We began studying the medicinal properties of Molecular Hydrogen in January 2005. Two years later, in May, we published our first research article in Nature medication, a peer-reviewed medical journal. It has since been more than a decade since we first began our research into molecular hydrogen.

Since then, the progress of research made into the medical use of molecular hydrogen has truly been astonishing. Various countries have designated their top academic minds to researching hydrogen and now there are more than 500 peer-reviewed research articles published.

I have been invited, domestically and internationally, to share about my research in hydrogen water. Interest in the topic has been burgeoning in the medical community and now, there are many academic journals requesting me to write papers about molecular hydrogen.

Our dissertation in Nature medication managed to change society’s impression about hydrogen. The journal article did not just improve hydrogen’s reputation among academics but also among laypeople. It was even presented on NHK Channel’s “Good Morning Japan” news section as a featured news story and published on various newspapers throughout Japan.

Meanwhile, businesses centred around Hydrogen Water flourished and grew. In fact, when a radio station broadcasted the question “Have you drank Hydrogen Water before?” to 100 people in Tokyo, it was a great surprise to hear that half of them said “Yes”!

Now, if you walk the streets, you will see “Hydrogen Water” catch your eye. This spike in interest may make Hydrogen seem a lot like a “boom”.

A “boom” is a trend or fad that will fade away in time. As a result of how quickly Hydrogen is receiving a name for itself, people may have many questions and uncertainties about the technology. But in my honest opinion, Hydrogen is not a “boom” or a fad. We are at the beginning of a new generation of Hydrogen in our society.

Why can I say that Hydrogen is not a “boom”? Well, it is simply because there is solid science backing it. As the scientific method is the best means of achieving the truth, the foundation of Hydrogen in medication is strong enough that it won’t be shaken by small things such as cyclical trends.

Though there are those who may think poorly about Hydrogen and doubt its benefits, it is likely that these “anti-hydrogen” positions exist due to a lack of scientific knowledge on the matter.

Back in 2007, Hydrogen having no effect on mammalian cells was considered common knowledge. So, it is not surprising that with such a radical change in fact that there is resistance. Fear of the new and unknown is common in human history and it may be normal to question and doubt the effects of hydrogen without knowing more about it scientifically.

“Hydrogen has no effect on mammalian cells' ' was common knowledge back in 2007, so it’s not surprising that a sudden change in a common fact isn't going to convince people. Fear of a new and unknown thing is a recurring thing in human history, it’s normal to question and doubt the effects of hydrogen.

Despite the naysayers, there are curious minds who seriously think about the effectiveness of hydrogen water and wonder how it works. If you are such a curious mind, this book is definitely for you.

My main research subject is Molecular Hydrogen (H2). It is also commonly known as Hydrogen gas.

In this book, molecular hydrogen will simply be referred to as hydrogen unless stated otherwise, and is the same hydrogen used in hydrogen fuel generators and powering automobiles.

Our interest lies in the medical applications of hydrogen,specifically with the subject being hydrogen gas and hydrogen dissolved water, which we will refer to as hydrogen water

This book aims to answer various questions about hydrogen. Since there are many products with hydrogen water dissolved in them, we will place our focus on questions about hydrogen water.

Mainstream media often talks about “water”. Given that our bodies are made up of so much water, it is definitely natural to seek a connection between water and health. As a result, it becomes a topic many are interested in. With topics of public interest, it is natural for the media to want to report it.

I get asked a lot of questions about “water” during interviews. I often refuse to answer these questions about just “water”.

Why? I’ve never studied water so I can’t answer those questions. But some people think that it is weird. “Doesn’t Dr. Ohta research hydrogen water? Isn’t that water?”

Alternatively, people approach me and claim that “water can’t have such effects” or “isn’t tap water enough? Who needs expensive hydrogen water?”. Many people claim that Hydrogen Water is “just water”.

Hydrogen Water is not “just water”. Hydrogen Water is water with a high concentration of hydrogen dissolved into it.

Sugar + Water = Sugar Water

What makes Sugar Water sweet? It is the sugar in the water. Not the water itself. The same goes for saltwater, it is the salt content that makes it salty, the water does not change.

As for hydrogen water, the same logic applies. It is the hydrogen in the water that has beneficial effects, not the water.

People in the past have also insisted that magnetic waves or electric currents in water were beneficial. They had the thought that water is able to change its properties through these processes.

However, there is no scientific evidence which proves that the properties of water can change. So these are more based on fantasy, rather than solid scientific evidence.

As of late, there have been some doubts regarding hydrogen water. There have also been some negative opinions and bashing remarks by those who don’t understand the value of Hydrogen. To those people, I say that questions are more than welcome! Ask away to your hearts content as by questioning the technology, it shows you are paying attention. By questioning the technology, it will also give us the opportunity to explain it to you further.

Asking questions shows you what you don’t understand and makes you think deeper on the topic and what is unclear.

When questions or criticisms are raised on hydrogen water, it tells me “Ah, that is how it is misunderstood” or “How about I explain it this way instead”

It is natural for questions and skepticism on hydrogen water. My mind was also filled with doubt in the early stages of researching hydrogen. In fact, my colleagues were more doubtful than me.

One of my colleagues who started researching hydrogen with me remembered how shocked he was at the results of his own experiment, writing:

“Before confirming that hydrogen had antioxidant effects on cells, I thought to myself: are you out of your mind?”

In the first animal trial with hydrogen, I was still skeptical after confirming the effects of the hydrogen molecule. I was skeptical even before the experiment began.

Another staff member looked at me like he was thinking “My professor is trying something strange, how troubling!”

While some people, like my boss, directly said to me, “This hydrogen research seems questionable.”

