Are you plagued by allergies? You’re not alone. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), allergies are the most common health issues affecting children in the U.S and more than 50 million Americans, children and adults, are affected by allergies of one form or another every year. The good news is there are ways to prevent those nasty allergy symptoms. Here’s what you need to know about allergies and how molecular hydrogen can help.
What Causes Allergies?
When a foreign substance enters your body, your immune system reacts by releasing antibodies to neutralize the intruder. This is a good thing when that foreign substance is a virus or a toxin. But sometimes the immune system confuses less harmful substances for invaders and produces the same antibody reaction to items such as bee venom, pollen, dust, or certain types of food. This is called an allergic reaction and it can lead to symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and skin rashes or in more severe cases, shortness of breath, vomiting, or a loss of consciousness.
How Can Hydrogen Help?
On a cellular level, allergic reactions result in the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) which are highly reactive molecules that can damage cell structure. Researchers agree that the key to reducing or even preventing allergic reactions is to disrupt the production of ROS. In this study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, scientists found that treatment that could decrease exposure to ROS would be beneficial in treating allergies.
Molecular hydrogen works to neutralize ROS by bonding with the unstable oxygen molecules. Several studies have shown how molecular hydrogen helps disrupt the release of ROS. In this animal study, researchers found that mice who were given hydrogen water had lower levels of histamine in their blood than mice that drank regular water when both groups were exposed to allergens. Researchers behind the study, which was published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, concluded, “We found that oral intake of hydrogen-rich water abolishes an immediate-type allergic reaction.”
In another study, researchers at Japan’s Nippon Medical School looked at the ability of molecular hydrogen to reduce ROS and concluded that molecular hydrogen, particularly in the form of hydrogen water, “has many advantages for therapeutic and preventive applications, and shows not only anti-oxidative stress effects, but also has various anti inflammatory and anti-allergic effects.”
Hydrogen Water and Allergy Relief
Studies show that molecular hydrogen helps to reduce or even prevent allergies by disrupting the pathways that allow those symptoms to develop. Drinking hydrogen water and breathing hydrogen prevents the release of histamine and neutralizes the free radical ROS that can cause allergy symptoms.