Looking for research with another disease model?
Jump on over to PubMed or Google Scholar and search "Electrolyzed Reduced Water + (insert disease model name)"
PubMed | Molecular hydrogen: a preventive and therapeutic medical gas for various diseases
PubMed | Promising novel therapy with hydrogen gas for emergency and critical care medicine
PubMed | The Clinical Application of Hydrogen as a Medical Treatment
PubMed | Molecular hydrogen: An inert gas turns clinically effective
PubMed | A review of hydrogen as a new medical therapy
PubMed | Recent advances in hydrogen research as a therapeutic medical gas
PubMed | Hydrogen: another gas with therapeutic potential
PubMed | Therapeutic antioxidant medical gas
PubMed | Review and prospect of the biomedical effects of hydrogen
BMC | A hypothesis on chemical mechanism of the effect of hydrogen
PubMed | Convenient methods for ingestion of molecular hydrogen: drinking, injection, and inhalation
PubMed | Hydrogen as a selective antioxidant: a review of clinical and experimental studies
ResearchGate | Hydrogen-an endogenous antioxidant in the body
PubMed | Therapeutic antioxidant medical gas
PubMed | Molecular hydrogen: a therapeutic antioxidant and beyond
SpringerLink | Therapeutic Effects of Hydrogen on Different Diseases
PubMed | Does H2 Alter Mitochondrial Bioenergetics via GHS-R1α Activation?
PubMed | Hydrogen as a selective antioxidant: a review of clinical and experimental studies
ResearchGate | Hydrogen-an endogenous antioxidant in the body
PubMed | Therapeutic antioxidant medical gas
PubMed | Molecular hydrogen: a therapeutic antioxidant and beyond
SpringerLink | Therapeutic Effects of Hydrogen on Different Diseases
PubMed | Does H2 Alter Mitochondrial Bioenergetics via GHS-R1α Activation?
Get free access to our water hub-a library of videos, resources, and guides you can browse at your own pace to learn about all the ways molecular hydrogen water can make a difference in your life.
Discover the Japanese company behind the medical-grade appliances we recommend, and explore their line of water ionizers designed to produce fresh molecular hydrogen water.
Ever wonder how ordinary tap water transforms into antioxidant-rich molecular hydrogen water? Here's the step-by-step science behind the process.
Your Questions Answered: Everything About Molecular Hydrogen Water
While there are no known side effects to drinking molecular hydrogen water, it’s a very effective antioxidant that supports detoxification and flushing of your system. Depending on your current health, some people may notice mild detox symptoms as the molecular hydrogen does its work. For this reason, we recommend starting with 8.5 pH Molecular Hydrogen Water for a week or two before increasing to 9.0 or 9.5.
No. Because molecular hydrogen can diffuse rapidly across cell membranes, it’s not recommended to take medication with it, as it may alter the rate of absorption. Medications should be taken with 7.0 pH clean water instead.
For children and seniors, setting a low pH to start and gradually increasing it is also recommended as the body adjusts to the pH level.
In the case of infants (until about a year old), since breast milk or milk is the only thing they consume, the intestinal movement is generally different from adults, and the use of Molecular Hydrogen Water is not encouraged until the infant begins to consume more sophisticated foods. As with medications (see above FAQ), Molecular Hydrogen Water should not be used to make powdered milk for infants.
Molecular hydrogen (H₂) is a tiny gas molecule that gives this water its antioxidant properties. Once it’s dissolved, it starts dissipating almost immediately — slipping out through microscopic pores in most container materials. It doesn’t take visible leaks. It will also react with oxygen in the water or the air at the top of the bottle.
By the time bottled water reaches store shelves — usually weeks or months after it’s packaged — the H₂ (and therefore the antioxidant benefits) would be long gone. That’s why Molecular Hydrogen Water is best made fresh, ideally right before/same day you drink it.
An ionizer uses electrolysis — an electrical process — to split water into two streams: one rich in molecular hydrogen (H₂) and more alkaline, and another more acidic. The alkaline, hydrogen-rich water offers antioxidant properties thanks to dissolved H₂. Click here for a more detailed dive into the science of electrolysis.
Most bottled “alkaline waters” are made chemically, by adding ingredients like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to raise the pH. This changes the chemistry of the water, but it doesn’t create molecular hydrogen or improve the water’s oxidation-reduction potential (ORP).
Because it’s chemically altered, drinking large amounts of baking soda–based alkaline water over time can lead to excessive intake of those additives, which may have negative side effects. You can usually spot this by checking the ingredient list — if you see “sodium bicarbonate” or other additives, that’s how it was made.
Molecular Hydrogen Water or Electrolyzed Reduced Water (ERW) from an ionizer is different: it’s produced fresh, without additives, and contains dissolved molecular hydrogen — the key element behind its antioxidant health benefits.
I personally use, recommend, and sell Enagic’s line of water ionizers. After doing my research, I found Enagic to be unmatched in both quality and credibility:
- Medical-grade appliance and recognized as a pre-approved medical device by Medicard in Canada.
- A Japanese company with over 50 years in business, holding multiple ISO certifications.
- Built with OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts only for quality and longevity.
I use Enagic’s K8 model, which offers advanced filtration, eight platinum-dipped titanium plates, and multiple water settings — including hydrogen-rich drinking water, cleaning water, and emulsifying produce wash water.
Click to learn more about Enagic, their certifications, and the K8 ionizer here.