Smoking and inhaling other irritants such as occupational dust or chemicals can irritate the lungs. Over time, this inflammation builds and some people develop lung problems. One of these cumulative lung issues is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a progressive, incurable disease that makes it difficult for people who have it to breathe.
The World Health Organization estimates that 65 million people worldwide have the disease. Millions more may have it without a diagnosis. Although it’s incurable, there are good management techniques and treatments available, and most people with COPD can live long and productive lives after their diagnosis.
Inhaled corticosteroids are among the most commonly prescribed drugs for COPD. Steroids are good at reducing inflammation in the lungs, which is a major contributor to the progression of COPD. When paired with a bronchodilator medication that opens up the airways, many patients experience relief from the worst of their symptoms.
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Finding better ways to control the inflammation that underlies the development of COPD is an active area of research, and some scientists are looking at antioxidants as a means of reducing this inflammation. Medline Plus, a publication of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, reports, “antioxidants are man-made or natural substances that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage.” The body typically derives antioxidants from food, but some companies are now selling dietary supplements that purport to augment what you get in your diet.
Theoretically, if you could control or reverse the inflammation associated with COPD, the disease’s symptoms might be reduced and lung function could potentially be improved. A 2015 study in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease explained that “dietary antioxidants, mainly vitamins C and E, are found responsible for antioxidant defenses in the lungs.” But researchers have also found a potential antioxidant effect with hydrogen.
According to a 2011 study in the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design “hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, constituting nearly 75 percent of the universe’s mass; however, hydrogen is absent on the Earth in its monoatomic form and is present in water and organic or inorganic compounds. Hydrogen gas, with the molecular formula H 2, is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and highly combustible diatomic gas. The Earth’s atmosphere contains less than one part per million of hydrogen gas.”
The idea that hydrogen could reduce inflammation is not new. A 1975 study in the journal Science first posited its use as a treatment for cancer, and since then a smattering of studies have applied the principles of hydrogen as an antioxidant to a range of chronic diseases that involve inflammation, including diabetes and emphysema. “But there’s limited data even in animals,” says Dr. Philip Diaz, a pulmonary specialist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. “There’s some literature and a theoretical concept that [hydrogen] might have an antioxidant effect depending on how it’s delivered. But at this point it would be very premature” for patients to be receiving hydrogen as a component of their COPD treatment protocol, he says.
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Even though Diaz and most other doctors warn that there’s not enough evidence, some patients are experimenting on themselves by using hydrogen peroxide as a so-called “natural” treatment for COPD. Several online COPD discussion forums include threads about how individuals have attempted to treat themselves by adding hydrogen peroxide to nebulizers and by seeking hydrogen peroxide injections from alternative healers. But doing so could have disastrous consequences. A CBS “60 Minutes” report from 2005 investigated the use of intravenous hydrogen peroxide in the death of a woman being treated for multiple sclerosis and found that no reputable medical organization would recommend use of this treatment for any disease and that it may have caused the woman’s death. “The National Multiple Sclerosis Society calls intravenous hydrogen peroxide ‘unproven’ and ‘potentially dangerous.’ The American Cancer Society warns ‘there is no evidence that it has value as a treatment for cancer or other diseases,'” the 60 Minutes report noted. David Sampson, director of media relations for the American Cancer Society, says that the 2005 warning is “still accurate. We’re not aware of any evidence that H2O2 [hydrogen peroxide] is useful as a treatment for cancer.”
However, some studies suggest there could still be potential in the use of inhaled or dissolved hydrogen as a treatment for inflammatory disease in the future. And as the incidence of COPD around the world increases, interest in this potential has also risen. A 2017 study in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease examined the role of hydrogen in smoking-induced cases of COPD in rats. “It is still uncertain whether hydrogen has effects on COPD,” the authors write, “or whether different concentrations of hydrogen could have different effects on COPD.” They set out to test these concepts and found a connection between the administration of hydrogen and the progression of smoking-induced COPD in rats. They noted that rats administered hydrogen lost less weight than rats with COPD who hadn’t been given the therapy. The hydrogen-administered rats also experienced improved lung function, a reduction in inflammation in the lungs, a restoration of balance in enzymes that support cellular health and positive changes to the structure of lung and heart tissue. The study also suggested that the higher the dose of hydrogen administered, the better the results.
Though the results seem promising, it’s important to keep in mind that this study was not conducted in humans, and that it’s a single study. It will need to be replicated many times before your doctor would even begin prescribing hydrogen as a therapy for COPD. Diaz says, “that animal observation hasn’t been translated to humans and people shouldn’t extrapolate that hydrogen testing in animals. It may not be the same in humans. Basically, there’s not a lot of good evidence in people at this point that this would work.” He says any future use of hydrogen therapy would require a lot more testing.
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In the meantime, follow your doctor’s orders and take your prescribed medications as directed. If you want to use an alternative therapy such as acupuncture or another nonconventional approach, be sure to check with your doctor first. And remember, eating a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables is a good way to provide your body with lots of inflammation-fighting antioxidants without the risk of an uncertain therapy. Berries, dark leafy greens, and other brightly colored produce tend to be richest in antioxidants, so add those to your plate for a certainly safe and natural nutritional boost.
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Can Hydrogen Be Used to Treat COPD? originally appeared on usnews.com
