As the points keep piling up in the win column for molecular hydrogen, we wondered if this new scientific breakthrough would help athletes.
For those that want to read the last paragraph of the book first, here is a quick summary of what we discovered from ten independent and published scientific studies:
- prevents early fatigue and helps endurance
- increases energy by supporting mitochondrial ATP production
- reduces lactic acid formation in muscles
- supports rapid recovery
- reduces oxidative damage by blocking free radical production from over training
- protects against micro injuries
If you are thinking WOW, there is no way that can all be true, you are not alone. As we were putting together this article, we kept going back to the studies to make sure we weren’t getting carried away.
There are a number of different ways to ingest molecular hydrogen. Getting your H2 fix with a water product makes the most sense for athletes because you can accomplish the need for proper hydration and electrolyte replacement all in one.
Currently, there are a few ways to accomplish H2 intake and any of them can be used before or after training. During actual training sessions, it makes the most sense to take a bottle or more than one bottle depending upon the duration and intensity of your workout to the gym.
You can take H2 infused bottled water with you to the gym/practice/event. The H2 infused water can be created at home by a hydrogen water ionizer (coming soon to replace electric water ionizers and any other type of water filter) or by purchasing H2 infused water bottles or pouches. H2 infused water bottles have been selling for years in Japan which means the technology and packaging from this type of product is very reliable. To date, the same can’t be said for the new pouch product available in America as the test results for H2 concentration has been pretty dismal.
Unless you have an H2 water ionizer at home that can produce as much H2 infused water as you want, we found the best solution in terms of cost and effectiveness to supplying H2 infused water for workouts is to make your own H2 water with dissolvable magnesium based tablets. You can pop a magnesium tablet into your water bottle and twenty minutes later, you will have fresh H2 infused water that produces high and predictable concentrations of H2.
According to the scientific research, the H2 water will quickly start doing its thing once you drink it. The H2 molecule is the smallest molecule in existence and rapidly diffuses across cell membranes. That means it is able to rapidly get to places like the mitochondria in cells where the energy for your body is created and help eliminate toxic free radicals that can build up during periods of high exertion.
Dissolvable magnesium tablets provide another useful function as most people are deficient in magnesium. Athletes can quickly replenish this important electrolyte used upon when working out with the magnesium tablets.
More about the energy function of H2:
The source of energy in our bodies is ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).
Everything we eat and drink and even the oxygen we breathe forms part of the ATP energy producing factories that resides inside the mitochondria of every cell in your body.
Scientific studies show that H2 improves the production of ATP in the mitochondria of our cells.
Summary:
If you are an athlete who is serious about improving performance and recovering faster, finding a way to include molecular hydrogen into your workouts seems like like a great idea.
