Molecular Hydrogen (H2) Enriched Water

Different Ways to Benefit from Molecular Hydrogen (H2) Enriched Water

The benefits of molecular hydrogen-infused water are clear, and are covered in a previous article.

Water ionizers are the most proven and convenient way to create molecular hydrogen – or H₂.  Ionizers have a 30+ year track record in this regard. Also an ionizer, as a flow through device,  produces H₂ on-demand; you turn it on and you can instantly enjoy H₂ at the level you like.  Ionizers also offer other benefits such as alkaline water or acidic water with selectable pH that enable you to use the water in a myriad of other “functional” ways. Ionizers however, are not affordable for everyone or practical in all situations.

As the word gets out about H₂ and the market grows, more options are becoming available to consumers. Some of these include:

►Magnesium Sticks (including bottles with magnesium sticks)
►Non-electric Ionizers / Filters
►Hydrogen Tablets and Powders
►Magnesium Sticks: Mg + Water = H2

The idea that you could generate H₂ from metallic magnesium reacting with water was first introduced in the late 1990’s. Magnesium sticks have been marketed since the early 2000s. You purchase the stick, drop it into a bottle filled with water and cap it. H₂ is produced when water comes into contact with a reactive form of magnesium metal in the stick. The chemical reaction is

Mg + 2 H₂O —> Mg (OH)₂ + H₂

After waiting awhile, and if you’ve done everything correctly, you will have H₂ water. One issue with the sticks is they do not filter the water. Many manufacturers recommend they be used with bottled water only. At a minimum, you should be using properly filtered water.

Also, while they will produce varying levels of H₂ saturation when new, hydrogen sticks are not as convenient as a water ionizer. You have to wait for the chemical reaction to take place in a limited amount of water. Worse, there is no consistency in how long it takes to create the H₂.  Plus there is no data on how long a magnesium stick is capable of producing significant amounts of H₂. The bottom line is that they work – with some important caveats.

Non-electric Ionizers / Filters
There are healing natural springs around the world. Among them, are places like Nordenau (Germany), Tlacote (Mexico) and Hita Tenryosui, Japan. Research has documented that these waters contain dissolved molecular hydrogen^1-3 along with alkaline minerals. These springs get their healing characteristics through contact with natural alkaline earth metals and minerals. If quality filters are used in non-electric ionizers, then contaminants will be removed while helpful minerals are allowed to pass through.  This creates a clean, healthy water that is designed to imitate nature’s healing springs.

Unfortunately, today’s tap water is nothing like the water from natural springs. It often contains a host of chemicals, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and other toxic substances, and it is an oxidizing agent.  Most countertop units that produce H₂  do not address the tap water contamination issue. Their filters remove or reduce chlorine and some other contaminants (but not all).

One countertop filter stands out in regard to its filtration capability. The elita CT700 from AlkaViva not only generates H₂, but also creates very clean, alkaline, ionized water.  The elita incorporates proprietary USA-made UltraWater filtration technology. Independent, USA EPA, certified laboratory testing confirms that up to 99.9% of virtually all tap water contaminants (a total of 172 were tested) are removed with the UltraWater filtration technology.

What is significant about any non-electric countertop ionizers is that they will give filtered, alkaline pH and ionized water on-demand. Equally significant is that they will NOT necessarily produce significant levels of H₂ on-demand. This is because the amount of H₂produced depends on how long the water stays in the filter between uses.

Magnesium requires a certain amount of contact time with water before it can transform into H₂. Once you have poured a continuous stream of water or completed a few start and stops, filling a glass, the H₂ production falls off significantly. The level of H₂ will ALWAYS be highest when the unit has been sitting for a period of time so that the water and magnesium can react  – the longer the better  – just like a stick.

Hydrogen Tablets and Powders
Another way of producing H₂-infused water is from metallic magnesium in the form of tablets or powders. There are a number of these products on the market today. Some are formulated to dissolve in water, producing the H₂ reaction in a container before you consume it. Others are formulated to be ingested with the H2 being produced in the stomach. Since these products consist mainly of a special form of magnesium – a mineral that most of us are lacking in the diet – it’s normally both safe and beneficial to ingest.

