Hydrogen Water & Exercise - does it make a difference?

When it comes to exercise and fitness, we all want the same thing. Regardless if you are 18 or 80 years old, a walker, a jogger, a recreational athlete or an elite competitor. We all want an easy, safe way to get more enjoyment, benefit and performance. What if there was a convenient and natural way to have more energy while also reducing fatigue, lactic acid buildup and oxidative stress? A way you could recover faster and elevate your performance ultimately providing more enjoyment?There is a highly credible body of science that shows molecular hydrogen – or H ₂ – offers all of those benefits. Over 2,000 peer reviewed papers show that H₂ benefits every organ of the body and has therapeutic potential in 200 disease models. A growing number of them show H₂ offers significant benefits for the exerciser or athlete.

Why is Exercise Hard?

Any activity above a resting state immediately increases our body’s needs for energy and oxygen. More oxygen means you take in more cell damaging oxygen (free) radicals, which cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress attacks or “stresses” your cells causing muscle damage, weakness, fatigue and inflammation. ^1-3

If the activity is more intense or prolonged than you are used to, you start to burn glycogen causing a lactic acid “burn”. That leads to fatigue and possible muscle soreness, decreasing endurance and reducing performance. You end up with poor results and less enjoyment.

How does Hydrogen Water Increase your Energy?

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is made in our mitochondria and is the “energy-currency” that powers our cells and all our biological activities. Free radicals – especially oxygen radicals – damage your mitochondria impairing ATP production.

Research shows that H ₂ neutralizes oxygen radical damage, which in turn improves mitochondrial function. That optimizes ATP production. This protective property allows the mitochondria to produce optimal levels of ATP. That means you have more energy.

When the body cannot produce the necessary levels of ATP, it turns to metabolizing stored glycogen in the liver. When you dig deep and go beyond your ATP production, research shows that H ₂ can help support increased glycogen.⁴

^{Can Hydrogen Water Reduce Muscle Fatigue ?}

A recent study found that consuming H ₂ water can positively impact athletic performance in elite highly trained athletes. Both muscle fatigue and lactate were decreased in the control group when they consumed H₂ rich water before exercise.⁶

A similar study found that H ₂ infused water had a beneficial effect on the maximal rate of perceived exertion and lactic acid build-up at critical running speed. It concluded that hydrogen-rich water decreases the physical stress during maximal exercise. ⁷

This quote from one of the research papers on the topic says it succinctly: "Adequate hydration with hydrogen-rich water pre-exercise reduced blood lactate levels and improved exercise-induced decline of muscle function." ~K. Aoki, et al Medical Gas Research, 2012.

Does Hydrogen Water Improve Recovery Time?

Proper recovery from an injury or exertion involves more than muscle repair; it takes chemical and hormonal rebalancing, nervous system repair, rejuvenating our mental state, and more. H ₂ has been shown to help maintain homeostasis of enzymes including glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase and others.⁴ H₂ has also demonstrated cell signaling capability critical to neurological function.^4,14 It’s also beneficial in treating soft tissue injuries.¹⁰

^{Does Hydrogen Water Improve your VO₂ Max?}

^{V̇O₂ max is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption attainable during physical exertion.}

^{A recent study 5 showed that drinking hydrogen-rich water increased VO₂ max, time to exhaustion and total work when compared to the placebo group who were given tap water. The study noted there were no side effects or contraindications.}

^{Does Hydrogen Water Improve Cellular Hydration?}

^{As H ₂ molecules neutralize oxygen radicals, it converts them to water (O- + H₂ > H₂O), leading researchers to deduce that H₂ improves cellular hydration. It takes something bad and makes it good. That potentially explains why no published study has found any negative effect of consuming hydrogen water. It's 100% safe and natural.}

^{The Final Verdict}

^{Research shows drinking H ₂ saturated water will help with our fitness activities and athletics. It gives you more energy by improving ATP production. It mitigates fatigue and muscle damage by increasing your glycogen. It can increase VO₂ Max and improve hydration, all while selectively neutralizing and reducing the damaging effects of oxidative stress. Research also shows it’s effective for a broad range of conditions related to general health including many chronic diseases. Go longer. Go stronger with H₂.}

The Best Way to Get Hydrogen Water

There are natural "healing water" springs, which have been shown to be alkaline, be negatively ionized (-redox) and contain dissolved molecular hydrogen. They are also contaminant free. Our H ₂ Series ionizers re-create each of these healthy properties in the water that comes straight from your tap!

First, our proprietary UltraWater™ Filtration Technology cleans the water. In independent EPA-certified lab testing against 249 contaminants, it reduced virtually all of them to 99.9%. Once the water is cleaned up, AlkaViva’s H ₂ Infusion technology creates the documented benefits of H₂. And it’s alkaline and ionized too

So if you are looking for an easy, safe and natural way to get more enjoyment and benefit out of your fitness pursuits, the magic bullet is here! It’s in the H ₂!