Research: The Impacts of ERW on Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Recently, I was reading some research about the effects of ERW on patients with chronic constipation in this article - mainly because I like to keep up with research surrounding ERW and its impact on the human body. I found this particular research to be rather interesting, and I wanted to share it here.

In this study, 30 patients who experiences chronic constipation volunteered to participate by drinking pH 9.5 electrolyzed hydrogen-rich alkaline reduced water (EHARW) for four weeks. Their bowel movements were measured, a patient symptoms score, and a quality-of-life assessment were completed as well. What the researchers found was that there were no adverse effects of the EHARW treatment during the study period, and that bowel movements and stool form both improved compared to baseline. Overall, the scores for patients’ questionnaires on symptom activity decreased, and their quality-of-life scores increased. Their results suggest that daily ingestion of EHARW of pH 9.5 can improve chronic constipation — and in theory overall gastrointestinal health. Let’s look at some of their data.

In this study, researchers note that “Constipation is a common health problem that … is characterized by chronically incomplete, problematic, and irregular defecation [1]. Constipation is also a major social problem with a global prevalence rate of 10–15%, as it disturbs the quality of life. [2,3]” Common risk factors can include diet, other gastrointestinal diseases, mediations, bowel structure or function disorders, and illness. Serious complications caused by long-term constipation — things like pan, hemorrhage, fissures, and rectal prolapse — can increase morbidity and affect a patient’s quality or life significantly.

What about laxatives?

Frequent stimulative laxative use has been known to lead to its own set of problems. “For example, laxatives that pull water from your body to soften your stools, like bulk-forming laxatives and osmotics, can cause dehydration. This is why the instructions say to supplement by drinking more liquid. Taking stimulant laxatives for longer than directed can cause you to lose muscle tone in your colon. This can prevent your colon from helping you poop, worsening constipation. It’s essential not to overdo it. [4]” Long-term use of laxatives as a treatment option for digestive issues isn’t only dangerous, it can also get expensive. Not to mention the strain that using laxatives and other similar diuretics takes on the rest of your digestive system and your body as a whole.

Here’s what they looked at:

“Thirty patients with chronic constipation who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled as intention-to-treat (ITT) based on an eligibility test performed by a physician. Before starting the intervention, a medical device generating EHARW was installed in each patient’s house. Patients were instructed by the investigator on how to operate the device and drink the EHARW.

The intervention period was four weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in the mean number of CSBM between baseline and post-intervention. The secondary efficacy endpoints were self-observation records related to constipation symptoms (Bristol stool form score, straining at defecation, stiffness of the stool, sensation of incomplete evacuation, and sensation of obstruction) and PAC-SYM and PAC-QOL scores.” As previously mentioned, they reviewed the quality and quantity of bowel movements primarily, and quality-of-life scores and symptoms secondarily.

Here’s their data, pulled directly from the study, found here:

“At two weeks of the baseline, all patients showed ≤ 3 or less CSBM per week (1.81 ±± 0.59); however, after the EHARW treatment, the frequency of CSBMs significantly increased (2.58 ±± 1.72, F = 5.47, p < 0.05) compared to baseline. The proportion of patients who reported higher CSBMs after treatment increased by 29.8%.

“As a secondary endpoint, we evaluated the Bristol stool form related to stool consistency using the patient’s self-observation diary. The score showed a significant increase after intervention (3.29 ±± 0.98, F = 9.18, p < 0.01) over the baseline (2.48 ±± 1.00). In addition, regarding constipation-related symptoms, straining during defecation (F = 9.91, p < 0.01), sensation of incomplete evacuation (F = 17.2, p < 0.001), and sensation of anorectal obstruction (F = 12.3, p < 0.01) showed a significant decrease compared with the baseline; however, stool stiffness did not differ significantly after EHARW treatment.

“Our results suggest that drinking EHARW (pH 9.5; H2 ≈ 0.5 mg/L) has beneficial effects on chronic constipation, as indicated by the patient-reported data.”