significantly reduces organ damage caused by doxorubicin and cisplatin in experimental animals, improves pathological changes, and restores functional markers. This suggests hydrogen can reduce chemotherapy toxicity.

A particularly encouraging study from Kagoshima University, Japan, found that hydrogen not only reduced the toxicity of the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil but also enhanced its tumor-killing effects by promoting tumor cell apoptosis.

3. Molecular Hydrogen Against Smog Hazards

In recent years, many large and medium-sized cities in China have been shrouded in smog, posing a major public health concern. Smog can trigger various diseases, and PM2.5 has been identified by the WHO as the 4th leading health risk factor in China.

Researchers from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University conducted a study on sanitation workers in smog-heavy Shijiazhuang.

Subjects: 96 healthy, non-smoking sanitation workers.
Intervention: 50 workers inhaled 67% hydrogen gas for 1 hour daily over 1 month; 46 workers served as controls.
Results: Hydrogen inhalation reduced respiratory symptoms, improved ventilation function, lowered levels of certain harmful substances, and reduced oxidative stress in the respiratory tract. Follow-up analysis is ongoing.

Additionally, smoke from fires, industrial production, and household burning is also harmful. Inhaling toxic smoke can cause severe airway inflammation and even death. A study from the University of Texas Medical Branch found that goats with smoke inhalation injury who inhaled 2% hydrogen had reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, improved ventilation function, and overall airway protection.

4. Molecular Hydrogen Against Pesticide Residue Damage

Pesticide residues in food remain a major concern. Chlorpyrifos, a widely used organophosphate insecticide, can cause oxidative stress and neurotoxicity.

A study by Ma Xuemei’s team at the College of Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, found that hydrogen-rich water increased detoxifying enzyme activity (cholinesterase), enhanced antioxidant defenses, and reduced chlorpyrifos-induced brain tissue damage in rats, thereby protecting brain function.

5. Molecular Hydrogen Against Acute Oxygen Toxicity

Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Northwestern University, and three other institutions investigated hydrogen’s effect on high-pressure oxygen-induced lung injury in rats. They found that inhaling 2% hydrogen could protect against lung damage.

Professor Sun Xuejun’s team also showed that hydrogen-saturated saline significantly alleviated lung oxygen toxicity caused by hyperbaric oxygen, reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and tissue damage.

6. Molecular Hydrogen as a Possible Aid in Drug Addiction Withdrawal

Recent research from Academician Cong Bin and Professor Ma Chunlin at Hebei Medical University indicated that hydrogen may help reduce anxiety-like behaviors in morphine-addicted subjects. This suggests hydrogen could assist in drug detoxification and reduce withdrawal distress. Although current research is limited, this area warrants further attention.

Chapter 15 – The “Holy Water” Legend of Molecular Hydrogen

The discovery of molecular hydrogen’s role in disease prevention and treatment was a scientific journey from serendipity to inevitability. For a long time, people mistakenly believed that molecular hydrogen was biologically inert and harmless, with no physiological activity. So, what first drew scientists’ attention, inspiring them to study it deeply and ultimately prove its remarkable health-promoting effects? The story begins with the legend of “holy water.”

In the history of science, many major discoveries originated from accidental inspiration—moments when scientists, immersed in thought, suddenly experienced a flash of insight that led to unexpected findings. For example:

Nobel laureate Tu Youyou drew inspiration from the Eastern Jin Dynasty medical text Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, leading to the discovery of artemisinin as an anti-malarial drug.
Newton deduced the law of universal gravitation after seeing an apple fall from a tree.
Fleming discovered penicillin when he forgot to cover a Petri dish.
Chemist Dalton discovered color blindness while buying socks for his mother.
Dr. Dunlop invented the bicycle tire after being inspired while watering flowers.

Such “coincidences” are, in truth, bound to happen eventually—science advances inevitably, whether sooner or later. The discovery of molecular hydrogen’s health effects followed a similar path.

The Legend of the Nordenau Cave Water

Around the world, there are tales of miraculous or longevity-promoting waters, but the most legendary is from the Nordenau Cave in eastern Düsseldorf, Germany. The water from this ancient cave is famed as “miracle water.”

