This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Charles Penick, MD

Genetic Integrity: Why Protecting Your DNA Matters

Your genome is made of a chemical called deoxyribonucleic acid, better known as DNA. DNA is a two-stranded molecule with a unique ‘double helix’ shape that looks like a twisted ladder. Your DNA carries the genetic instructions for your development, functioning, growth, and reproduction.¹ So it is the building block of not only your life but also the following generations that come after you, and protecting its integrity is quite literally a matter of life or death.

A strand of DNA in an average human cell goes through approximately 10,000 natural instances of damage a day.² This damage comes from various sources, including endogenous oxidants like superoxides, environmental chemicals, and even sunburns. Despite all this damage, we’re still here as a species.

Although diseases like cancer do take many lives, they don’t take all lives, and generally, they tend to become fatal later in life. So even though our genes are constantly stressed and damaged, we have a robust genetic repair system.

Immune System Health and DNA Protection

The latest research has uncovered a link between the immune system and DNA. The discovery is that DNA damage stimulates an immune response in the body similar to that observed during a viral infection. In the case of a virus, the immune messenger molecules produced due to the immune signals go to fight pathogenic invaders. In this case, however, the alerts send molecules to help repair DNA damage.³

This discovery has significant implications, implying that bolstering the immune system could help you repair damaged DNA. More than ever, our DNA is threatened by various sources all day.

The 5 Firewalls Between You and A Bad Genetic Outcome

Bulletproofing your immune system is a powerful tool to support your body, not only due to the infections from bacteria, fungus, and parasites– but also because it can signal DNA repair.³ For all those wanting to live long, healthy lives or pass down strong genes to future generations, there are many ways to improve your immune system’s abilities.

Five of the top ways to firewall your immune system include:

1. Immune System Health Firewall 1: Iridodial for DNA Repair

Iridodial is a dialdehyde, which is a part of a group of alcohols with the hydrogen removed. This substance has an incredible capacity to enhance and support our bodies’ genetic repair system naturally.

Plants, animals, insects, and fungi contact the same viruses as humans do and explore how nature has provided us with incredible healing tools. Ants are considered to have some of the most efficient genetic repair systems known to man. The medicinal value of ants has been known in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Ant extract preparations have been used in China to treat various health conditions, including rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, and sexual hypofunction, as well as for anti-aging purposes.⁴

More recently, studies out of Germany by a doctor called Hans Nieper explored the ability of iridodial to increase the capacity to repair DNA. Nieper highlights that ants don’t have an immune system but that this compound is responsible for DNA repair at an alarming rate, making them resilient creatures. His studies of ants also discovered that that iridodial is responsible for their black color.

Although Traditional Chinese Medicine does not break down the benefits of foods and herbs in terms of their compounds, they also highlight black foods’ power to build resilience. Black foods are said to tonify the kidneys, which are considered to be the root of life. In TCM, kidneys store “essence,” which is associated with life force and resilience.⁵

2. Immune System Health Firewall: Fasting for Gene Silencing

Although we often focus on improving our body’s function, gene silencing is the opposite. Gene silencing regulates gene expression in a cell to prevent the expression of a particular gene 6. It is all about the loss of function, specifically the function of unfavorable genetic material we do not want to be expressed.

One of the ways genes turn on or off is through environmental factors. This means that we have some agency by managing the external environment in such a way as to encourage ‘bad’ genes to switch off. Although no genes are innately evil, they can become problematic if expressed in the wrong amounts or if they are damaged.

Two significant factors in gene silencing are fasting and methylation/ detox. Fasting promotes gene silencing, among many other benefits. It encourages the body to operate optimally through autophagy, turning off and downregulating bad genes.⁷

Detox is also crucial in gene silencing because if the body is toxic, it will burden our body’s methylation process.⁸ So, instead of being used to silence bad genes, our bodies focus methylation energy on managing our toxic load. So engaging in safe and effective detox is a primary way to help silence bad genes. Some of the toxins to avoid and detox from include heavy metals, glyphosate, and parabens.

3. Immune System Health Firewall: Venus Fly Trap Junk DNA

It’s been nearly a decade since the Human Genome Project was finished, reporting that about 98% of DNA did not code for making proteins and was declared “junk DNA.”⁹ They claimed that the vast majority of our DNA served no purpose, which we now know is invalid.

