Hydrogen water is all over your feed right now. Tablets, bottles, little machines bubbling away on the kitchen bench, all promising less soreness, faster bounce-back and recovery at the cellular level. But does it actually do anything for you as a triathlete, or are you about to drop sixty bucks on fizzy water?
In this episode I give you my honest, no-BS breakdown on hydrogen water. What it actually is, what the research genuinely says about recovery and performance, and whether it earns a spot in your toolbox. Then I run the actual numbers on what it costs to replicate the research dose (you might want to sit down for that part) and weigh it up against where your money is truly best spent.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
• What hydrogen water actually is, and why the marketing sounds far more exotic than the science
• What the research really shows on recovery, soreness and performance
• Why mopping up every free radical from training might quietly blunt the adaptations you work so hard for
• The real cost of replicating the research dose, run line by line
• The two-dollar recovery option that ticks every box hydrogen water misses
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 The fizzy tablet moment
01:39 What this episode covers
04:20 What hydrogen water actually is
05:45 The theory: mitochondria and selective antioxidants
08:38 What the research shows (the fin swimmer study)
12:45 The bigger systematic reviews
15:00 Why you don't want to mop up every free radical
17:50 The honest verdict on the evidence
20:11 The real cost, run line by line
23:05 The two-dollar recovery smoothie comparison
25:53 The athlete I see all the time
28:24 Red light therapy: same pitch, better evidence
30:32 Pulling it all together
33:14 Where to start instead
STUDIES MENTIONED
Li, Y., Bing, R., Liu, M., Shang, Z., Huang, Y., Zhou, K., Bao, D., & Zhou, J. (2024). Can molecular hydrogen supplementation reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress in healthy adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, Article 1328705. [https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1328705](https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1328705)
Sládečková, B., Botek, M., Krejčí, J., Valenta, M., McKune, A., Neuls, F., & Klimešová, I. (2024). Hydrogen-rich water supplementation promotes muscle recovery after two strenuous training sessions performed on the same day in elite fin swimmers: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Frontiers in Physiology, 15, Article 1321160. [https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1321160](https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1321160)
Zhou, K., Shang, Z., Yuan, C., Guo, Z., Wang, Y., Bao, D., & Zhou, J. (2024). Can molecular hydrogen supplementation enhance physical performance in healthy adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, Article 1387657. [https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1387657](https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1387657)
If recovery is the thing you keep meaning to sort, I built the Recovery Accelerator for exactly that. A clear plan for what to eat after training and racing to hit your personalised targets, with a recovery nutrition sheet, four recipes and a recovery playlist. One-off payment, no subscription, and it costs less than a single month of hydrogen tablets. Grab it HERE .
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