Page 242 - Wasserstoff Medizin

Medical scientists who studied the ‘Effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on muscle
fatigue caused by acute exercise in elite athletes’, wrote, “Since energy demands and
oxygen consumption increase during super-maximal exercise, (such as intermittent
running, sprints, and jumps), production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive
nitrogen species (RNS) also increase, threatening to disturb redox balance and cause
oxidative stress. During normal conditions, ROS and RNS are generated at a low rate and
subsequently eliminated by the antioxidant systems. However, a greatly increased rate of
ROS production may exceed the capacity of the cellular defense system. Consequently,
substantial free radicals’ attacks on cell membranes may lead to a loss of cell viability
and to cell necrosis and could initiate the skeletal muscle damage and inflammation
lv
caused by exhaustive exercise.”

Reducing the muscle fatigue

Intense exercises produce lactic acid which reduces the pH of the muscles. That is one of
the factors that can promote muscle fatigue, which means less strength or inability to
contract muscles. Lactic acid is a strong acid, which ionizes, releasing ions of H+ and
ions of lactate. The increase of the concentration of H+ can compromise the execution of
exercise in two ways:

(1) The increase of the concentration of H+ reduces the capacity of the muscle to
produce ATP, and

(2) The H+ can compete with the ions Ca+ for the troponin binding sites and in
this way, will impede the contractile process.
lvi

Adequate hydration with hydrogen-rich water pre-exercise reduces blood lactate levels
lvii
and improves exercise-induced decline of muscle function. Hydrogen therapy in sports
medicine is an effective and specific innovative treatment for exercise-induced oxidative
stress and sports injury, with potential for the improvement of exercise performance. lviii

One study in 2012 with 10 elite male soccer players was made to examine the effect of
hydrogen-rich water (HW) on muscle fatigue caused by acute exercise. The oral intake
of HW prevented the elevation of blood lactate during heavy exercise.

"As a competitive athlete, I am always looking for the next best way to shave a
few seconds off of my race time. I take one hydrogen tablet before and after
training and have noticed a significant increase in endurance and less
inflammation. I actually recover faster because of lowered lactate build up due to
improved ATP production. This my ultimate secret weapon." Michael

A study in 2012 with 52 physically active men was made to test the hypothesis of the
increase of the blood pH with hydrogen. 26 participants received 2 liters of hydrogen
water and 26 participants received a placebo. After 14 days the intervention group which
ingested the HW showed a significantly increased fasting arterial blood pH by 0.04 and

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