How Molecular Hydrogen Can Assist Your Immune System

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Initially printed: April 25, 2020

Molecular hydrogen (H₂ gasoline) has highly effective antioxidant and anti inflammatory results,¹ as defined on this video by Tyler W. LeBaron, founding father of the science-based nonprofit Molecular Hydrogen Institute.

In his video, LeBaron critiques the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and explains why H₂ is being clinically investigated by discussing the proposed mechanisms of how molecular hydrogen may ameliorate illness.

Actually, a number of Chinese language investigators are utilizing H₂ remedy in COVID-19 sufferers,^2,3 and preliminary outcomes^4,5 are encouraging sufficient that Dr. Zhong Nanshan, the epidemiologist who found the SARS virus (SARS-CoV-1) in 2003, is now recommending H₂ remedy for COVID-19.⁶

Whereas extra analysis is required to substantiate advantages and helpful outcomes in COVID-19 circumstances, the newest COVID-19 remedy information⁷ by the Chinese language Nationwide Well being Fee consists of hydrogen inhalation.

LeBaron features a video clip of Chinese language sufferers given a hydrogen-oxygen inhaler combine, who say it eradicated chest ache and cough, and allowed for deeper respiration with out discomfort. That mentioned, LeBaron notes:

“There’s nonetheless no clinically printed proof that H₂ will really profit COVID-19 and this info is solely for academic functions. It doesn’t represent scientific proof, and isn’t meant to exchange the steerage out of your well being care practitioner.”

Pathophysiology of COVID-19

As defined by LeBaron, the SARS-CoV-2 virus accountable for COVID-19 enters the lungs, the place it assaults the kind 2 pneumocytes,⁸ alveolar cells accountable for the secretion of surfactants that cut back the floor pressure of fluids in your lungs and are thus essential for elasticity.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus makes use of a spiked protein to anchor itself to the ACE-2 receptor⁹ of the cell. That is the way it positive aspects entry and releases its positive-sense single-strand RNA into the cell. By inserting its RNA, the virus primarily hijacks the cell, because it triggers viral replication to happen contained in the cell.

In response, macrophages (white blood cells) are activated to fight the an infection, they usually in flip launch quite a lot of cytokines, together with interleukin-6 (Il-6), IL-1 and TNF-alpha, into your blood plasma. As soon as the cytokines enter your plasma, neutrophils are recruited, thus growing vasodilation (growth of your blood vessels) and capillary permeability.

Contained in the cell, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are additionally created in an effort to kill the contaminated cell and stop viral replication. That is a vital a part of your physique’s protection system. Nonetheless, as the method progresses you find yourself with growing quantities of ROS and irritation. Worse, because the virus continues to assault your kind 2 pneumocytes, your lungs can’t work appropriately.

Because the floor pressure of the fluids in your lungs is decreased, your alveoli can not preserve the right gasoline trade, and your oxygen requirement goes up. Declining elasticity of the lungs additionally makes respiration tougher. Add in excessive quantities of ROS, and the entire alveoli finally ends up dying. That is a part of what’s inflicting the cough.

As irritation and vasodilation progresses, you’ll be able to find yourself with low blood stress, which is why you’re feeling fatigued and weak. Decrease blood stress additionally causes low blood perfusion, which in flip means your cells is not going to get the oxygen and vitamins they want for optimum perform. It additionally impairs metabolic waste elimination. The low oxygen ranges (hypoxia) end in feeling in need of breath.

Except efficiently handled, this chain of occasions results in cell demise, multi-system organ failure (lungs, liver and kidneys), acute respiratory misery (ARD) and, in the end, demise.

Stopping the Damaging Cycle

To avoid wasting the affected person, one thing must be performed to cease this damaging cascade of occasions. How will we inhibit viral replication and enhance immune system perform? As defined by LeBaron, many of the destruction happens by ROS and systemic irritation.

ROS are molecules that trigger oxidative injury. Nonetheless, they don’t seem to be all dangerous on a regular basis. Neutrophils that produce ROS additionally produce nitric oxide and superoxide, that are essential. Superoxide helps kill the pathogen, however you additionally don’t need an excessive amount of of it, so it must be regulated.

Nitric oxide additionally must be regulated. Whereas it may well inhibit viral replication and helps enhance your immune system, you don’t need an excessive amount of. As ranges of superoxide and nitric oxide rise, they begin forming peroxynitrites, that are extraordinarily damaging, which in flip kind hydroxyl radicals, essentially the most cytotoxic ROS.

Usually, when superoxide has performed its job, it is transformed by superoxide dismutase into hydrogen peroxide, which in flip is transformed into water and oxygen.

This course of is regulated by a transcription issue known as Nrf2/keap1. When this transcription issue is activated, it goes into the cell’s nucleus, the place it binds with the antioxidant response aspect (ARE), which triggers your physique’s pure antioxidants equivalent to glutathione and catalase.

