From broccoli to oysters — how you can protect your DNA
POLLUTIOn, industrial toxins, emotional stress and ultraviolet radiation all cause damage to our genetic code.
When DNA is harmed, as we have seen, genes can malfunction. This can cause physical signs such as wrinkles, or damage to organs such as the brain, heart and lungs. It has also been linked to cancer.
Yet certain food and drink can help protect DNA against these assaults.
When we read about diet and health, one term frequently encountered is antioxidants. These are touted as natural substances found in ‘superfoods’ that can neutralise free radicals and provide a range of benefits, from fighting cancer to anti-ageing. This general wisdom is correct.
Free radicals are highly reactive compounds produced by the chemical reactions taking place in the body. Our body attempts to reduce levels of free radicals using antioxidants made by our cells.
If free radicals overwhelm natural antioxidants, they can cause a condition in cells called oxidative stress, which can injure our DNA.
Many foods contain bioactive chemicals with antioxidant properties. Most nutrition textbooks describe the importance of micronutrients as the building blocks for normal DNA.
These include vitamins A,B,C,D, and e, found in spinach, carrots, red peppers, lentils, haricot beans and mushrooms, as well as eggs, cod liver oil, sardines and mackerel.
Minerals such as magnesium, found in almonds, oatmeal and bananas, or zinc, found in oysters, crab and lobster, all make a useful contribution to the upkeep of DNA repair mechanisms, too.
The Mediterranean diet — characterised by fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish — is made up of foods known to be high in antioxidants and to have anti-inflammatory and DNA-repairing qualities.
FOODS containing antioxidants might be able to neutralise harmful oxidising chemicals in the bloodstream, but that can only defend DNA from damage — and that’s only one part of protecting your genetic code.
If you smoke, are exposed to environmental toxins, or have a chronic inflammatory condition, the antioxidants in your food might have limited success.
However, studies show some foods can speed up the repair of broken DNA after the damage has taken place. Carrots, kiwi and hake, for instance, contain compounds that can help repair DNA by activating cellular ‘machinery’ to mend problems.
Other foods, including soya, turmeric and coffee, can activate protective genes while blunting the effects of harmful ones.
There are also foods that have been shown to influence DNA to your advantage. Knowing this makes it possible to use dietary choices to protect, repair and course-correct your DNA to defend your health.
Here are some DNA-boosting foods with proven benefits…
RED AND PINK FRUIT
IT’S worth having a shot of tomato, watermelon, pink grapefruit or guava juice before going out into the sun.
The lycopene they contain has been shown to help defend you against damage caused by the sun’s UV rays.
Studies show that it cannot repair DNA after damage, but it has a protective effect before exposure. It could also protect you from X-ray radiation.
Lycopene also offers protection against DNA damage caused by the bacterium
which lives in the stomach and can cause gastritis, stomach ulcers
and even stomach cancer.
ORANGES
ORA'NGES are well known for their high vitamin C content, but research shows they contain active compounds that can improve the blood’s ability to protect DNA, too.
Although the study used 415ml juice, you will always derive more benefit if you eat the whole fruit.
BERRIES
ReD and dark-coloured berries contain many active compounds (bioactives) with antioxidant effects that help protect DnA.
BROCCOLI
ReSeARCHeRS in Italy and Denmark found that bioactives in broccoli (240g eaten each day for ten days) protected smokers from DnA damage.
The beneficial effect stopped as soon as they took broccoli out of their diets.
Like other cruciferous veg (pak choi, kale and cabbage) it contains sulforaphane. This has been shown to reduce the genetic activity of certain cancer cells, as well as increase that of tumoursuppressor genes that activate a defence against cancer.
OYSTERS AND OYSTER SAUCE
OYSTeRS are a great source of the amino acid taurine, which protects DnA against free radical damage. It also contains the amino acid cysteine and peptides that create a powerful antioxidant called glutathione.
Oyster sauce is an especially potent DnA protector, as oysters are boiled down to create an extract containing concentrated bioactives. Add oyster sauce for flavour and DnA protection when you make a stir-fry.
SEAFOOD
SeAFOOD has antioxidant effects that counter the devastation of DnA that is caused by free radicals, which, if left unchecked, might otherwise go on to be cancerous.
Salmon is a good source, but hake tops the list.
This is closely followed by cockles and clams, fresh tuna and kingfish.
Studies show a high intake of marine omega-3s (100g per day) is associated with a 46 per cent reduced risk of aggressive colon cancers.
TURMERIC
THe main bioactive in turmeric is curcumin, which has been shown to increase the activity of tumour-suppressor genes, particularly those linked with colon cancer and leukaemia.
Curcumin also protects the health of your blood vessels, and studies show it can trigger DnA changes that cause brain cancer cells to die.
HERBS
ROSEMARY, basil, marjoram, sage, thyme and peppermint contain rosmarinic acid, which, scientists have found, can prevent the blocking of tumour-suppressor genes in human breast cancer cells.
EXTRACTED by LOUISE ATKINSON from Eat To Beat Disease: The Body’s Five Defence Systems And The Foods That Could Save Your Life by Dr William Li, published by Vermilion in paperback at £16.99. © Dr William Li 2018 To order a copy for £13.60 (offer valid to 23/9/19; P&P free on orders over £15), call 0844 571 0640.