The Inflammatory Pathway to Brain Damage | Lifespan.io

Published: May 26, 2025


🧠 What Is Hydrogen Water?

Hydrogen water is simply regular water infused with molecular hydrogen gas (H₂). It’s been gaining attention for its potential health benefits, especially in combating oxidative stress, which is linked to aging and various diseases.


🧪 The Study: Hydrogen Water and Brain Protection

A study published in Scientific Reports explored how drinking hydrogen water affects brain health in mice, particularly concerning Parkinson’s disease (PD). (Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation)

Parkinson’s disease is a condition where certain brain cells deteriorate over time, leading to movement and coordination problems.


🔍 Key Findings

  1. Ghrelin Production Boosted: Mice that drank hydrogen water showed increased levels of ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach known for stimulating appetite. Interestingly, ghrelin also has protective effects on brain cells.
  2. Brain Cell Protection: The elevated ghrelin levels correlated with a protective effect on the brain cells typically affected by Parkinson’s disease. This suggests that hydrogen water might help shield these cells from damage.
  3. Role of β₁-Adrenergic Receptors: The study found that blocking β₁-adrenergic receptors, which are involved in the body’s response to adrenaline, prevented the increase in ghrelin and the subsequent brain protection. This indicates that these receptors play a crucial role in the beneficial effects observed.

🧬 Why This Matters

This research suggests that hydrogen water doesn’t need to reach the brain directly to have a positive effect. Instead, it stimulates the stomach to produce ghrelin, which then travels to the brain and offers protection. This pathway could open new avenues for preventing or slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.


⚠️ Important Considerations

  • Human Studies Needed: While these findings are promising, they are based on animal studies. More research is necessary to determine if the same effects occur in humans.
  • Not a Cure: Hydrogen water is not a cure for Parkinson’s disease but could be a part of a broader strategy for prevention or slowing disease progression.

🌟 Takeaway

Drinking hydrogen-infused water may stimulate the production of ghrelin, a hormone that not only regulates appetite but also offers protective benefits to brain cells vulnerable in Parkinson’s disease. This discovery highlights a potential, non-invasive method to support brain health, warranting further investigation in human studies.


For more detailed information, you can read the full study here: Oral ‘hydrogen water’ induces neuroprotective ghrelin secretion in mice.


Have you heard of hydrogen water? It’s becoming popular in the health world — and for good reason. A 2007 scientific study from Japan discovered that molecular hydrogen (H₂) might actually protect your body from harmful molecules that cause aging, inflammation, and disease.

In this blog post, we’ll break down what the study found and why drinking hydrogen water could be a game-changer for your health.


What Are Free Radicals and Why Do They Matter?

Your body creates energy by using oxygen. But sometimes, that process creates something called reactive oxygen species (ROS) — also known as free radicals. While some ROS are helpful, others are toxic and can damage your cells, proteins, and DNA. This type of damage is known as oxidative stress, and it’s linked to health problems like:

  • Aging
  • Inflammation
  • Heart disease
  • Cancer
  • Alzheimer’s disease

What Did the Study Find?

Scientists from Japan’s Nippon Medical School found that hydrogen gas acts as a powerful antioxidant. But here’s the cool part — it only targets the bad free radicals, leaving the good ones alone (most antioxidants don’t do that).

When hydrogen gas (H₂) was introduced into cells and animals in the lab, it helped reduce the harmful effects of oxidative stress — without interfering with important cellular functions.


What Is Hydrogen Water?

Hydrogen water is regular water that has been infused with extra molecular hydrogen (H₂). It’s not the same as the hydrogen already found in H₂O — it’s an added gas that acts as a selective antioxidant.

You can drink hydrogen water from a bottle, or use a water ionizer or hydrogen generator at home to make it fresh on demand.


Why Is Hydrogen Water So Promising?

Based on this research and follow-up studies, hydrogen water may:

  • ✅ Reduce oxidative stress
  • ✅ Lower inflammation in the body
  • ✅ Support brain and heart health
  • ✅ Help protect your cells from damage
  • ✅ Aid in recovery after exercise
  • ✅ Possibly support anti-aging efforts

And because it’s just hydrogen in water — it’s generally considered safe, natural, and easy to use.


How Do You Start Using Hydrogen Water?

If you’re interested in trying it:

  • Look for certified hydrogen water bottles or ionizers that can generate high concentrations of hydrogen (ideally up to 1.6 ppm or more).
  • Drink it fresh, since hydrogen gas can escape over time. Or get a good stainless steel bottle for hydrogen to stay fresh for longer.
  • Some users drink 1–2 liters per day, but always check with a healthcare provider if you have medical concerns.

Final Thoughts

The 2007 study opened up a whole new way of thinking about antioxidants and disease prevention. While more research is needed, hydrogen water is showing strong potential to help reduce damage in the body caused by toxic free radicals.

If you’re looking for a simple, non-toxic way to support your wellness routine, adding hydrogen-rich water to your daily habits might be a smart move.


 

Find out more on how hydrogen water works with your cells to build your immune system

See more research studies on other disease models

In a world flooded with convenience, bottled water has become a daily habit for millions. But a recent YouTube Short, Stop Drinking Bottled Water, Please…” delivers a sharp and necessary wake-up call: it’s time to rethink what we drink—and how we drink it.

While the video may be under a minute, the message it carries couldn’t be more critical. Drinking from plastic bottles might seem harmless, even healthy—but it comes with hidden costs to your health, your wallet, and the planet. Let’s break this down—and look at a far better alternative: having a water ionizer at home.


🌍 The Environmental Toll of Bottled Water

Let’s start with the most obvious issue: plastic waste.

  • One million plastic bottles are sold every minute globally. The vast majority of them—about 91%—are not recycled. They either end up in landfills or worse, in the oceans, where they break down into toxic microplastics and threaten marine life.

