The Truth About Mitochondria Restoration: How Hydrogen Water Can Help

John is constantly tired, and there doesn’t seem to be any reason why. He gets a full eight hours of sleep every single night. 

Every morning, he wakes up, goes to the gym, and exercises for a full hour. John has read that this is supposed to energize him, but he’s found it has the opposite effect. When he’s done exercising, he feels extremely tired. All he wants to do is go home and take a nap.

Of course, he can’t just go to sleep. He has work to do. Fortunately, he works from home, but unfortunately, he has a hard time concentrating. He sits in front of the computer, reading the same emails over and over, trying to understand what they’re saying. It’s becoming increasingly hard for him to try grasping the content. He drinks an energy drink, and it helps…but not enough.

At the end of the day, John plops down on his bed. He’s been ready to go back to sleep since he first woke up.

What’s wrong with John? It’s likely that he has a condition called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME/CFS. This is a disorder where you constantly feel tired all of the time, especially after exercising. 

While there are several factors that could be at play with ME/CFS, a big one is likely dysfunction in the mitochondria. In fact, ME/CFS is just one health problem associated with that. When the mitochondria in your cells aren’t working properly, this can lead to a bunch of different health problems. 

But there’s hope. Hydrogen water might be an effective treatment for problems in your mitochondria.

What Does The Mitochondria Do?

Chances are, you’ve heard the phrase, “The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.” It’s such an easy, simple phrase that has almost become a cliché over the years. But it’s absolutely true. The mitochondria is responsible for producing a type of molecule called Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP.

ATP is made up of a compound called adenine, attached to a sugar called ribose, and then there are three phosphate groups attached to each other — hence the name TRIphosphate. 

Now, phosphates aren’t especially stable in groups of threes. They prefer to be in groups of twos. So the the phosphate group at the end will split off. This does two things, it turns the molecule into Adenosine Diphosphate, and it releases energy, which your body uses to function.

How the Mitochondria Produces ATP

The production of ATP actually starts with two different steps called glycolysis and the Kreb’s cycle. For the sake of simplicity, we won’t get into what happens at these points. All you need to know is that glucose is broken down, and molecules called NADH and FADH2 are created. Those molecules are then used for a process that happens in the mitochondria called the “Electron Transport Chain.” 

You can see an illustration of the electron transport chain below. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “I have no idea what any of this is!” Don’t panic, we’ll explain it as simply as we possibly can below.

Do you see how Complex’s I, III, IV, and ATP Synthase is extending through a bunch of squigglies? Well those squigglies are the membrane of the mitochondria. The bottom is the inside of the mitochondria, and the top is the outside.

Those three Complexes that extend through the entire membrane are there to pump what are known as protons — hydrogen atoms without electrons — from the inside to the outside, which will be used to create ATP. In order to do that, they need energy. They get that energy from electrons that are donated by those NADH and FADH2 molecules that we were talking about.

The NADH will donate its electron to Complex I, which gets energized and pumps protons to the outside of the membrane. Then that electron gets transferred to the Q — known as Coenzyme Q or CoQ. At Complex II, FADH2 donates electrons. Complex II doesn’t pump anything. Instead it and the CoQ transfer electrons to Complex III, which pumps more protons. The electrons are then transferred to Cyt C (cytochrome C), and then they’re transferred again to Complex IV, which pumps even more protons. 

The process we just described is the electron transport chain. After that, the protons back through the membrane via the ATP synthase, where they are used to create ATP. The entire process is called oxidative phosphorylation. If everything goes according to plan, one molecule of glucose can yield about 30 ATP molecules (a couple of those are actually made before the electron transport chain).

When Disruptions Happen In The Mitochondria

The energy that the mitochondria produces is used for so much more than physical labor. It’s used for basic functions to keep your body alive. If there are any disruptions, that can cause problems.

For example, you might already know that cyanide is a poison that can kill you, but you probably didn’t know that it does this by attacking the mitochondria. Cyanide binds to Complex IV within mitochondria in blood cells. This shuts down production of ATP, and that lack of energy is dangerous.

Mitochondria dysfunction isn’t all deadly like cyanide, but it does lead to a whole bunch of health problems. Here are a few of them:

• Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s
• Cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis
• Metabolic syndrome and diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis
• Musculoskeletal diseases like fibromyalgia
• Psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (as we talked about above)
  
  

Why Mitochondria Dysfunction Happens

Oxidative phosphorylation is a double-edged sword. While it’s essential for producing the energy that your body needs to survive, it also produces potentially harmful molecules called free radicals. 

In earlier articles, we’ve discussed in depth what free radicals do, but we’ll give you the simplified version here. They are molecules that have the capability of causing damage to cellular structures. They are neutralized by other molecules called antioxidants, but if there isn’t enough of those, your cells can wind up in a condition called oxidative stress. 

Oxidative stress can cause inflammation throughout your body, and it’s linked to a number of diseases. Some scientists speculate that it’s a big reason our bodies tend to deteriorate as we age.

How Hydrogen Can Help

When two hydrogen atoms bond together, they form the hydrogen molecules that make up hydrogen gas. These are the smallest molecules in the universe. They can penetrate into any system of your body easily, and they are known for their antioxidant effects. 

They are very good at neutralizing the most harmful free radicals, but they leave the beneficial ones alone — and yes, there are “good” free radicals out there that your body needs.

Not only that, hydrogen also acts as a signaling molecule. It essentially tells your body that it should produce more antioxidants to help neutralize those free radicals.

Hydrogen is very effective at relieving oxidative stress and inflammation. Because of this, scientists have found that it can be an effective treatment for a variety of conditions including metabolic syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, cognitive decline, and more. It’s also been found to help out with alertness, and it may even be able to aid in sport performance.

Hydrogen’s Effect On Mitochondria

Hydrogen can help repair dysfunctions on the mitochondria, and we actually know that from several studies:

• A 2020 study found that hydrogen can increase levels of a type of Coenzyme Q. Remember from earlier in the article that this is one of the stops of the electron transport chain, which produces ATP. If CoQ production is interrupted, that can disrupt the amount of energy that the mitochondria can create.
• A different 2020 study found that hydrogen can prevent a harmful free radical known as superoxide from forming in complex I.
• A 2019 study found that hydrogen can prevent cell death partly by preventing mitochondria dysfunction.
• A 2012 literature review looked into 12 different studies about hydrogen’s effects on ME/CFS. The researchers found that because hydrogen works on mitochondria dysfunction, it has “anti-fatigue effects” in both animals and humans.
• A 2022 study found that hydrogen more or less helped with endurance of soccer players who were tested on their sprints. The researchers attributed this effect to hydrogen being used to enhance efficiency in mitochondrial ATP production.
  
  
  

How to Get Treated With Hydrogen

The easiest and most cost effective way to feel the benefits of hydrogen is to use one of the machines that we sell at Echo®.

The Echo Go+ Hydrogen Water Bottle gives you the most bang for your buck. It’s basically a water bottle that produces hydrogen water in a matter of minutes. It does this by breaking down water molecules with an electric current. New bonds form after that including hydrogen gas. 

You can take the Echo Go+ wherever you are going. It’s designed to be portable, so you don’t have to sit around and wait for the hydrogen gas to be created. You can simply pour the water in, choose your time setting based on how much hydrogen you want, and go!

Click here to get your own Echo Go+.