Hydrogen-Rich Alkaline Water Can Improve Your Microbiome and Digestive Health

Two types of water have made waves in the natural health community in the past few years.

Hydrogen-rich water and alkaline water have become popular to solve a wide range of health complaints.

But which is better? We've been making the comparison.

Hydrogen-rich water can be produced either by ionising (electrolysing) water, by bubbling hydrogen gas into it, or by adding magnesium that reacts with the water to release hydrogen.

Only the last of these methods produces water that is also alkaline. If you want to enjoy the health benefits of both types of water, this is the water to look for. In fact, hydrogen is an acidic substance which can drop the pH of the water substantially if it is not correctly introduced. That is why acidic water has a high concentration of hydrogen ions.

The secret to producing water that is both hydrogen-rich and alkaline lies in the chemical reaction between the magnesium and the water, which is why we recommend it as the healthiest water production method.

Many people suffer the unpleasant effects of heartburn after consuming a large or excessively fatty or meaty meal. It is caused by pepsin, an extremely acidic digestive enzyme in the stomach that digests especially protein. When a lot of digestion – and especially protein digestion – is required, pepsin is required to do it.

Unfortunately, when there is so much pepsin, the acid in which it functions can push up from the stomach into the oesophagus, which is called heartburn.

The simplest solution is to regulate your diet, but unexpected bouts of heartburn could be improved with hydrogen-rich alkaline water that reduces the acid that can bubble up.

Acid reflux disease is more serious than the heartburn most of us occasionally experience. People who suffer from it also have stomach acid bubbling up from their stomachs into their oesophagi, but the direct cause is not a particularly fatty or large meal. It is caused by tissue-bound pepsin that is too active, or too easily activated.

Researchers have found that acidic hydrogen-rich water activates pepsin and worsens the condition, while alkaline hydrogen-rich water disables the pepsin and thereby reduces the acid that can bubble up. This is crucial, as the oesophageal lining, unlike the stomach lining, is not designed to weather the potentially erosive effects of acid and can be destroyed by it.

Chronic diarrhoea is a potentially serious condition. It can cause dehydration, poor nutrient absorption from the intestines, and all the conditions that result from malnutrition.

In a four-year-long study, Japanese researchers discovered that hydrogen-rich alkaline water could relieve this condition through a mechanism that is not yet well understood, but may be related to the correction of the constitution or behaviour of the gut bacteria, or microbiome.

The same study discovered that bloating and constipation could also be improved with the consumption of hydrogen-rich alkaline water. If you have an abdominal complaint, it is certainly worth a try.

Acidic, neutral, and alkaline hydrogen-rich water have all been found to kill some bad bacteria, including salmonella and e.coli. These are some of the worst bacteria that can lead to serious illness.

Together with a good probiotic supplement to promote the good gut bacteria, hydrogen-rich water may help to keep your gut bacteria colony healthy.

Some of the bacteria in our intestines produce hydrogen gas when they try to digest non-digestible fibres. While some of you may be horrified at the suggestions that intestinal gas can be good for us, hydrogen has numerous well-established health effects, including a reduction in inflammation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and so forth.

Accordingly, you want those gut bacteria to be healthy and to produce plenty of hydrogen gas. Eat enough fibre together with your alkaline hydrogen water and take a good probiotic to help the healthy bacteria produce hydrogen.