It’s been in the news a lot lately…

And as you will read, it’s actually not a vitamin. But it’s called one.

Here’s a quote from the article I came across in The Philadelphia Inquirer:

New Study say Vit B3 may protect Pilots' DNA

Here’s the latest bit of info I’ve come across concerning nutritional support that helps at the DNA level.

I love seeing that other organizations and researchers are proving what we at Genewize already know: DNA and nutrition have a dynamic relationship. This study was conducted at the US Center for Disease Control- a powerful US agency…which is indicative of just how widespread the knowledge is becoming!

It’s possible to improve our odds by supporting our DNA’s expression with nutrition!

Increased intakes of niacin (vitamin B3) from the diet may protect
against DNA damage in people exposed to ionizing radiation such as
pilots, says a new study.

Ionising radiation is radiation from both natural and man-made sources
which is energetic enough to ionise atoms or molecules by removing an
electron. At high altitudes, like those achieved by commercial jet
airlines, are exposed to significantly higher levels of cosmic
radiation than at ground level.

According to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of
Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), airline flight crew workers are exposed to
higher average doses than any other worker, including those in nuclear
power plants.

The detrimental effects of this radiation exposure include potential
increased risk of DNA damage, which is considered an important trigger
in cancer development.

No Previous Study of B Vitamins and DNA damage

“To our knowledge, no previous study has examined the intakes of these
B vitamins in relation to translocation frequency as a biomarker of
cumulative DNA damage in an IR-exposed human population with which we
can directly compare our findings,” stated Dr Lee Yong and Martin
Petersen from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Writing in the British Journal of Nutrition , the researchers report
that the link had biological plausibility since niacin plays an
important role in the formation and maintenance of the co-enzyme
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is the substrate for an
enzyme involved in the repair of DNA after DNA strand breaks.

Study details

Yong and Petersen analyzed data from 83 US airline pilots aged between
35 and 56. Dietary patterns, and the subsequent intake of various
nutrients, were assessed using a 138-item food frequency questionnaire
developed by Harvard’s Walter Willett. Intakes included fortified
products.

Blood samples were taken from the participants to allow the
researchers to measure DNA damage using the frequency of chromosome
translocations as a biomarker.

While no associations were observed with the dietary intake of folate,
riboflavin or vitamin B6 or B12, Yong and Petersen calculated that the
highest dietary intakes of niacin (an average of 28.4 mg per day) were
associated with a 42 per cent reduction in the frequency of chromosome
translocations, compared with pilots with the lowest dietary intakes
(an average of 20.6 mg per day).

The recommended daily allowance of niacin in the US is 16 mg/day,
according to the Institute of Medicine . The average intakes for men
is approximately 28 mg per day (and 18 mg per day for women).

On the other hand, a fondness for red and processed meat was
associated with an increased frequency of chromosome translocations.

“These findings suggest that a high intake of niacin from food or a
diet high in whole grains but low in red and processed meat may
protect against IR-induced cumulative DNA damage,” wrote the
researchers.

Read more about the study: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Health-condition-categories/Cancer-risk-reduction/B-vitamin-may-protect-pilots-DNA-from-damage

I just came across a terrific article at abc.com’s health department that indicates that meditation may actually help us at the genetic level.

Here’s the first line of the article:

“It turns out peaceful thoughts really can influence our bodies, right down to the instructions we receive from our DNA, according to a new study.”

It’s kinda like more evidence of what those of us promoting ‘alternative’ medicine (I use the apostrophes because ‘alternative’ medicine has been around for THOUSANDS of years…so who’s medicine is REALLY the alternative?!) have been saying for years.

You see, often the problem in our culture (I’m living and treating in private practice in the US) is that we want someone ELSE to handle our issues…someone ELSE to deal with the fallout of our bad habits, our bad diet. We’d much prefer a pill, a process, even surgery, to eliminate the symptoms than the time and effort that a meditative practice that has been PROVEN to reduce our bodies’ pain and inflammation response.

It’s often not until we’re confronted with a dire situation, until our health is precarious, that we actually find the time and inspiration to change our approach. But perhaps this article will give you pause…

Here’s the thing: Mind-body practices that produce a relaxation response have been used by other cultures for thousands of years to prevent and treat disease. As an acupuncturist, I’m oftening counseling my clients to PLEASE consider a yoga, qi gong or tai chi practice as part of a lifestyle that will counter some of the effects of the unrelenting stress that comes with living in New York City. The authors spoke to this as well in their background to the study.

The researchers for this study wanted to test the idea that the relaxation response also produces changes in gene expression.

