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The newest development on TikTok is hyping up the advantages of hydrogen water whereas making an attempt to promote you a battery-powered water bottle that produces it. Does hydrogen water actually hydrate you higher and remedy your intestine points? Do these bottles even make hydrogen water?
What’s hydrogen water?
Leaving TikTok apart for the second, let’s discuss what it means on your water to have hydrogen in it. A water molecule is made of 1 oxygen atom certain to 2 hydrogen atoms, therefore its chemical components: H2O.
However that’s not the hydrogen they’re speaking about. Hydrogen may also be a fuel, the place two hydrogen molecules are certain to one another. The chemical components for that’s H2. Hydrogen fuel is light-weight; it’s additionally flammable, as famously demonstrated within the Hindenburg catastrophe.
Hydrogen water, additionally known as hydrogenated water, is water that has hydrogen fuel bubbled via it. The fuel will wish to float into the air, so it’s exhausting to really maintain the hydrogen within the water; leaving it uncapped will enable the fuel escape, very similar to carbon dioxide bubbles float away for those who depart a soda uncapped and it goes flat.
All that is to say: Hydrogen water is an actual factor that may be manufactured. Whether or not it’s being manufactured appropriately in these TikToks, and whether or not it’s answerable for any well being advantages, is more durable to say.
What TikTok says about hydrogen water
Scrolling via the movies tagged #hydrogenwater looks like watching the basic “promote me this pencil” improv train. Every creator exhibits a bottle that glows blue while you press a button, and every enthuses over it for a distinct purpose. One tells us how good the water tastes. One calls it “sacred water.” One says she expects it to remedy her gut-health points. One says it’s probably the most “hydrating” kind of water.
A number of of those clips characteristic all-star huckster Gary Brecka, who claims there are 1,400 human research on the advantages of hydrogen water. If there are, they’re rather well hidden! However extra on that in a minute.
These movies are all gentle on the backing for his or her claims, and heavy on the gross sales pitch: the place to get the bottle with the blue gentle, how a lot it prices, why this mannequin is healthier than that one, and so forth.
What the science says about hydrogen water
The few human research on the market are restricted in scope and never very conclusive of their outcomes. For instance, right here’s one on whether or not hydrogenated water improves how most cancers sufferers really feel after radiation. The sufferers who drank the hydrogenated water reported higher quality-of-life scores, however there have been no modifications in well being outcomes akin to tumor measurement. Right here’s one other exhibiting a small doable impact on blood lipids akin to LDL, nevertheless it’s a small research and the authors acknowledge a number of limitations.
These research are nice as a place to begin for additional analysis, however they don’t represent proof that hydrogen water is nice for you. Word that they don’t measure any well being outcomes (like incidence of illness, charges of loss of life, or something equally goal).
These research additionally say nothing about battery-powered water bottles influencing any of the well being outcomes they’re being touted for, like hydration or intestine well being. That truth is greater than sufficient to dismiss these claims out of hand, however earlier than I shut, I’d wish to take a more in-depth take a look at that bottle they’re all making an attempt to promote me.
Does the bottle even do what it’s saying?
Almost the entire trending movies are hawking what seems to be like the identical bottle. It seems to be the identical design as this one, which is at the moment accessible on Amazon for about $30, and going for wherever between $9 and $50 on TikTok’s “store” web page.
That is in distinction to the best way hydrogen water was produced within the research I linked above. In these, contributors got magnesium sticks to drop into their water bottles for about 12 hours. Water reacts with magnesium to provide hydrogen fuel and magnesium oxide; that is a reasonably easy chemical response. However the TikTok model makes use of a water bottle with a button on it. You press the button, a blue gentle activates, and tiny bubbles(?) seem within the water.
I’m extremely skeptical of the declare that this produces any important quantity of hydrogen fuel. Supposedly the underside part of the bottle accommodates an electrolysis gadget, which makes use of electrical energy to separate water molecules into their hydrogen and oxygen parts. The hydrogen atoms pair up with one another to make hydrogen fuel, and the oxygen molecules pair as much as make oxygen fuel.
Creating a tool to do it is a basic science experiment for youths. However is it actually occurring in that water bottle? First, if it had been, it wouldn’t be hydrogen water, however slightly hydrogen-and-oxygen water. Since hydrogen water is (typically) touted for its antioxidant properties, it might be unusual to pair it with oxygen, a literal oxidant. And second, turning the water into fuel would end in much less water, because the water is transformed into fuel and the fuel—until tightly capped—floats away.
Among the TikTokers try to measure the hydrogen content material of the water, however they achieve this with pH meters, which measure hydrogen ions (not molecular hydrogen within the type of a fuel). ORP gadgets face the same downside: They don’t truly inform you how a lot hydrogen is within the water, simply its redox potential. Including to my skepticism, the bottle’s description says you need to use it with distilled water. You may’t do electrolysis on distilled water, because you want some salt or different supply of ions to entice the water molecules to separate aside within the first place.
So whereas I can’t show that these bottles are bullshit, they certain don’t sound very legit. And whereas I additionally can’t show that hydrogen water has zero well being advantages, there certain isn’t anyone on the market presenting sturdy proof that they do. Save your cash and take a look at a TikTok development that may truly enhance your life, like offended cleansing.
The article provides a thorough examination of hydrogen water and its purported benefits. It raises important questions about the legitimacy of the claims made by TikTok influencers, which is crucial for consumers to consider before making any purchases.
The discussion around hydrogen water is quite thought-provoking. While it seems there are some studies, they don’t conclusively support the claims made online. It’s always wise to research thoroughly before jumping on health fads.
This article serves as a reminder that not everything trending online is backed by solid evidence. I appreciate how it encourages critical thinking about health products, especially those promoted by influencers without sufficient scientific backing.
It’s interesting to see how trends like hydrogen water can gain traction on platforms like TikTok. This article does a good job of separating hype from reality and encourages readers to seek out credible information before trying new products.
I appreciate the balanced approach taken in this article. It highlights the lack of substantial scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of hydrogen water while also addressing the marketing tactics used on social media platforms.