In 1992, a journalist published an article titled “Since Visiting This Cave, My Tumor Has Shrunk,” describing 22 cases of recovery allegedly linked to drinking the water. Reports claimed improvements or even cures in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, depression, arthritis, skin diseases, allergies, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, ulcers, and more.

While many visitors claimed personal improvements, these were anecdotal experiences—lacking rigorous medical observation or controlled scientific study—so they remained folklore rather than established fact.

Scientists, intrigued by the story, conducted extensive investigations and proposed various hypotheses. None gained universal acceptance—until researchers discovered unusually high levels of dissolved hydrogen gas in the cave water, unlike typical surface or groundwater.

In June 1998, Japan’s TV Asahi aired a science program titled “The Truth About Miracle Water That Cures All Diseases,” presenting numerous patient stories and suggesting that hydrogen gas might be the real reason behind the water’s health benefits.

The Lourdes Spring

Even earlier than Nordenau, the spring at Lourdes in southern France was world-famous. Since 1858, it has been a pilgrimage site for millions seeking healing. The legend began when a local girl claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary, and soon after, critically ill or disabled individuals reported miraculous recoveries after drinking or bathing in the spring water.

Initially, people attributed its effects to germanium, as the cave walls contained “germanium stone” and over 30 trace minerals beneficial to human health, including selenium, zinc, nickel, cobalt, manganese, magnesium, and calcium. However, deeper scientific investigation later revealed that germanium was likely only a minor factor.

More importantly, researchers detected large amounts of dissolved molecular hydrogen in the water—sparking curiosity about whether hydrogen could have biological effects similar to oxygen. This “lightbulb moment” inspired scientists to begin systematically studying hydrogen’s physiological and therapeutic potential using modern medical research methods.

From Folklore to Science

These two cases show that molecular hydrogen’s health effects had, by chance, entered a few people’s lives long before the scientific community recognized them. While earlier news reports and amateur studies hinted at its potential, the phenomenon remained anecdotal until the past decade—when Japanese scientists played a decisive role in uncovering the truth behind the “holy water” legend.

In particular, Professor Shigeo Ohta and his research team at Nippon Medical School made groundbreaking contributions. Through rigorous experiments, they revealed molecular hydrogen’s vast medical potential, culminating in a 2007 paper in a top international medical journal. This publication shocked the scientific world and triggered a global surge in hydrogen medicine research.

Today, molecular hydrogen’s medical applications are being studied worldwide. The journey from accidental discovery to scientific inevitability has ushered in a new era for hydrogen-based health and wellness.

Chapter 16 – Safety of Using Molecular Hydrogen for Health and Wellness

In recent years, as the health-promoting effects of molecular hydrogen have been increasingly discovered, a wide variety of hydrogen-related products have appeared on the market. Faced with this new development, consumers inevitably have questions:

Why should we increase molecular hydrogen in our bodies—don’t we already have it in daily life?
Will long-term use of molecular hydrogen products cause side effects, like some drugs or supplements?
What types of products are safe and reliable?

This chapter addresses these concerns.

1. We Cannot “Eat” Molecular Hydrogen in Daily Life—It Must Be Supplemented

Although molecular hydrogen offers many health benefits, unfortunately, it does not naturally exist in the air we breathe or the water we drink. This is because hydrogen is the lightest gas known, with a density only 1/14th that of air, and naturally rises to the upper layers of the atmosphere—far above human reach.

Therefore, hydrogen for health purposes must be artificially produced through technology. Years ago, Japan was the first to develop molecular hydrogen products, followed by China, South Korea, and others. Such products include:

Electrolysis-based hydrogen water bottles, dispensers, and kettles
Hydrogen-rich shower devices
Canned or pouch-packaged hydrogen water
Medical or consumer hydrogen inhalation machines
Chemical hydrogen-generating products

These products can deliver hydrogen into the body by dissolving it in liquids for drinking, by inhalation through gas-producing devices, or by consuming hydrogen-generating substances—thereby increasing hydrogen levels in the body for disease prevention and treatment.