You see, the relaxation response is REAL. It reduces oxygen intake (higher oxygen intake results in higher oxidative stress- or the equivalent of ‘rust’ in the body); it increases the exhalation of nitric oxide, and lower psychological distress. It’s the antidote to the “flight or fight” response that has already been shown by a number of studies to have a distinct pattern of physiological and- as these researchers set out to show- gene expression changes.

Dr. Dean Ornish, professor of medicine and founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute at the University of California at San Francisco, recently found that there’s a relationship between meditation and genes in prostate cancer.

“This is an important pilot study showing that meditation alone may favorably alter gene expression in whole blood,” Ornish said. “These findings provide additional evidence to our recent study in PNAS [the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] showing that meditation — when combined with better nutrition and moderate exercise — also favorably altered gene expression in prostate tissue.”

So, what exactly is ‘gene expression’? It’s technical…but for the curious, it’s the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product. A process by which DNA is transcribed to RNA, and then into something else- this most often results in a protein. It’s important to know that the timing, location, and amount of gene expression can have a profound effect on the functions (actions) of the gene in a cell or in a multicellular organism.

It’s a far-reaching topic, and one that doesn’t yet have definitive answers…but certainly a conversation that bears paying attention to!

Check out the full article here. And I’d love to hear your comments after you’ve had a chance to look it over!

I myself lean towards the idea that by looking at our DNA- something that’s as simple as a cheek-swab home test-  we may find tendencies…vulnerabilities…that can provide an indication as to where our bodies might develop issues. And the field of nutrigenomics can offer ways of dealing with these tendencies using specific and measured (i.e., customized) nutritional support, proven to assist in the healthiest expression of your genes. You can find out more about that here.

Nevertheless, I believe that the practice of meditation- and even that word might need clarification, since there’s a broad scope of defining exactly what we mean by ‘meditation’-  as well as meditative practices like yoga, or tai chi, can indeed help our body in it’s adaptation to stress.

In other words, maybe silence really IS golden. And not just for the kids.

AntiAging through whole-foods and customized supplementation

Anti-Aging. HUGE topic, yes? Just happened across this article at LIVESTRONG.com, that speaks to it in very clear and simple terms.

The truth is, as many of us who are baby boomers head kicking and screaming into our 50′s, there’s more and more interest in finding ways that we can- if not reverse it- then at least slow down the degenerative process! In fact, this topic has inspired economic-trend-analyst Paul Zane Pilzer to write a whole host of books about how this generation is creating an economic windfall, including the book “The Next Trillion”. Fascinating, how culture shapes the economy…

But I digress.

Click here to check out the article at LIVESTRONG.

As a professional in the alternative medical field, I’ve often repeated this mantra to my patients:

‘Food FIRST.”

In other words, taking supplements (which I believe strongly in) is something we do for exactly that reason- to SUPPLEMENT our diet. There are so many tiny, but important, enzymatic processes that occur when we get nutrition through FOOD, that we can’t possibly get all of these- certainly not through a synthetic source. And probably not completely in an organic source. To most closely approximate the results, you need to look for organic, whole-food supplements. I’ve written at length about how to choose the right supplements- you can read more here.

But what I enjoyed about the article is that it emphasizes 2 important things:

• Simple food and water concepts to follow
• And ONLY eating until you’re 80% full.

This 2nd one is so important! And one that we often forget when diving face-first into a delicious meal…

In Chinese Medicine it is said: “Eat for another man’s body.” Meaning…you KNOW what’s good for someone else! So do what you KNOW, not what you FEEL when it comes to your eating habits.

It will make for a much longer, much HEALTHIER journey.

And afterall, isn’t that the whole point of anti-aging?

There are 12 identified gene snp’s (pronounced ‘snips’) that have been identified.

Each of these particular segments of your DNA reflect your inherited traits in particular targeted areas:

• Bone health
• Eye/Vision
• Cardiovascular health
• Lung and Breast tissue
• Oxidative stress capacity
• Immunity
• Neurological
• Pulmonary
• Collagen
• CoQ10
• Detoxification and Environmental Challenges

Pretty comprehensive for the foundations of wellness, wouldn’t you say?

From here, the cheek swab home-test is analyzed for your particulars- either one or both chromosomes will indicate an inherited ‘gap’ in your defense in one of the 12 categories- and a custom blend is developed to suit you! From over 100 ingredients, which means the number of variable blends is somewhere upwards of 500,000.

How DNA testing leads to supplementation

Beats the heck out of expecting a One-A-Day to do the same job.

Not sure? There’s plenty of science here…do your homework! Starting HERE: http://dnacustomizednutrition.com/dnacustomizedsupplements/dna-science/

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