The latest science highlights that what we’ve been referring to as “junk DNA” might just be misunderstood genetic material. Instead, scientists attribute such DNA to various biological processes and even human diseases that a non-coding DNA segment acts as a volume knob for gene expression, ultimately influencing the development of multiple ailments, including certain cancers and autism.^10-11

Although most of our DNA has a purpose, not every expression of it serves our health. In other words, some of it is junky. Silencing genes is valuable, as is protecting our DNA. Still, the third firewall would support the body’s ability to remove certain bits of genetic code that are too far gone for repair or silencing.

If ants are an example of how to repair DNA, the Venus flytrap is the all-star example of nature cleaning up bad DNA sequencing. The Genlisea Aurea (or, as it’s more commonly known, the Venus Flytrap) contains a low number of genes and short non-coding sequences.¹² In other words, this plant has figured out how to remove code from its DNA that doesn’t belong there.

4. Immune System Health Firewall: Ellagitannin for Infected Cells to Self-Destruct

The fourth firewall is the self-destruct signal for infected cells. If a lousy code gets inserted into the genes and starts pumping out damaging proteins or other versions of a virus, the cell should take one for the team and hit the self-destruct button. This occurs through the p53 gene and a process called apoptosis.¹³ Through this process, the cell digests everything inside of itself, turns to goo, and self-destructs.

The problem with apoptosis occurs due to the herpes family of viruses— which is not just genital herpes but also oral herpes (cold sores). In addition, most people have been exposed to chickenpox, Epstein Barr, mono, or cytomegalovirus. Many of us have been exposed to this family of viruses that can damage the p53 gene.¹⁴ The gene is responsible for apoptosis or the self-destruct signal.

Therefore, most people need something that can support the self-destruct apoptosis signal that when cells may get overwhelmed and start making these bad genes, these damaging proteins can be shut down.

One of the best ways to support the apoptotic cycle is with ellagitannin. Ellagitannins are a family of bioactive polyphenols in fruits and nuts such as pomegranates, black raspberries, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts, and almonds.¹⁵

5.Immune System Health Firewall: Astragalus or Curcumin for T Regulatory Cells

Although the body naturally can clear out rogue proteins, it takes time. It takes time to recognize that the proteins are there and figure out how to deal with them. While this process is happening, we want to ensure that our immune system keeps it’s cool, stays calm, and doesn’t freak out.

If damaged genes direct our cells to produce rogue proteins like proteins already in our body, and the immune system begins to freak out, we risk systemic autoimmune reactions.¹⁶

T regulatory cells are a class of lymphocytes. T cells come from the thymus, a subset of lymphocytes that suppress inflammatory cytokines and help the immune system stay calm.¹⁶ Many things suppress T regulatory cells on purpose. Still, firewall number five is about supporting the T regulatory cells so that the immune system remains more calm and balanced while you address things like DNA, gene silencing, and getting rid of junk DNA.

You can see this process as keeping the crew calm while a well-seasons captain navigates a storm. If the crew (the immune system) starts panicking or wants to jump ship, the body can quickly fall down the route of chronic and complicated autoimmune conditions. Keeping the T cell count high keeps everyone calm during the storm, knowing that the other four firewalls are working to bulletproof your DNA, getting rid of or healing the bad, and protecting the good.

Two of the best supplements for regulating your T cells are curcumin and astragalus.^17-18

Immune System Health—All Five Firewalls in One: Regenemin

All five of these supplements have been combined in a product called Regenemin. This product is a one-stop shop for the five ways to support a robust immune system and help heal or discard bad DNA. Many ingredients supporting this DNA-protecting process are difficult to source. This product is brand new and about to hit the shelves, so you can pre-order it today to ensure your DNA is protected.

Summary

Supporting the immune system is a powerful way to help the body regenerate or discard bad DNA. Unfortunately, our DNA is constantly under attack, but there are many things you can do to support its natural processes. Processes like repairing DNA, silencing genes, getting rid of junk DNA, and calming the immune system while this is underway, can help ensure that you support your health and pass down robust, healthy DNA to the next generations.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is based on the opinions of The Cell Health team. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended to share knowledge and information from the research and experience of the Cell Health team. This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Charles Penick, MD, for the accuracy of the information provided, but we encourage you to make your own healthcare decisions based on your research and in partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

References

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