Table 3.
Summarized evidence demonstrating H2 is the therapeutic agent in ERW.
| Procedure | Conclusion | References |
|---|---|---|
| Aspirin-induced gastric mucosal injury. Groups: (1) ERW, (2) same pH, (3) same minerals, (4) same pH and minerals | Only ERW was effective, demonstrating that molecular hydrogen, not the minerals or pH, is what is important in ERW | [34,114,115] |
| Neutral-pH ERW was provided to rats injected with a free radical inducer, 2-azobis-amidinopropane dihydrochloride | Despite the neutral pH, ERW exerted significant antioxidant protection, which indicates the importance of molecular hydrogen | [118] |
| Studies neutralized pH before adding to cell culture | Eliminates the alkaline pH property from contributing to the benefits | [29,33,35,40,43,44,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,89] |
| Animal studies in which neutralized pH ERW was given with high levels of H2. | Eliminates the alkaline pH as a contributor to the benefits | [35,92,93,94,133] |
| Water with a negative ORP produced with magnesium metal instead of electrolysis. | Eliminates any “magical” properties induced by electrolysis, while ensuring the presence of H2 | [125,126] |
| High-fat diet-induced liver disease. Groups: (1) control, (2) low-H2 ERW, (3) high-H2 ERW | Only the high H2 ERW group had any benefits, despite the low H2 also having an alkaline pH and negative ORP | [125,126] |
| Use of ERW with high pH, but an ORP that was barely negative (e.g., only −200 mV) | No observed benefits because the level of H2 was neither high enough to give a more negative ORP nor to provide any biological effects. | [2,52] multa nimis * |
* multa nimis (far too many) published and unpublished observations by investigators and consumers on the use of ERW.