Ive told you in the past that the best way to live longer is to keep your calories low. But science has now found a way to obtain the same effect without restricting yourself. Interested?
What if I told you theres an added benefit? This same mechanism also can prevent cancer. Heres how it works.
All our cells are programmed to die when they get old or injured. They all have a built in self-destruct gene. Its called p53. This gene triggers cell death. The process is called apoptosis, or spontaneous cell death. Its a great system. Theres no way to avoid everything that can injure cells, even in a chemical-free world.
When this process does not work right, you can cause faster aging (when cells die too fast) or you get cancer (when cells get injured and do not die). P53 must be balanced for both slower aging and cancer prevention.
So the goal is to keep your p53 gene in working order. And Spanish researchers devised an experiment to evaluate how to do that. They genetically engineered mice to have an extra copy of the p53 gene. Those mice actually lived 16% longer than mice with normal p53 genetic function.
Spanish researcher Manuel Serrano said, The expectation is that having more p53, mice will have a stricter quality control for cells, hence less cancer and less aging. Serrano pointed to research that shows that worms and animals that eat less have slower metabolisms and live longer. But his study strongly suggests that extra p53 activity offers benefit without calorie restriction.
I am sure that Big Pharma will find petrochemicals to increase p53 activity. But, one terrific natural answer is already here, and I have reported on it previously. Its the polyphenol called resveratrol!
Just look at this exact quote from a 2002 article, which says it all: Resveratrol, a phytoalexin (polyphenol) found in grapes, berries, and peanuts, is one of the most promising agents for cancer prevention. Our previous study showed that the antitumor activity of resveratrol occurs through p53-mediated apoptosis.
It does not get any clearer than that. Resveratrol modulates p53. It does exactly what Big Pharma is designing chemicals to do. But since God made it, it wont have the toxicity that a petrochemical will carry.
Resveratrols effect on cancer goes even further. It inhibits free-radical formation. It inhibits the inflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase. The activity of this enzyme is needed for cancer as well as almost any inflammation in your body to thrive. In addition, resveratrol can arrest DNA synthesis in cancer-cell growth phases.
But that is not all. Resveratrol also dramatically reduced the highly dangerous effects of metabolic syndrome in overfed mice. Insulin is a driving force for cancer. Resveratrol increased insulin sensitivity. With less insulin resistance, your body needs less of this hormone of aging and death (when in excess).
Resveratrol is one of the most awesome anti-aging nutrients available. You do not have to wait for Big Pharma to come up with a synthetic drug that they can patent. Natural resveratrol is widely available. It is one of the few supplements I take on my Living Foods Diet. I take Healthy Resolves Advanced Resveratrol Plus. Your p53 gene and insulin sensitivity will love you for it!
Ref: Nature, July 19 2007; Cancer Research 61, 1604-1610, Feb. 15, 2001.