2. Does Molecular Hydrogen Have Side Effects? Can It Be Used Long-Term in Large Amounts?

There’s a saying: “All medicines have some toxicity.” Most drugs have side effects, some quite severe, and even many supplements may cause harm with prolonged use. Will hydrogen behave the same way?

The answer is no. To date, no side effects have been found. The main scientific bases are:

Extensive safe use in diving medicine – For decades, hydrogen-oxygen mixtures have been used in saturation diving to counteract high-pressure hazards. The hydrogen concentrations used in diving far exceed those in health products—by tens to hundreds of times—yet no adverse effects have been reported.
The human body naturally produces hydrogen – Certain gut bacteria generate small amounts of hydrogen, which enter the bloodstream and play regulatory roles in health. On average, the human colon produces about 150 ml of hydrogen daily. Some long-lived Japanese families have hydrogen levels several times higher than average, suggesting a role in longevity. Hydrogen also promotes intestinal motility, and some cases of habitual constipation may be linked to low hydrogen production—improved after drinking hydrogen water.
Approved as a food additive – Regulatory bodies in China (since 2014), Japan, the EU, and the U.S. have approved hydrogen as a food additive, with the EU allowing unlimited quantities and the U.S. FDA declaring hydrogen dissolved in water safe for consumption.

These factors show that hydrogen can be safely used for health and wellness.

3. What Makes a Hydrogen Health Product Safe and Reliable?

Given the rapid growth of the hydrogen products market—both legitimate and counterfeit—quality varies greatly. From a scientific and medical standpoint, key criteria include:

It must produce true molecular hydrogen (H₂) – Only H₂, proven in modern medical research to have health benefits, qualifies. Other “hydrogen-related” substances (like hydrogen ions, atomic hydrogen, or negative hydrogen ions) are not the same.
It must produce sufficient hydrogen – For drinking water, concentrations should ideally reach 800 ppb or higher; for inhalation devices, a safe and effective concentration is around 3% hydrogen. Lower levels may have little effect, while excessively high levels carry explosion risks.
It must not produce harmful byproducts – For example:
- Some simple electrolysis cups can convert residual chlorine in tap water into toxic chlorine gas, or generate ozone.
- Some magnesium-based chemical hydrogen generators can leave harmful residues.

A high-quality hydrogen product should have high hydrogen output and concentration without producing toxic substances.

4. Common Hydrogen Products on the Market

Today’s market offers a wide range of products, including:

Portable hydrogen water bottles
Household hydrogen water machines
Packaged hydrogen-rich water
Hydrogen inhalers and therapy machines
Hydrogen bath and foot spa devices
Chemical hydrogen-generating capsules or tablets
Hydrogen beauty masks and eye patches

Laboratory testing of domestic and international products shows a wide disparity in quality—with excellent ones, poor ones, and outright counterfeits. Prices also vary greatly: for example, hydrogen water bottles may range from a few hundred to several thousand RMB online. Many consumers mistakenly assume that foreign products are better, paying far more for similar or even inferior quality.

The takeaway: Choose products that meet the above three safety and efficacy standards. Don’t be lured by low prices into buying poor-quality items, and don’t blindly pursue “luxury” products whose performance is no better than mid-priced options. A good product can improve your health, while a poor product may do nothing—or even cause harm.

Conclusion

The disease-preventive and therapeutic effects of molecular hydrogen have been widely confirmed by extensive medical research both in China and abroad, offering tangible benefits to human health in multiple ways. Compared with other existing wellness approaches, molecular hydrogen is non-toxic, harmless, easy to use, and uniquely effective.

It has already gained popularity in countries such as Japan and South Korea. We believe that, with the continued efforts of ourselves and numerous medical scientists worldwide, more and more people will come to understand and appreciate the remarkable biological activity of molecular hydrogen—enhancing physical fitness, preventing disease, promoting longevity, and ushering in a new era of health and wellness powered by molecular hydrogen.

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