The Easiest Ways to Make Your Own Hydrogen Water

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Plus, learn about the potential benefits of hydrogen water
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Hydrogen water, or water that’s had hydrogen gas dissolved in it, is quickly gaining popularity as the latest health drink. The effects are still being studied, but early evidence suggests hydrogen water could be an effective anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. We’re breaking down what researchers know so far about hydrogen water, plus sharing tips on how you can make hydrogen water at home.

4 Methods for Making Hydrogen Water

  1. Purchase a hydrogen water bottle that will infuse your water with hydrogen bubbles.
  2. Drop a hydrogen tablet into a bottle of water and seal it tightly.
  3. Place a magnesium rod into a sealed bottle of water for several minutes.
  4. Infuse water using a sealed test tube containing malic acid and a magnesium rod.
Section 1 of 5:

4 Easy Ways to Make Hydrogen Water at Home

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  1. Open the lid of your hydrogen water bottle and pour bottled or filtered water up to the fill line. Screw on the lid and turn on the water bottle, allowing it to run based on the manufacturer’s instructions. When it’s finished, unscrew the top and drink the water. [1]
    • You’ll be able to see hydrogen bubbles entering the water as the machine works.
    • Hydrogen water bottles charge the water using two electrodes in a process known as electrolysis. One electrode creates oxygen—the byproducts of this are vented out of the machine. The other creates hydrogen, which is released into the water.
    • You can also buy hydrogen water pitchers or countertop hydrogen water generators—these are larger, more expensive machines that can produce more hydrogen water at a time, but they use the same basic electrolysis process.
  2. To use molecular hydrogen water tablets , drop the tablet into a container that you can seal tightly. Fill the container all the way to the top with cold water, then seal the lid tightly. Follow the packaging instructions for how long to allow the product to dissolve—usually around 5 minutes. [2]
    • If you use cold water, the tablet will take longer to dissolve, but you’ll get a better concentration of hydrogen in the water.
    • Tablets are a good way to get a consistent concentration of hydrogen in your water.
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  3. Place a magnesium stick into a test tube with about 1/4 tsp (1 gram) of food-grade malic acid powder . Fill the test tube almost to the top with filtered water. Use a needle to create a hole in the center of a cork and use the cork to seal the test tube. Drop the entire test tube into a glass water bottle, fill the bottle to the top with filtered water, and put the bottle in the freezer for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the water bottle and gently shake it for about 2 minutes. Then, unscrew the bottle and drink the water. [3]
    • Wear gloves and protective eyewear when handling the malic acid—it can be irritating to your skin or eyes if you make contact with it. [4]
    • Pressure will develop in the bottle as the reaction creates hydrogen gas, so be careful when opening the container.
    • If the cork pops off the test tube, the water is still okay to drink—malic acid is safe to consume and is commonly used as a preservative.
  4. Place a metallic magnesium rod into an airtight glass or stainless steel bottle. Fill the bottle to the top with filtered water, seal the bottle tightly, and let it sit for 15–20 minutes. [5]
    • This probably doesn’t create a very high concentration of hydrogen—expect around 1 ppm of hydrogen to water.
    • Because hydrogen molecules are very tiny, the hydrogen can easily escape from porous materials. To get the best results, use a sturdy, non-permeable container, like a double-walled stainless steel bottle.
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Section 2 of 5:

How long does DIY hydrogen water last?

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  1. Although hydrogen molecules do dissolve easily in water, they won’t stay there long. The hydrogen will dissipate fairly quickly, so for the best results, drink your hydrogen water right away. [6]
    • If you’re planning to store your hydrogen water, keep it in a tightly-sealed stainless steel container—but keep in mind that the longer you keep it in the container, the less hydrogen it will contain.
Section 3 of 5:

What does hydrogen water do?

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  1. More research is needed to find out whether drinking hydrogen water does actually provide any significant results. However, there are studies showing that hydrogen water could potentially have health benefits like: [7]
    • Reducing oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals
    • Acting as an anti-inflammatory
    • Improving cholesterol
    • Helping reduce fatigue in dialysis patients
    • Improving the performance and recovery of athletes, especially those who are already in good shape
    • Boosting mood
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Section 4 of 5:

Is hydrogen water safe?

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  1. Hydrogen water that has less than 2.14% H2 has “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) status with the FDA. [8] But there are a few things to be mindful of:
    • Not all hydrogen water machines or tablets have been tested by the FDA and verified as safe, and the FDA has even warned companies against claiming unverified health benefits [9]
    • It’s difficult to determine the concentration of H2 when you make hydrogen water at home
    • Some methods of producing hydrogen water can potentially raise the pH of the water to an unsafe level [10]
Section 5 of 5:

FAQs

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  1. No, when you combine baking soda and water, the chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide (CO2), not hydrogen. [11]
  2. Yes, but because tap water may contain metals or other impurities, it’s best to use filtered water.
  3. While more research is needed to prove the health benefits of hydrogen water, there are early studies that show some promising results. For instance, studies have shown that hydrogen water helped improve kidney function in dialysis patients, had positive impacts on heart health, and improved the stamina and recovery time of athletes. [12]
  4. Although there may be some benefits of drinking hydrogen water, claims that hydrogen water is a cure-all are probably overblown. If you enjoy hydrogen water and feel like it gives you positive benefits, drinking it can’t hurt, but until we know more about it, it shouldn’t be used in place of any medical treatments or other steps you take to improve your health. [13]
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      Warnings

      • Although you can find instructions online for creating your own electrolysis machine to make H2 gas, there’s not a safe and reliable way to compress that gas and dissolve it into drinking water.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/J-3T3IWgZoo?t=247
      2. ↑ https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2018011634A1/en
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/0csiiPNvRdw?t=10
      4. ↑ https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3563
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/BQgnokcvHcw?t=81
      6. ↑ https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2018011634A1/en
      7. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10816294/
      8. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5147523/
      9. ↑ https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/h2-beverages-inc-622917-06142022
      1. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9736533/
      2. ↑ https://education.jlab.org/qa/bakingsoda_01.html
      3. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10816294/
      4. ↑ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/hydrogen-water-is-not-the-new-nutrient-health-claims-are-hype-not-science/

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