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Reduced Water for Prevention of Diseases
Dr.Sanetaka
Shirahata
Graduate school of Genetic Resources Technology, Kyushu
University,
6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
It has long been established that reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause many
types of damage to biomolecules and cellular structures, that, in turn result in
the development of a variety of pathologic states such as diabetes, cancer and
aging. Reduced water is defined as anti-oxidative water produced by reduction of
water. Electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) has been demonstrated to be
hydrogen-rich water and can scavenge ROS in vitro (Shirahata et al., 1997). The
reduction of proton in water to active hydrogen (atomic hydrogen, hydrogen
radical) that can scavenge ROS is very easily caused by a weak current, compared
to oxidation of hydroxyl ion to oxygen molecule.
Activation of water by
magnetic field, collision, minerals etc. will also produce reduced water
containing active hydrogen and/or hydrogen molecule. Several natural waters such
as Hita Tenryosui water drawn from deep underground in Hita city in Japan,
Nordenau water in Germany and Tlacote water in Mexico are known to alleviate
various diseases. We have developed a sensitive method by which we can detect
active hydrogen existing in reduced water, and have demonstrated that not only
ERW but also natural reduced waters described above contain active hydrogen and
scavenge ROS in cultured cells. ROS is known to cause reduction of glucose
uptake by inhibiting the insulin-signaling pathway in cultured cells.
Reduced water scavenged intracellular ROS and stimulated glucose uptake in
the presence or absence of insulin in both rat L6 skeletal muscle cells and
mouse 3T3/L1 adipocytes. This insulin-like activity of reduced water was
inhibited by wortmannin that is specific inhibitor of PI-3 kinase, a key
molecule in insulin signaling pathways. Reduced water protected
insulin-responsive cells from sugar toxicity and improved the damaged sugar
tolerance of type 2 diabetes model mice, suggesting that reduced water may
improve insulin-independent diabetes mellitus.
Cancer cells are generally
exposed to high oxidative stress. Reduced water cause impaired tumor phenotypes
of human cancer cells, such as reduced growth rate, morphological changes,
reduced colony formation ability in soft agar, passage number-dependent telomere
shortening, reduced binding abilities of telomere binding proteins and
suppressed metastasis. Reduced water suppressed the growth of cancer cells
transplanted into mice, demonstrating their anti-cancer effects in vivo. Reduced
water will be applicable to not only medicine but also food industries,
agriculture, and manufacturing industries.
Shirahata, S.et al.: Electrolyzed reduced water scavenges active oxygen
species and protects DNA from oxidative damage. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.,
234, 269174, 1997.
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