HYDROGEN SCAM
Miracle water scams have existed for as long as we have recorded history. They will never go away. Unfortunately for the ethical companies within the hydrogen water industry that support good science, it is hard to shake the charlatans and hucksters who are always looking for the new “magic water” scam. In fact, many consumers immediately presume hydrogen water is just another scam, another “magic water” with no science behind it. What makes hydrogen water different than any of the other “magic waters?” For starters, hydrogen water actually has very little to do with the water; water is just a delivery method for hydrogen gas.
What is Hydrogen Water?
We have a dedicated page that details what hydrogen water is and isn’t. In brief, hydrogen water, sometimes referred to as “hydrogen-rich water” or “HRW,” is simply water that has had hydrogen gas dissolved into it. Think sparkling water, which is water that has had CO 2 dissolved, the difference being H2 is being dissolved instead. Hydrogen gas has been shown to exhibit many therapeutic properties and is found in every cell in the body. These therapeutic properties seem to be amplified by perhaps two or more orders of magnitude when dissolved in water, as opposed to when delivered via inhalation. As such, “hydrogen water” is an important delivery vehicle to provide the therapeutic benefits of this crucial gas.
Types of Hydrogen Water Scams
The most common scams purporting to deliver hydrogen water rely on one of two false notions.
“Any Old Magnesium”
Some ignorant marketers that believe that any magnesium salt can produce hydrogen gas when added to water (it can’t). Very specific, hard-to-source, non-ionic magnesium metal must be utilized. This form of magnesium can be very hazardous to handle, so those manufacturing with it need abide by many laws for both worker, transport, and consumer safety. Many who manufacture with it do not and are risking lives. Many do not even understand the concept, utilizing any normal magnesium salt and delivering products that are simply magnesium supplements, with no potential at producing hydrogen water.
Retention
Another issue that happens with scam products, one that I mentioned in the article Comparing Hydrogen Water and Gas Technologies,” is that companies go through the effort of adding hydrogen gas to water (or sometimes, powder), in order to be able to defend the claim they have “infused hydrogen gas” during manufacturing, without bothering to deliver it in packaging (or powdered material) that is capable of retaining the gas. This is some odd “homeopathic hydrogen” angle, where by the time a consumer purchases the “hydrogen-infused” product, none of the remaining “infused hydrogen” remains.
Performix SST Pre “Molecular Hydrogen” (“Any Old Magnesium Hydrogen Water Scam”)
On January 4th we issued a press release announcing that we had filed a letter with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding fraudulent claims made by Performix. The letter we filed with the FTC was based on the claims, which we deemed fraudulent, made by the company Performix LLC. Performix LLC markets a pre-workout product — “SST” — which has “molecular hydrogen” on the label, with a “patent-pending” molecular hydrogen matrix on the supplement facts. We commissioned two labs to test this product, and both found no detectable molecular hydrogen after following their directions of use. This was tested (and submitted to the FTC) both by titration and by gas chromatography at both labs, and myself and others verified no H2 via titration. Read the full breakdown of the Performix scam, and read one of the lab reports.
“Molecular Hydrogen” by HumanX (“Any Old Magnesium Hydrogen Water Scam”)
HumanX, which has now pulled its “molecular hydrogen” product from the market, made a number of egregious claims that could be chalked up to marketers lacking any scientific knowledge of what they were doing. It claimed “magnesium reacts with water to produce hydrogen gas” on its label, without understanding that only non-ionic elemental magnesium does this. It claimed “no binding agents” in a tablet that contained, you guessed it, binding agents. Of course, its “molecular hydrogen” product did not, and could not, produce hydrogen gas under any condition. Read the full breakdown of the HumanX scam, including my video demonstration with H2Blue.
HNEX Hydrogen Water Scam (“Magical Retention Hydrogen Water Scam”)
Japanese Coral Calcium Hydrogen Scam
There are a lot of scams involving molecular hydrogen, however, very few of the scams in the world have gone to the great length that two competing Japanese companies marketing “hydrogen-rich coral calcium” have gone. In both cases, these companies have gone above and beyond to give the illusion of reputability. Unfortunately, in the end much of their claims are nothing but smoke and mirrors. In this article, I break down what TAANE and EnageGate are claiming, what is factual, and what is beyond preposterous in regards to their molecular hydrogen claims. Read the Full Breakdown of the Japanese Coral Calcium Hydrogen Scam.
The Intellectual Dishonesty of David Marsalek and H2 World
Some of the hydrogen scams I have written about contain no molecular hydrogen, but claim they do. In the case of H2 World’s new products, this isn’t the case. They market the benefits of hydrogen, name their products “hydrogen”, but throw it into their marketing copy that the actual products do not contain, or produce molecular hydrogen in the way that consumers expect, and researchers have validated clinically. Instead, their products rely on a dubious sleight of hand, falling back on the claim that consumption of sugars will stimulate internal hydrogen production through bacteria. The problem? The evidence for this is VERY different from consuming exogenous hydrogen, the amounts of sugars they are adding are negligible, and not disclosed, and they have no evidence for any efficacy (nor is any efficacy expected). To read more on the scams of this company, and how they have used shady methods to try to imply endorsements from unsuspecting researchers, read on.
Trusii Hydrogen Water Mega Scam
I’ve gotten a lot of emails asking why I have not covered trusii as a scam. Many of the victims know that I posted in the Facebook group, assuring I had stopped supply to them, when I learned of the behaviour they had been accused of. The evidence was quite overwhelming, however, since it was (mostly) related to financial fraud, and machines that quickly broke down or became unsafe to use, referring to them as a “hydrogen scam” was a bit murky. Since no governmental agency had taken action, I was also cautious about speaking too loudly about their potential crimes.
This changed last week when the Attorney General of Florida took legal action against trusii. Now that a government body is officially pursuing them, I feel more comfortable writing in detail about trusii. I do not believe they are still operating, so I do not believe others are at risk of succumbing to their scam, however, what they did should serve as an important lesson for all consumers and influencers alike. Read more about trusii scam
VegFizz Hydrogen Scam
The tablets are small in diameter and white, and they do not dissolve in water. They also do not make any hydrogen. I even did a video experiment in this blog! Read more about the VegFizz Hydrogen Scam here.