The preferred method is to use a tablet that dissolves in water. Why? H₂ saturation levels can easily be tested and documented. Using H₂ reagent drops, you can measure the amount of H₂ produced. ⁴ Testing is impossible when tablets or powders are ingested.  Also, the beneficial research results that have been achieved from ingesting H₂ have mainly come from studies where subjects consumed dissolved H₂ in water.

Tablets create H₂ infused water in approximately 20 minutes. Drop the tablet into an airtight bottle of water, and you’ll see the hydrogen gas bubbles immediately form, infusing it with the powerful health properties of H₂. In fact, such tablets currently produce the most potent concentration of H₂. Everyone is different when it comes to taste, and some people report that various versions of the tablets have an unpleasant taste. You can add lemon juice or other flavoring without affecting the H₂ concentration.

While it is true that tablets that dissolve in water can produce very high levels of H₂ saturation it is equally true that inconsistent performance is a real problem. Hydrogen is the smallest element occupying the first position on the periodic table. Molecular hydrogen is similarly the smallest molecule – and it’s a gas. It wants to escape and will if not prepared in the right type of container.  If the container is not completely airtight, filled all the way to the top, capped tightly and then allowed to sit for the correct amount of time, you will have wildly inconsistent results. If the preparation is botched it is entirely possible to have no H₂ in the water.

AlkaViva’s H₂Viva is a H₂ tablet product that you dissolve in water and that has been verified to produce a consistent saturation level up to twice the amount or more than that of a new hydrogen stick and will do so in half the time. They’re stronger, faster, more consistent and convenient – working any place you have drinking water and a container.

Tablets are an effective way to get good hydrogen saturation – IF you have done everything correctly. There is no doubt they are an excellent way to get the benefits of H₂ when you are traveling. Overall they are easy to use, very affordable, portable, and – if used properly – consistently produce a high saturation of H₂.

Neutral Water H₂ Generators
There is a newer technology appearing on the market that is a significant departure from both the electric ionizers that produce dissolved H₂ and the magnesium-based non-electric methods. These H₂ generators are designed to create saturation levels of H₂ in neutral pH water. Until they are tested extensively in the market over time, they remain unproven. We’ve been asked many questions about this emerging technology. We will overview the technology and cover these questions in an upcoming article comparing them to water ionizers – so stay tuned!

Summary
The explosion in published research, covering every organ and over 150 disease models, continues to demonstrate positive impacts on health and wellbeing with no contraindications. With all these choices of ways to take advantage of the benefits of consuming molecular hydrogen, there is no reason not to! It seems clear to us, at least for now, that electric ionizers are the most proven, easiest and most consistent way to get your daily H₂.

Join the H₂ revolution and optimize your health and well-being! Experience more energy and mental clarity plus improve your athletic performance by giving your body the ability to naturally thrive. You have the best products to choose from at AlkaViva – we’ll help you find the right one for your budget and lifestyle!

1.) ZHANG, J. Y., LIU, C., ZHOU, L., QU, K., WANG, R. T., TAI, M. H., LEI, J. C. W. L., WU, Q. F. & WANG, Z. X. (2012). A Review of Hydrogen as a New Medical Therapy. Hepato-Gastroenterology 59, 1026-1032.

2.) SHIRAHATA, S. A. N. E. T. A. K. A. (2002). Reduced water for prevention of diseases. Animal Cell Technology: Basic and Applied Aspects 12, 25-30.

3.) SHIRAHATA, S., HAMASAKI, T. & TERUYA, K. (2012). Advanced research on the health benefit of reduced water. Trends in Food Science & Technology 23, 124-131.

4.) TOMOKI SEO, RYOSUKE KUROKAWA AND BUNPEI SATO (2012) A convenient method for determining the concentration of hydrogen in water: use of methylene blue with colloidal platinum. Medical Gas Research 2012, 2:1