As I had more research experience than anyone else at our laboratory, I was the best at predicting outcomes based on a phenomenon. Even with my experience and ability, I did not dive into hydrogen research blindly, I was doubtful then. That is why we made sure to carefully conduct research to solve each and every challenge.

Our goal when it came to approaching our publications was to ensure that understanding of the science was as clear and precise as possible. This is why we published our research in the order that would be most convincing even if it was not chronological. We made sure that every term used in our papers were carefully selected to make sure that it was as convincing and easily understood as possible.

It was fortuitous that it was done in this way. Due to our research being easy to understand, it inspired other professors to begin their research into hydrogen. Through their repeated experimentation with double-blind methodology, the data collected and organised by them still maintained astonishing results while reducing the risk of bias during data collection.

Now, the total number of academic publications about hydrogen has exceeded 500. With this, we can say that the beneficial effects of hydrogen are very much factual, at least in animal trials.

There were various approaches to research conducted, including:

• Observing cultured cells to clarify the mechanisms of hydrogen’s effects.

• Administering hydrogen gas via inhalation to diseased animals.

• Orally administering hydrogen water to diseased animals.

• Intravenously providing animals with dissolved hydrogen solutions.

  The animals used in these trials were mice, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, pigs, and horses. What this tells us is that hydrogen is effective on many different species of animals.

  To summarise, hydrogen was proven effective against any diseases associated with reactive oxidative species (ROS) or inflammation. It was also shown to be effective during any treatments or preventions of certain diseases.

  Recently, it was found that hydrogen is also effective in agriculture. Though how hydrogen works may be mechanically complex, we’ve gradually come to understand the basics. Of course, there is still a lot left to understand and discover in this field.

  Some of the results so far show that the effects of hydrogen even surpasses conventional pharmaceuticals in terms of efficacies. Furthermore, results also showed that hydrogen has no side effects. This definitely differs from the conventional notion that “The Stronger the Medication, The Stronger the Side Effects.”

  For now, it is very certain that hydrogen can be effective during animal trials. Further clinical trials are still needed to find out if these results apply to humans. Of course, greater care needs to be taken with human trials to ensure the most accurate results.

  Currently, there are over 20 papers published on clinical trials that are leading the research of hydrogen. More reports on human trials are expected to be published soon.

  It is without a doubt that in the near future, we will learn that hydrogen is effective for treating and preventing diseases in human beings as well.

  However, there is a problem.

  There have been doubts regarding hydrogen water because people confuse legal issues with scientific issues. Even though the efficacy of hydrogen has scientific proof, there are many steps that have to be taken to allow for hydrogen-based products to be generally sold.

  Hydrogen is considered as something unconventional and new. As a result, it falls outside current frameworks of the law. Under Japanese law, things that are consumed orally have to be classified as either food or medication. Food nourishes people while medications are for treating sick people.

As there is no legal definition for the term “Health Food'', these products cannot be allowed to state its benefits clearly. Under Japanese law, even if the health food product does have benefits and efficacies, it cannot be sold with claims about said benefits and efficacies. This is because legally only medications are allowed to make claims about health benefits or efficacies.

At the moment, hydrogen water products are categorised as a soft drink.

It is not classified as “just water” but it is considered a soft drink that contains hydrogen. There are no legal implications with selling a soft drink called “hydrogen water''. Furthermore, because hydrogen gas is not classified as a food item, there are also no restrictions in inhalation of hydrogen into the body. In the future, there may be a chance that there will be restrictions or concerns over safety issues.

Scientific fact and societal acceptance do not always go hand in hand. Even if hydrogen water’s effects are solidified with evidence, society will still need to accept it in order for us to reap its benefits.

My country (Japan) was the first country in the world to become a super-aged society. In 2007, Japan’s population of elderly people aged 65 years or older accounted for 21.5% of the total population, classifying Japan as a super-aged society.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications estimates that the aging population of Japan is expected to increase further in the future, and that it will reach approximately 30% by 2025, and around 40% by 2060.

A rapidly aging society faces many problems that must be addressed urgently. UNless we pool all our knowledge and resources to solve these problems, we may be at risk of a societal collapse.

One of the biggest issues with a super-aged society is rising medical costs. As a result, we need to focus on prevention rather than cure.

However, current laws do not allow the commercial sale of food products stated for disease prevention.

Of course, laws are established by human society and can vary from country to country. New laws can be written and existing laws can be rewritten. Standards and practices also vary depending on regulation and legislation. So, with the fluidity of law, it would not be impossible for the laws surrounding hydrogen to be reinterpreted or relaxed.

There are various levels of misunderstandings about hydrogen water.

In this book, I will attempt to address each type of person who misunderstands hydrogen, such as:

1. Those who believe that there is no scientific evidence supporting hydrogen’s effects.

2. Those who cannot accept the effects unless the mechanism of hydrogen’s effects are elaborated

3. Those who recognize the effects of hydrogen gas, but not the effects of hydrogen water.

4. Those who confuse legal or societal issues with scientific truth.

5. Those who recognize hydrogen’s effects on animals, but believe it will not have an effect on humans.

6. Those who recognize the therapeutic effects on sick people, but believe there are no effects on healthy people.

7. Those who recognize the therapeutic effects of hydrogen, but believe there are no preventive effects.

8. Those who recognize that hydrogen has good effects, but believe that there is no potential for commercialisation.

Based on the results of my research to date, I am firmly convinced that both hydrogen gas and hydrogen water can play an important role in treatment and prevention of various diseases. But in order to benefit from hydrogen, I believe there needs to be a societal understanding about the science behind it.

It is my hope that this book will not only help people in understanding hydrogen water better, but also encourage people to think about the issues faced by super-aging societies.

January 2017, Musashi-kosugi, Kawasaki City, Japan