One of the hottest new health trends is one of the easiest to make a part of your daily routine. Countless East Asian studies (like this one) have delved into the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of hydrogen water. It’s hasn’t been as thoroughly studied in the United States yet because the trend hasn’t taken off to the same extent it has in Asia. But Jheen Oh of McLean hopes that’s about to change.
Oh is the mind behind Susosu, a water company with offices in Springfield. He first became of hydrogen water in 2017 through his father, who was beginning a business project in South Korea manufacturing the product. “I remember picking him up from the airport and he told me about this thing called hydrogen-infused water. He also brought some samples as well; we drank it and we immediately loved the quality,” Oh recalls. The next step was obvious. Oh wanted to bring the water that his father was creating in Korea to the United States.
So what does it taste like? Though Oh admits that he’s “a little biased,” he says that he finds Susosu water to be “a lot cleaner and crisper” than other waters he’s tried and says that the closest comparison he can make is to a higher-quality Evian. This makes sense as both are high-quality mineral waters; though far from Southeastern France, Susosu comes from springs surrounded by forests in South Korea. Susosu uses patented Japanese machines to add the hydrogen to the water.
Oh is aware that readers probably know that all water has hydrogen in it. But he points out that it’s typically “one eight millionth of a milligram, so there’s no therapeutic value.” On the other hand, he says that Susosu boasts 2.2-1.2 milligrams. He believes that besides the longer-term anti-inflammatory and antioxidant assets of the water, drinkers will also experience an energy boost when drinking it. And they need to do it quickly. After you open the aluminum packaging, the hydrogen dissipates within half an hour.
Locals won’t find Susosu in any area stores. Oh says that he believes that e-commerce is the wave of the future. It’s currently available on both Amazon and Walmart.com, as well as on the Susosu website. And Oh’s tactic is proving fruitful; the brand’s sales have increased 250 percent in the last year.
Feature image courtesy Susosu
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