As famous by LeBaron, Nrf2 — which is concerned in part 2 cleansing — regulates greater than 200 protecting proteins and enzymes. The issue is that when ROS is overabundant and uncontrolled, the Nrf2 system is depleted and may not regulate the inflammatory course of.

Understanding Molecular Hydrogen

Molecular hydrogen or H₂ has the flexibility to activate the Nrf2/keap1 pathway, thereby replenishing your endogenous antioxidants. In so doing, H₂ helps regulate and preserve homeostasis in the entire system, stopping the an infection from getting uncontrolled and inflicting cell demise.

Hydrogen may downregulate NOX and NOS enzymes, thus decreasing superoxide and nitric oxide manufacturing respectively. That is good, as when these two molecules are elevated an excessive amount of they immediately mix to create the pernicious peroxynitrite molecule. H₂ additionally helps your mitochondrial perform. Importantly, H₂ selectively reduces peroxynitrites and hydroxyl radicals.

This provides H₂ a major benefit over different antioxidants equivalent to vitamin C, which act indiscriminately with superoxide and nitric oxide — each of which even have essential and helpful features. H₂ doesn’t work together with both superoxide or nitric oxide. The one factor H₂ can react with are essentially the most harmful ROS equivalent to peroxynitrites and hydroxyl radicals.¹⁰

Because of this, your superoxide and nitric oxide are left to carry out helpful features whereas the H₂ eliminates essentially the most harmful byproducts of superoxide and nitric oxide, whereas concurrently growing your physique’s pure manufacturing of antioxidants and regulating the enzymes that produce superoxide and nitric oxide. To get a clearer image in your thoughts of how H₂ steps in to interrupt the damaging chain, see LeBaron’s video.

H₂ additionally steps in to stop a cytokine storm from occurring. A cytokine storm happens when the upregulation of cytokines is bigger than your physique can deal with. Cytokines are regulated by transcription components, and ROS regulate these transcription components. Inflammatory transcription components, in flip, create extra irritation, which stimulate extra ROS manufacturing.

This can be a vicious cycle that leads to elevated cell demise, which results in multiorgan failure, which results in demise. H₂ has been proven to manage these transcription components in a number of animal and human research, thus breaking the vicious cycle. That is what makes H₂ so anti-inflammatory. As summarized by LeBaron on the finish of his video:

“Hydrogen gasoline, being a quite simple, small molecule, will help to manage the redox standing of the cell by selectively lowering the very dangerous [ROS], assist to manage and enhance the Nrf2/keap1 pathway to take care of our physique’s redox homeostasis.

It additionally has regulatory results on irritation, to decrease continual, dangerous systemic irritation by regulating all the things. Simply reducing or inhibiting it [referring to ROS] is just not need we need to do. We’d like all of this stuff.

That is in our immune system. We do not simply need to eliminate it. Sure, it’s what’s killing us, however additionally it is crucial to have, in order that we will get higher. So, that’s the … rationale for [using hydrogen gas] for COVID-19.”

Dosing and Availability

Though the precise scientific research on COVID-19 are being carried out with H₂ inhalation, H₂ dissolved in water has been proven to be simpler than inhalation in different animal illness fashions.¹¹ Moreover, one other article¹² means that the H₂-infused nitric oxide-producing beverage from H2Bev known as HydroShot, must also be clinically investigated for its reported preliminary results.

Nonetheless, whereas there are numerous methods of getting H₂, the only and most sensible supply system is molecular hydrogen tablets which are dissolved in water. They’re transportable and might be taken anyplace, together with journey and on airways, they usually constantly present a excessive H₂ focus. When utilizing the tablets it is essential to drink the water as quickly because the tablets are dissolved and the water remains to be “white,” because the H₂ dissipates rapidly.

The molecular hydrogen tablets have the extra benefit of offering 80 mg of ionic elemental magnesium with every pill. Magnesium can function a pure calcium channel blocker to assist regulate excessive intracellular calcium ranges that may wreak havoc in your physique.

Additionally, absolutely the amount of H₂ is much much less essential than pulsing or creating an acute elevation of H₂ in your system over a brief interval. That acute elevation is what prompts the Nrf2 pathway. When publicity is steady, even when elevated, it has nearly no impact.

Clearly, we want extra analysis to be higher in a position to reply dosing questions, however within the interim, it appears customizing the dose to your private circumstances could be most applicable. So, when you’re in regular, non-stressful circumstances at house, not likely doing something very irritating and never exercising a lot, possibly taking H₂ as soon as a day is enough.

Nonetheless, when you train quite a bit, you could need to take it two to 3 instances a day to assist cut back the oxidative stress out of your train. Ditto when you’re touring and exposing your self to free radical stress from ionizing radiation at 35,000 ft. In such a circumstance, it could be applicable to take it each two hours whilst you’re within the air.

Contemplating their security, ease of use, and helpful results on immune perform and well being, molecular hydrogen tablets are a no brainer answer for my part, they usually may very well be fairly useful for a lot of circumstances, together with COVID-19, which is why H₂ is being clinically investigated.

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