  • The production of these bottles is just as damaging. It takes three times more water to produce a plastic bottle than the bottle actually contains. Add to that the fossil fuels used in manufacturing and transportation, and the carbon footprint of bottled water becomes staggering.

If you’re reaching for a bottle of water every day, you’re inadvertently contributing to a serious pollution crisis.


🧪 The Health Risks You Didn’t Know About

Many people believe bottled water is “cleaner” than tap—but that’s not always the case.

  • Microplastics have been found in over 90% of bottled water tested globally. These tiny plastic particles, which leach from the packaging, may carry hormone-disrupting chemicals and pose unknown long-term health risks.

  • Chemical leaching from BPA and other toxins in the plastic may contaminate the water—especially when bottles are exposed to heat or stored for long periods.

Ironically, the bottled water industry is not as tightly regulated as municipal tap water in many countries. You could be drinking water of lower quality than what’s available from your kitchen sink.


💸 Bottled Water is a Financial Drain

Here’s another overlooked downside: cost.

The markup on bottled water is astronomical. In fact, bottled water can cost up to 2,000 times more than tap water. A family that spends just $2 a day on bottled water will end up spending over $700 a year—on something that essentially comes free from the tap.


💧 A Smarter Solution: Water Ionizers at Home

So, what’s the alternative? One of the most effective and sustainable options is installing a water ionizer in your home.

What Is a Water Ionizer?

A water ionizer is a device that filters your tap water and uses electrolysis to separate it into alkaline and acidic streams. The alkaline water is suitable for drinking, while the acidic water can be used for cleaning.

Why Choose a Water Ionizer?

  • Unlimited, clean water on demandNo need to stock up on bottles or worry about running out.

  • Healthier hydration – Water from a home ionizer is said to improve energy levels and provide antioxidant benefits due to dissolved hydrogen.

  • Environmental impactReduces your carbon footprint by eliminating the need for single-use plastics.

  • Cost-effective in the long runAfter the initial investment, you can enjoy purified, antioxidant-rich water for just pennies per litre.

Some advanced models even generate hydrogen-rich water, which has been researched for its potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.


🏡 A Lifestyle Shift That Matters

Switching from bottled water to a high-quality water ionizer isn’t just a healthy upgrade—it’s a lifestyle shift toward sustainability and self-reliance. You’re not only reducing waste but also protecting your health and saving money in the long term.

The message from Stop Drinking Bottled Water, Please…” is clear: our daily habits matter. And something as simple as how you hydrate could be harming the planet and your body more than you realize.

So, the next time you think about grabbing a plastic bottle, consider this: what if you could have unlimited, clean, and revitalizing water—without the waste, without the risk, and without the cost?


Ready to make the switch? Explore the benefits of water ionizers and join the movement toward healthier hydration and a cleaner world.

 

💧 Could Drinking Hydrogen-Rich Water Actually Boost Your Metabolism and Energy?

If you’re into health trends, you’ve probably seen ads for hydrogen water. It looks like normal water but has extra molecular hydrogen (H₂) dissolved in it. Sounds fancy, right?

But here’s the cool part: a study published in npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease found that drinking this kind of water could help your body burn fat, improve energy levels, support liver health, and even slow down aging—at least in mice. And now, people are starting to wonder if it could work for humans too.


🧪 What Even Is Hydrogen Water?

Hydrogen water is just water with extra hydrogen gas added in. This gas is super tiny, which lets it get into your cells and possibly protect them from oxidative stress—basically, the kind of damage that makes you age faster or feel sluggish.

Unlike caffeine or supplements, hydrogen-rich water is natural and has zero calories. People drink it hoping for more energy, better skin, and fat-burning benefits.


🔥 What Did the Study Actually Say?

Here’s what scientists found when they gave hydrogen water to obese and diabetic mice:

  • 🧬 It activated PGC-1α, a protein that helps control how your body uses energy and burns fat
  • 💥 It boosted FGF21, a hormone that improves fat and sugar metabolism
  • 🧼 It turned on PPARα, which helps your liver break down fat more efficiently
  • ❤️ Mice on a high-fat diet who drank hydrogen water had better blood health and lived longer

Basically, hydrogen water helped turn on the body’s natural “clean-up and burn fat” systems.


⚙️ How It Works (No Biology Degree Needed)

Imagine your body has a bunch of switches that control how much fat you burn, how tired you feel, and how clean your liver stays. What this study showed is that hydrogen water flips on those switches.

It tells your cells to:

  • Burn more fat
  • Use energy better
  • Detox your liver
  • Support better blood sugar levels

That’s why some people call it a natural metabolism booster.


🧠 Why Should You Care?

Even though this study was done on mice, it shows big potential for:

  • Weight management without stimulants
  • Increased natural energy (no crashes)
  • Anti-aging effects through reduced oxidative stress
  • Liver support, especially if your diet isn’t perfect
  • Stable blood sugar and cholesterol levels

Whether you’re into fitness, skincare, or just want to feel more awake during school or work, hydrogen water might be worth a try.


🧂But Hold On: Is It Proven for Humans Yet?

Not fully—more studies on humans are still in progress. But many people already drink hydrogen-infused water because it’s safe, easy to try, and might have serious health perks. Plus, there’s no risk of side effects like you’d get from fat burners or energy drinks.


✨ The Bottom Line

Hydrogen water isn’t hype—it’s science-backed and full of potential. It might not turn you into a superhero overnight, but it could help your body perform better, burn fat more efficiently, and stay healthy from the inside out.

Whether you’re into wellness trends or just want something better than soda, this could be the health upgrade you didn’t know you needed.

 

Check out this study on protective effect against bone damage
Deepen your learning on how hydrogen works in your body