DNA – the blueprint of your cells
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) contains all the genetic information of the cell – and this gene material is vital in the creation of new cells.
Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA
When the DNA is damaged in any way disease will follow as well as accelerated aging.
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The DNA can be damaged in various ways:
The first of these is gene repression, where certain genes are “switching off” and are then unable to send out the chemical messages to the cell to perform various actions. This can be caused by various factors such as nutritional deficiencies or toxic overload from alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and assimilation of pesticides or toxic chemicals.
The second source of decreased DNA function would come from hampering any physical relationship or in diffusion barriers.
The third contributing source of DNA dysfunction in aging is the build-up of waste materials and resultant damage to the cell and organ concerned.
The fourth type of DNA change responsible for the aging process is the physical loss of DNA information. This loss can occur because of damaging substances – such as free radicals, which can be formed from a variety of sources. These free radicals cannot only damage the DNA but can cause mutations in the DNA, which would result in incorrect replication of the cell.
Telomeres are also involved in the aging process and the health of our DNA. Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, an esteemed researcher on telomeres explain them as the plastic tips of a shoelace and they protect the DNA from damage – and ensure that the replicated cell contains all the necessary and correct information. If these telomeres start to get thinner, as we age and through stressors, the less protection they give to the DNA strand, and when they start “fraying” the DNA cannot replicate correctly and the cell dies.
- To read more about this pioneering lady, please click here.
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