Slow the clock: how DNA monitoring can extend longevity.

Aging may be inevitable--but science is revealing that we have far more control over the rate at which we age than previously believed. Many factors-environmental, behavioral, and dietary--affect how quickly, how slowly, and how visibly we age. These same factors have bearing on our disease risk. While symptoms of illness and the signs of aging are the most outward manifestation of the manifold physiological processes that constitute physical and mental infirmity, on the most basic and profound level, wellness and longevity may be measured by the body's ability to repair and protect its DNA.

This, of course, begs the question: What is DNA? It is an acronym for deoxyribonucleic acid--a macromolecule that acts like a blueprint or instruction manual for the functions of your cells. In the late 19th century, scientists isolated substances in animal cells that they named "nucleic acids." In 1962 James Watson and Francis Crick won the Nobel Prize for their discovery of the structure of DNA. This structure--a double-helix made from two long, intertwined nucleotide strands--allows DNA to impart those instructions mentioned above. It does this by unzipping itself, and drawing new nucleotides to constitute RNA.

If the DNA is the blueprint for life, then the RNA (or ribonucleic acid) acts as a contractor. Once RNA is formed, it splits from DNA (which then re-twines to its original state). Our RNA contractor then does two things. One, it collects materials for the job outlined in the DNA. Two, it recruits workmen (called ribosomes) to start assembling the building materials (amino acids) into new proteins, according to the plan.

Life, as we know, does not always go according to plan--and on this most basic level, this essential truth retains particular resonance. I've watched the processes of life under a microscope--and I've also been involved in constructing a house and a medical center. In both cases, I know that in order for building to proceed smoothly, the right materials are needed at the right times.

In the body, this means having adequate levels of nutrients in order to support protein formation and function. The tools needed to assemble the building materials for life are the 38 or so essential nutrients, including vitamins and minerals.

A brilliant architect, a bold blueprint, a site stocked with abundant building materials of the finest quality and all the right tools can still come to ruin if you leave it open to the elements--or worse, vandals and thieves. Nutrients, cells and the DNA blueprint itself can be "vandalized" by aptly named free radicals, or reactive oxygen species (ROS) as they are sometimes otherwise known.

You've heard it said that someone has "lost his marbles"? Well, these oxygen atoms have lost one of their electrons, and gad about acting as insane as electron-deprived atoms might, doing everything in their power to steal lost electrons from otherwise intact molecules, thus spreading free radical damage.

As you might imagine, these "vandals" are fairly indiscriminate and will strip electrons off any molecule they can. Guess what? There are plenty of electrons in DNA. In the short term, allowing for adequate nucleotides, DNA can repair itself. What's more, the body can produce and certain food (particularly fruit and vegetables) can supply antioxidants--essentially security guards that intercept these vandals and march them off the premises.

Over time, however, either by an excess of free radical vandalism or a scarcity of antioxidant protection, DNA damage can accumulate. This cumulative damage manifests as aging, ischemia, cancer, autoimmune diseases and neural cell death. Think of it: If your blueprint starts falling apart, your contractors and workmen are going to make mistakes. Stairs start missing steps. Plumbing fails to connect. Patches of roof remain un-tiled. TF to live in such a structure and soon you'll end up having an accident. In the body, that accident is called disease.

Early on in my research I became obsessed with the idea of creating a diagnostic tool that would measure the rate of DNA breakdown. I knew that certain factors could accelerate this damage (UV radiation, cigarette smoke, chronic stress, poor diet). I also knew that it was possible to increase the level of protection, by increasing antioxidant levels and maybe the rate of repair through other means of intervention. Again, if you are accumulating DNA damage faster than you are able to repair it, you've got a problem.

It's really very simple. Think of your body as a tub. The rate of DNA damage is the faucet filling up the tub. The drain is the rate of DNA repair. In order to keep the tub from overflowing, you've got to either reduce the flow from the spigot, or ensure the drain is fully open. In order to help people preserve the balance, we at the California Health and Longevity Institute created a test that actually measures the rate at which DNA damage is accumulating. We saw this as not only a very powerful diagnostic tool--but a means of prevention as well. It's one thing to tell people that smoking or using tanning beds is bad for their health. It's another entirely to show how they're actually accelerating the aging process by such behaviors.

There is a direct link between increased damage to your DNA and increased risk of cell death, as the cell is unable to make the proteins it needs to survive. When damaged by free radicals, DNA releases fragments of itself into the blood and urine. Today, at the California Health and Longevity Institute, we offer patients such a test which detects the DNA damage through chemical analysis. We can then monitor DNA degradation levels for our patients, identifying any spikes in damage that may be early indicators of aging, diseases and/or cancer. The methodology, is continually developing but such early indicators of disease may be able to begin to tell you if your lifestyle is "hurting your DNA."

For example, there was one patient whose tests showed a mysterious spike in genetic degradation. We conducted all the necessary, tests to eliminate possible causes and came up empty. Finally, we learned that our patient had started taking a Chinese supplement recommended by an herbalist. It turned out the herb was a powerful stimulant that later was banned and it also contained high levels of lead from the pestle used to crush the herbs into powder. In other words, this ancient "cure" was poisoning the patient.

For most of us, the culprits that cause health problems are far less exotic. Often times, the problem is one of failing to get enough of the nutrients you need (remember that building site) as well as the risks posed by poor diet, inactivity and excess weight.

Knowing what you're doing wrong is only part of the equation. As my friend and associate in the California Health and Longevity Institute, David Murdock, likes to say, once you've identified the problem, you must "come up with the solution and execute." The diagnostic tools offered by the leading medical doctors at my clinic, working together with the lifestyle experts at the California WellBeing Institute, can provide that solution and tell you how to execute better dietary and fitness choices to solve the eternal question of how to live better, longer.

by Andrew Conrad, PhD, Co-Founder and

Chief Scientific Officer of the National Genetics Institute