If You Want to Age Better, You Need to Drink Better
In the constant battle against aging and disease, our bodies are the unsung heroes, tirelessly fighting the detrimental effects of everyday life. The enemies in this ongoing struggle are oxidative stress and free radicals, both insidious byproducts of UV rays, environmental pollutants, toxins, and chemicals. And the superbomb in the arsenal of weapons you can use in the war between looking good and feeling evil is hydrogen water – because hydrogen is one of the most powerful antioxidants known to man.
So, Why Do I Care?
The simple answer is, I care because I’m a doctor. The longer answer takes me back more than 20 years to when I first arrived on the London scene in 2002.
To be honest, I hadn’t always harboured dreams of forging a career in aesthetic medicine. In the early days I was far more interested in the science of ageing, sports medicine and preventative medicine, which might also be why I chose not to pursue a hospital career – hospital medicine is largely the playground of pharmaceuticals.
Despite a very deep interest in science – that continues today – I never saw myself as a lab rat. So, I ended up in the cosmetics world because someone offered me a job in that direction and I immediately realised the potential to do things a lot better.
However, my interest in age prevention and anti-ageing science did not finish there. If anything, this has only increased, possibly due to my own ascending years and the fact that I have two young children.
And despite what some may tell you, age prevention is not a one trick pony, it comes from a multitude of angles such as nutrition, homeopathy, exercise, aesthetic medicine, and preventative medicine.
This is why I continue to extend my offerings into the realm of wellbeing, and this is why I care.
My Chinese Takeaway
As some of you may know, there’s a whole industry of increasingly bizarre wellness quackery out there – much of it instigated by self-styled gurus and canny celebrities who understand the power of their name.
In contrast, my approach to wellness comes from scientific and medical knowledge coupled with personal experience. I only lend my support to products and protocols that provide proven benefits and, for me, hydrogen water is one of the easiest ways you can protect and promote good health. I also found this out the hard way – by getting drunk.
In 2019, I visited China primarily to sell my Urban Protect skincare range. One of the seminars took place in a rather marvellous, if crazy, resort that came with one of the best private hospital setups I had ever seen.
During a guided tour of the place, I was taken to a recovery room where I noticed a hydrogen device in the corner. The machine came with an inhaler and as it was a very high-standard product I accepted the invitation to have a go.
Half an hour later my hosts took me to a bar where I drank beer in the kind of quantities last seen when I was a student. I then followed this up with 90-minutes of sleep, a mad dash to the airport, and noodles for breakfast, before boarding my flight home, waiting for the mother of all hangovers to kick in – and it never came.
For me, I was the living proof that hydrogen is an incredible substance. Little did I know at the time, it was also a very common hangover cure in Japan and the Far East.
Hydrogen Water for the Masses
Once my interest had been piqued in China, I began researching the benefits of hydrogen water. The more I learned, the more convinced I became that this was the way forward, if not for the world, then most certainly for my family.
In my opinion, hydrogen water it is one of the greatest and easiest age prevention and disease preventative measures available, and the only water we now drink at home is hydrogenated water.
Saying that, I couldn’t shake the thought that this was such an easy way to look after your health that it should be the norm not the privilege of a few. That’s when I looked into the manufacture of the Prager Hydro Infusion Bottle.
Of course, good things happening in China rarely stay secret for long, and when you painstakingly develop the perfect portable bottle – which is the Prager Hydro Infusion Bottle – it is inevitable that people will do the same, using inferior products for less money.
Surprise, surprise, the internet is now full of such hydrogen devices, which might appear to be a good development for your pocket, but for your health, not so much.
Out of curiosity, I did order a few copycat devices to try and work out how they could be so cost effective. Naturally, the quality of the product was telling, but more interesting to me was that they not only produced hydrogen, but also chlorine and other gases. In some cases, the taste of chlorine was almost overpowering, even using bottle water.
So, yes, they look similar to the real deal, but they are not.
While my core business is injectables, I have continued to offer hydrogen infusion bottles at cost price at the clinic because I actually think everyone should have the chance to buy a half decent device that is good for them.
How Hydrogen-Rich Water Works For You
To set the scene: free radicals and oxidative stress are the dark destroyers of human health and they also speed up aging.
- Free radicals are a type of unstable molecule made during normal cell metabolism. They can build up in cells and damage other molecules, such as DNA, lipids, and proteins, thereby increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases (National Cancer Institute).
- Oxidative stress is a phenomenon caused by an imbalance between production and accumulation of oxygen reactive species (ROS) in cells and tissues and the ability of a biological system to detoxify these reactive products (Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2017).
An overload of free radicals in the body generates oxidative stress, which plays a major part in the development of chronic and degenerative illness such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, aging, cataract, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The human body has several mechanisms to counteract oxidative stress by producing antioxidants, either naturally or through foods and/or supplements (Int J Biomed Sci, 2008).
Not all free radicals are bad for you – you actually need a certain amount to serve as signalling molecules, such as nitric oxide, which promotes healthy blood flow and blood pressure – however, too many free radicals can wreak havoc on your health; damaging stem cells, mitochondria, cell membranes, proteins and DNA. They can also hasten cellular aging.
That’s the bad news.
In good news, hydrogen is not only one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, it has also been shown to improve oxidation reduction, also known as redox, by activating the Nrf2 pathway that signals the body to make its own antioxidants, such as glutathione, which protects cells and helps keep oxidation in balance.
And because hydrogen is the smallest molecule in the universe, it can penetrate every tissue in the body, including your brain and your mitochondria. And the real magic? Molecular hydrogen tells the body to make additional antioxidants only when excess oxidative stress is present.
It’s Not a Miracle – It’s Science
Over the years, more than 1,200 peer-reviewed scientific publications have expounded on the virtues of hydrogen and the benefits it brings to every organ in the body by targeting excess oxidation and supporting inflammatory response.
Tasteless and odourless, hydrogen has no discernible effect on the water you drink, but when it hits the stomach, it quickly enters the bloodstream, circulating through the heart and lungs.
The result is that hydrogen-rich water has the power to help you heal more quickly, think more clearly and move with greater strength and agility, while keeping you looking younger for longer. Let’s take a closer look at what the scientists say.
- Parkinson’s Disease. A 2012 study showed that drinking hydrogen water protected against oxidative damage in the brain, thereby preventing the cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson’s disease. An earlier 2009 study similarly found that, “While there is no known way to prevent PD, the current studies strongly suggest that drinking H2 water could reduce the risk of lifestyle-related oxidative stress and related neurodegenerative diseases.”
- Rheumatoid arthritis. A 2016 study found that molecular hydrogen reduced oxidative damage and protected cells against inflammation. Another 2014 study showed improved symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in 24 patients by an average of 20 percent.
- Metabolic syndrome. This is a major precursor to a wide range of cardiovascular disorders, including obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. A 2010 study found that hydrogen water dramatically decreased markers of metabolic syndrome in 20 at-risk subjects during an eight-week test period.
- Cognitive function. A 2009 study found that “continuous consumption of hydrogen water reduces oxidative stress in the brain, and prevents the stress-induced decline in learning and memory.”
- Muscle degeneration. A 2016 study found hydrogen water increased production of the master antioxidant glutathione peroxidase, which can help prevent exercise-related muscle damage. Another study showed that athletes who drank hydrogen water before exercise had lower blood lactate levels, which can fuel aerobic metabolism.
And that’s it in a nutshell. This is my experience, this is my understanding, and this is the scientific evidence to back it up – hydrogen-rich water is one of the easiest lifestyle choices you will ever make in terms of your health and longevity.
Isn’t It Time You Switched to Hydrogen-Rich?