Are Hydrogen Pills for Water Better Than a Hydrogen Water Machine?

If you’re thirsting for the health benefits of hydrogen water, some light Googling will quickly reveal 2 options: hydrogen pills for water and hydrogen water machines.

Which should you choose?

For those who went, “Well, you tell me!” — OK, we heard you. And we’ll happily indulge.

This article covers everything you need to know about the 2 “hydrogen water makers” to make an informed decision, including how they work, their respective pros and cons, and more.

How does a hydrogen water machine work?

First things first.

Hydrogen water machines generate hydrogen water through water electrolysis (more specifically, proton exchange membrane or PEM electrolysis), where water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity.

Without diving into a full Chemistry lesson, there are only 3 main things you need to know. There’s a:

Anode (positive charge): Water is broken down here through oxidation.
Proton exchange membrane: “Transports” the protons (in this case, hydrogen ions) from the anode to the cathode.
Cathode (negative charge): Hydrogen gas is then generated here.

Hydrogen water machines then allow the resulting hydrogen gas to accumulate within the water until it reaches the target concentrations (which can vary from machine to machine — more on this later).

How do hydrogen pills for water work?

Plop them into a cup of water, wait a few seconds, and boom. Hydrogen water. How?

All hydrogen pills for water contain a base metal and an edible acid. Suitable base metals and acids include:

Base metals: Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe)
Acids: Maleic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, and oxalic acid

The chemical reaction through which hydrogen pills for water produce hydrogen water is truly elegant.

First, the base metal reacts with water to form hydrogen gas and the hydroxide of the metal.

Then, the acid reacts with the metal hydroxide to form water, which can again react with the base metals. This allows for the continuous production of hydrogen gas.

Here’s a more concrete example, using elemental magnesium (base metal), along with malic acid and tartaric acid (acids), to illustrate how hydrogen pills for water work:

Mg + 2H₂O → H₂+ Mg(OH)₂
Mg(OH)₂ + malic acid/tartaric acid → Mg malate + Mg tartarate

Obviously, the whole point of hydrogen pills for water is to make hydrogen water. And, as outlined above, this process does it very well.

Plus, it’s nice to know that you’ll also get a nice bonus of minerals and beneficial edible acids (e.g., magnesium is essential for healthy muscles, nerves, bones, and blood sugar levels; malate plays a crucial role in the Krebs cycle, the primary way your body generates energy).

Which is better?

Alright. So, now that you know how hydrogen pills for water and hydrogen water machines work, it’s time to answer the million-dollar question: which is better?

Let’s compare them in several areas.

Molecular hydrogen concentration

The therapeutic dose of molecular hydrogen shown to provide health benefits in research generally ranges from 1.6 to 7.2 mg of H₂daily.

Bearing in mind that 1 ppm = 1 mg/L in water, here are the highest-seen ppm numbers for:

Hydrogen water machines: 5 ppm
Hydrogen pills for water: 10 ppm

Given that, assuming you’d like to hit a daily molecular hydrogen intake of 5 mg, here’s how much hydrogen water you’d need to drink from a:

5 ppm hydrogen water machine: 1.1 L
10 ppm hydrogen tablet: 500 ml

Of course, the additional hydrogen water you’d need to drink might not be a deal-breaker.

It’s not unreasonable (an adequate daily fluid intake is 3.7 L for men and 2.7 L for women anyway), and hydrogen water machines are basically hydrogen water on tap — really convenient … right?

Hydrogen pills for water versus hydrogen water machines: draw.

Portability

Well, yes. Until you get home at 10 pm after a long, busy day of work and realize that you’ll need to gulp down 1.1 L of hydrogen water before bedtime. (Good luck getting any sleep between those hourly toilet visits!)

Hmm. But couldn’t you simply bring your hydrogen water machines with you?

As “lightweight” and “portable” as hydrogen water machines may claim to be, they’re still bulky. Nothing you could fit into an everyday backpack without looking like you’re trying to steal the office’s espresso machine. 1/10, would not recommend.

Besides, you’d need to plug it in. Finding available power sockets while you’re out will feel like an Easter egg hunt … but way less fun.

Compare that ugh experience to that of hydrogen pills for water.

They’re like a tin of mints, truly pocket-sized and portable. Whenever you can find a cup of water, you’ll be able to get hydrogen water.

So, this time, hydrogen pills for water: 1, hydrogen water machines: 0.

Cost

Brace yourself for sticker shock. Most hydrogen water machines run upwards of thousands of dollars (with the most common ranging between $3,000 to $5,000).

On the other hand, hydrogen pills for water are typically just more than a dollar per pop.

You could argue that hydrogen water machines make more long-term financial sense. But let’s do the math. Let’s say you fork out $3,200 for a hydrogen water machine. That could have bought you ~3,000 hydrogen pills for water.

Assuming you take 2 hydrogen pills daily, that’d be enough to last you 1,500 days, or 4 years.

In those 4 years, how often would you have needed to pay for the hydrogen water machine's maintenance? Worse still, what if it broke down after the warranty period (usually 24 months)? That’s another $3,200 you’d need to fork out. Ouch.

Meaning? Hydrogen pills for water: 2; hydrogen water machines: 0.

Disclaimer: it comes down to individual circumstances

We’ll be the first to admit that we’re biased. (We sell hydrogen tablets, after all!) The truth is that hydrogen water machines can make sense for you if you:

Are usually home most of the time
Don’t mind paying a premium for hydrogen water
Have a large family (the more people drinking, the more cost-effective the hydrogen water machine gets!)

But if you value convenience, then hydrogen pills for water are a clear winner.

And with that said, may we direct your attention to ours?

Nutrionic™ H₂Energizer tablets release up to 10 ppm (hey, you now know what this means!) of molecular hydrogen in a single cup of water.

It’s one of the best hydrogen tablets available on the market that’s: