As readers of Nutricula no doubt know, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) strands are the so-called "building blocks of life". DNA's are housed in the genes of chromosomes, and contain the parent organism's ID, if you will.
It's been said that there are fewer than 1 in 10,000,000 errors in DNA replication. DNA is familiar to us as two long strands of nucleotide sequences—known as the double helix—held together by hydrogen bonds. Nearly every cell in a person's body has the same DNA. (Some may be found in the mitochondria.)
Replication and What Can Go Wrong
When cells divide, each new cell needs to have an exact copy of the DNA that's in the old cell. Cells divide at different rates; skin cells, for instance, divide rapidly and muscle cells do not divide at all. After replication, an enzyme called the polymerase actually proofreads the copy!
If there is an error, RNA comes into play. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is a chain of molecules which carries a copy of the genomic information. In this manner, the DNA molecules process information and help all our organs repair and regenerate
Without a functioning DNA and its "assistant", RNA, it would not be possible for cells to reproduce, or to transport genetic material around within the cell. And all of this micro-activity of which we are not the slightest bit aware constitutes the essence of looking and feeling young. When our DNA is doing its job, we are functioning at maximum capacity and all systems are "go". But what could happen to interfere with our DNA? For instance, what if we are under stress?
What Role Does Stress Play?
What we're going to look at in this article is what role stress plays, if any, on these two crucial nucleic acids and on their functions. As a natural extension of this question, we'll be looking at the point at which aging is then a natural result of the DNA alterations that occur as a result of stress.
As we will see, science has found ongoing evidence that these factors are, indeed, connected and that faulty DNA repair appears to result in premature aging. As every organ contains DNA, the decline in function of organs in the body is one commonly recognized sign of aging. Note: it is becoming widely recognized by mainstream medicine, as well as alternative medicine, that it is abnormal for the body to age as quickly as it does in modern society. We are designed to live well over a hundred years of age, and to remain in good, vibrant health throughout most of our lives.
What Causes Premature Aging?
Premature aging is a result of chemical, cellular and organ imbalances…when our wonderfully complex system sustains glitches, or things don't "go according to plan". Stress—when it is a highly presented phenomenon, as opposed to the everyday dalliances with the little stresses of life that motivate us to function—is one big reason things don't go according to God's plan.
Up until fairly recently, it was not known to what extent the mind-body connection permeates the very inner workings of our existence…our "building blocks". Looked at from an overview, as parts of our mind-body connection, the physiological effects of stress are well-known. Cortisol, which is released during the "fight or flight" response, is being looked at in new studies as the cause of many health problems, not the least of which is its ability to impair the immune system.
Cortisol – Too Much (Or Too Little) of a Good Thing
Cortisol comes in very handy when we need it…in a real life-or-death situation…as this adrenal hormone regulates carbohydrate metabolism and blood pressure. On the flip side, Cortisol, a by-product of stress "ages brain cells…and builds fat around the body's midsection," says Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, in Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition.
Indeed, if we lead stressful lives where our cells are bombarded with Cortisol, it leads back to the DNA connection, and our roughly 3 billion base pairs of this very fabric of life. Balch goes on to state that "…stress increases the level of an immune system protein called interleukin-6 which has direct effects on most of the cells in the body and is associated with many disorders…"
Diseases which can occur as a result of too much Cortisol in the body, such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, go hand-in-glove with aging. As the body malfunctions, so does its vitality and vibrancy…and its ability to bounce back.
Interestingly enough, scientists are now saying that too low of a Cortisol count may indicate that low Cortisol receptors occur in the brains of persons who suffered early trauma. These persons are, therefore, less "in tune" with the immediate stress-dampening effects of Cortisol. (This would suggest that this lessened sensitivity was transmitted via the genes.)
Oxidative Stress Can Be Overcome
Another factor that ages us is oxidative stress. When we engage in the healthy pastime of exercise, the body responds to exercise partly by oxidizing, or aging. However, this is normal, and can be remedied by antioxidant supplements. If a person does not supplement, after a period of time, external signs of oxidative stress will include lined and wrinkled skin.
(A few of the antioxidants which will remedy this are Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium and COQ10. A few others are being touted as important, such as glutathione and SOD, or superoxidedismutase.)
There are many causes of oxidative stress, from smoking to heavy metal, to irradiation from X-rays. Dr. Denham Harman, "father of the free radical theory of aging", first isolated polyunsaturated fats as highly carcinogenic. He was also able to demonstrate a lengthened life expectancy with the use of antioxidants.
Oxidative stress creates an imbalance between the body's ability to product reactive oxygen and to detoxify it. Reactive Oxygen Species, or "free radicals", can damage a cell's lipids, proteins or DNA.
"Defense against oxidative stress depends primarily on an orchestrated synergism between several endogenous and exogenous antioxidants." ("The Calorie Restriction Society International", crsociety.org.) Endogenous simply means we can find these substances either in our foods, or they exist in our bodies. Exogenous means derived or existing externally.
What Supplements Do We Need?
There are roughly 13 vitamins and about two dozen minerals we are known to need. Included in this category are the ever-expanding list of supplements and culinary herbs which are being proven by science to provide health benefits. Some of these are the antioxidants mentioned above, as well as food enzymes, flax seed oil, garlic, glucosamine, lecithin, COQ10 and quercitin.
As we examine the issue a little deeper, we see that stress actually attacks DNA, causing strand breaks. In mammalian studies which were conducted to study DNA damage ("Nucleic Acids Research", 1995, Vol. 23, No. 15), it was found that these strand breaks—which mean the DNA strands are damaged, and its ability to replicate impaired—were produced by oxidative stress.
In the book Adaptive Protection of the Heart: Protecting Against Stress and Ischemic Damage, by Felix Z. Meerson, CRC Press, we learn that "stress substantially decrease[s] the half-life of ribosomal RNA and increase[s] the percentage of RNA replaced…in the internal organs."
(As readers will recall, ribosomes are the components of cells that make proteins from amino acids, which are small, organic molecules; i.e., DNA makes RNA, which then makes protein.)
This level of stress is nowhere more causally related than in the heart muscle. Meerson goes on to say that: "This complex of changes directly testifying to enhanced breakdown of RNA [was, in research] clearly pronounced in cardiac muscle."
What is Non-Emotional Stress?
Stress that damages our cells does not have to be emotional. It can also take the form of environmental stressors, such as UV radiation and certain chemicals. "The main source of DNA mutations is the replication errors" (Replication, again, is an enzyme-related process by which the strands of the DNA make exact copies of itself.) "Replication slippage is the common…error observed. [when the new strand mispairs.] When the replication mutation occurs in the coding region, it results in the formation of abnormal proteins that lead to diseases." Tutorvista.com.
Skin—the Largest Indicator of Our Health
In the Textbook of Aging Skin, by Farage, Miller and Maibach, Springer, we see that "Overall…lower repair capacity might account for accumulated DNA damage found in [the] skin of older subjects and this might result in the chromosome instability, [and] cellular growth arrest. Apoptosis [a type of cell death]…and chronic dermal inflammation [is] induced by...oxidative stress."
Our skin—a marker for youth—is the largest elimination organ in the body, and the most accurate indicator of stress. As we get older, we have to pay attention to the epidermis, which is composed of mostly dead cells which have migrated up from inner layers. These cells are constantly sloughing off, so, given a chance, the skin renews itself. And, much more important, our collagen needs to be produced.
"DNA binds to collagen directly, to form DNA-collagen complex." (Abstract, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, "DNA as a Matrix of Collagen Fibrils".)
How Do We Stimulate Critical Collagen?
How do we stimulate cells to produce collagen? First, we'll describe collagen. Collagen is a mesh of fibers; a protein that is a biologic polymer which consists of amino acids. It is a supporting mesh that aids in the skin's elasticity, firmness and texture.
As with all remedial actions we can take, it involves taking our endogenous and exogenous balance seriously. If certain substances are in the body, we should replenish them, by eating living foods with plenty of enzymes—the same types that aid in our complex chemical orchestration—and by avoiding what is bound to cause stress to the DNA.
These stressors include chemicals (such as those found in processed foods and pesticides), smog, smoke, alcohol and the like. If we require a substance, and, for whatever reason, it is not found in the body, we should supplement. We must build a firm foundation on which to attempt to correct any weak links.
Skin cells called fibroblasts repair broken collagen fibers with new ones but, as we age, this ability is diminished. Gaps and irregularities in the skin occur, and some of them are visible.
We can help the body to produce collagen as we get older by taking Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Do your research to see how many milligrams you might need to take.
Since collagen consists of small amino acids, we should provide what the body recognizes and can use…more amino acids. There are 20 different types in human cells, but a few amino acids—glycine, hydroxyproline and proline—are found in collagen.
There is Much We Can Do!
As you can see, there is much we can do to keep our body in balance, naturally. Part of this involves working with our marvellously complex DNA strands to ensure we continue functioning in perfect synchronicity, as nature meant us to.
We are bombarded with thousands of stressors every day, so there's bound to be cellular damage. What we can do is work to help our bodies repair the intracellular damage. Doing so will ensure we live a long and youthful life into our prime and onwards. As it has been said of us throughout the ages.
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