The Huffington Post is a credible news organization. The company was purchased by AOL in 2011 for US$315 million and they earned their first Pulitzer Prize in 2012.
On August 30, 2016 the Huffington Post produced an article on the subject of the health benefits of Molecular Hydrogen. You can read the article here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asiatoday/hydrogen-water-could-help_b_11770700.html
Is the story, or at least the reporting of the story by a credible news outlet a big deal? The answer to that question depends upon one’s point of view. For people living in Japan, Korea, or China, the news is simply an announcement of the formalization of industry organization founded to create standardization in a robust new industry. For the citizens of America or Europe who care about scientific advancement in the field of health, the announcement represents the introduction and legitimacy of a significant new advancement for the health care industry.
How significant? Perhaps the best way to put the announcement in perspective is to compare it to the article about alkaline water that the Huffington Post reported on July 20, 2105. In that article written by John Berardi, PhD, with the title “Alkaline Water: Beneficial or Bogus?”, the author pointed out many of the claims made by the alkaline water industry. The author summarized the article with the following:
The Bottom Line It’s possible that alkaline water could offer some benefits, to some people, in certain cirumstances.
But until we learn more, I suggest that you save your money: stick to tap water….
Berardi’s summary was anything but an endorsement for the alkaline water industry despite constant lobbying by the industry to influence the scientific and medical communities as well as the press.
Let’s compare the Huffington Post report on alkaline water to this week’s article written in Asia Today by Park Sung-eon where he writes:
The results of the clinical trial showed that hydrogen water reduces oxygen free radicals that contribute to aging, and is effective in the treatment of diseases such as atopic dermatitis and dementia.
The article referred to Dr. Lee, President of the Korean Water Society and Professor at Yonsei University, who stated:
A study was performed to compare the effects of drinking tap water, spring water and hydrogen water. The consumption of tap water after three hours increased oxygen free radicals unstably, while the consumption of hydrogen water reduced oxygen free radicals in only five minutes”.
The article states that currently nearly 400 studies on the effects of hydrogen water have been published by universities and research the water have been performed by universities and research institutes
The article refers to the fact that annual sales of hydrogen bottled water alone in Japan are currently at $300 million per year and that Japanese conglomerates are entering the industry and celebrities are drinking the water.
Why is the relatively new hydrogen industry receiving attention from the press when the alkaline story has been swimming upstream for 30 years? The answer is simple. The hydrogen story is backed by science while the alkaline story was based upon myth.
