Molecular Hydrogen: Your Heart's New Best Friend for a Thriving Cardiovascular System!

The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Dyshomeostasis of inflammation arise from, and result in, cellular aberrations and pathological conditions, which lead to cardiovascular diseases from poor lifestyle choices. Despite years of intensive research on the topic, there is still no safe and effective method for their prevention and treatment.

Causes of Cardiovascular Injury

In addition, findings on cardiovascular injury due to radiation is the most common cause of damage among cancer survivors. Other key factors responsible for cardiovascular injury and heart disease include oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic modifications. Similar to the heart, the lungs are also very susceptible to radiation injury, which can result in radiation pneumonitis.

The Promising Role of Molecular Hydrogen

But as more research is being released we are finding that molecular hydrogen has so many benefits for protecting the heart. “On average, someone dies of CVD every 38 seconds. About 2,303 deaths from CVD each day, based on 2016 data.”

According to statistics, cardiovascular and oncological diseases are the leading cause of more than 93% of morbidity and mortality worldwide. One of the most widely used methods for treating patients with cancer (oncological) diseases is radiotherapy, which uses ionizing radiation. This treatment damages cancer cells leading to their apoptosis and eventual healing of patients.

However, during irradiation of cancer cells, the surrounding healthy tissue may also be inadvertently affected, which, in turn, may cause serious health complications, including radiation-induced heart disease. Learn how molecular hydrogen can improve quality of life for patients on Radiotherapy.

Research Support for Hydrogen’s Benefits

Recently, molecular hydrogen has been investigated in preclinical and clinical studies on various diseases associated with oxidative and inflammatory stress such as radiation-induced heart disease, ischemia-reperfusion injury, myocardial and brain infarction, storage of the heart, heart transplantation, etc. Findings have shown that Molecular Hydrogen not only has a positive effect on healing the body but also in heart disease prevention.

How Molecular Hydrogen Can Protect Your Heart

Molecular Hydrogen Removes Oxidation Causing Free Radicals
Molecular hydrogen (H₂) represents an effective and non-toxic molecule with wide potential for treating many Reactive Oxygen/Nitrogen Species (ROS/RNS)-related diseases, including diseases induced by irradiation. Furthermore, the protective effects of H₂ have been investigated in pathological conditions such as cardiac fibrosis, hepatic injuries, neuronal diseases, radiation-induced diseases, diabetes, etc. in which free radicals are casually involved.

Ischemia and subsequent reperfusion of the heart represent another state in which an enormous number of tissue-damaging free radicals are produced. Studies support that H₂ can help to mitigate/alleviate the negative impact of toxic ROS/RNS (Free radicals). In fact, molecular hydrogen is a selective antioxidant that seeks out the most dangerous Hydroxyl Free Radicals.

Hydrogen is Small Enough to Penetrate through Cells
Molecular hydrogen has favorable physicochemical properties as a therapeutic antioxidant. It is electrically neutral which makes it stable. It is the smallest molecule in the universe which means it can penetrate deep into the mitochondria which are the batteries of your cells. As such, it can easily penetrate cell membranes and diffuse into organs.

Hydrogen also does not affect physiology, temperature, blood pressure, pH, or pO₂, and is not toxic at concentrations even far above the clinically effective dosages. Which means that you cannot overdose on taking molecular hydrogen.

Besides the antioxidant action and hydrogen’s ability to penetrate deep into cells, Hydrogen also exerts its beneficial effects through the reduction of inflammation and modulation of signaling pathways, thus providing cytoprotection. Meaning that it helps the body heal faster.

Conclusion: Hydrogen’s Cardiovascular Benefits

As we can see having too many free radicals in the body has been found as a source of many cardiovascular disorders like ischemia/reperfusion injury, including those related to grafts-storage during heart transplantation, as well as radiation induced heart disease.

To prevent, or at least mitigate, the development of oxidative stress, molecular hydrogen has been shown to be effective in the removal of excessive ROS levels. Studies have shown that H₂ can treat many diseases associated with oxidative stress, including cardiovascular disorders. However, further research is still needed to determine the optimal method of administration, optimal dose and frequency, and the actual clinical impact of using H₂.

Methods of Hydrogen Administration

Best of all, there are a variety of ways to get molecular hydrogen into one’s system. Molecular hydrogen can be taken through inhalation, drinking H₂ Rich water, through IV H₂ rich saline solution, externally with an H₂ Mister, or taking an H₂ bath.

So why not give it a try and protect your heart by start adding molecular hydrogen into your health & wellness plan and see how it can help you not only hydrate better but also take your health to the next level.

References

Ichihara M, Sobue S, Ito M, Ito M, Hirayama M, Ohno K. Beneficial biological effects and the underlying mechanisms of molecular hydrogen—comprehensive review of 321 original articles. Med Gas Res. 2015;5:12. doi: 10.1186/s13618-015-0035-1

Ohta S: Recent progress toward hydrogen medicine: potential of molecular hydrogen for preventive and therapeutic applications. Curr Pharm Des 2011; 17: 2241-2252.

https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1577
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22146674
https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/489737
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5731988/