Metabolic Health and Longevity
Deal with Somatic Mutations in Three Steps.
I explain what we can do practically to lower the risks of somatic mutations that influence health and longevity significantly.
Creating Epigenetic Effects with a Healthy Lifestyle
Humans desire a long and healthy life. While we have the aspiration to live 1,000 years, it is not feasible with our current capabilities.
Our built-in survival system watches us non-stop to protect us from dangers and risks. However, despite the protective effects of the body with an armed defense system, our genes and lifestyle choices decide our mortality or longevity.
We cannot do much about our genes at this stage, even though genetic engineering and biotechnology are making phenomenal progress, such as gene editing.
Nevertheless, we can impact our health span and longevity by leveraging healthy lifestyle habits that scientists now call epigenetic effects, as I introduced in a story before.
A Brief Background of Our Knowledge About Somatic Mutations
In this section, I provide a brief snapshot of the concept by extracting key points from the literature and linking the resources for those who want to explore the topic further. You may skip this section if your goal is to understand relevant lifestyle factors.
Our knowledge of somatic mutations is limited. Yet, scientists gained clues on the mechanisms and the root causes. My article aims to introduce this concept with highlights from scientific sources briefly.
However, my focus is on three lifestyle changes that we can leverage to reduce the imaginable risks of somatic mutations. I use the term “imaginable” intentionally as our knowledge is minimal. So far, caring and diligent scientists have developed valuable hypotheses using their imagination, technology capabilities, and mathematical models.
This is not a scientific article and indeed not health advice. Instead, you may read my content as an opinion piece reflecting my thoughts based on a review of the growing literature, systematic observations, and my lifestyle experimentations.
National Cancer Institute defines somatic mutations as:
“An alteration in DNA that occurs after conception. Somatic mutations can occur in any of the cells of the body except the germ cells (sperm and egg) and therefore are not passed on to children. These alterations can (but do not always) cause cancer or other diseases.”
As mentioned in a review paper titled Somatic mutations, genome mosaicism, cancer, and aging:
“Genomes are inherently unstable due to the need for DNA sequence variation in the germline to fuel evolution through natural selection. In somatic tissues, mutations accumulate during development and aging, generating genome mosaics. There is little information about the possible causal role of increased somatic mutation loads in late-life disease and aging, with the exception of cancer.”
The paper gives a clue about the role of stress in the formation of mutation. The keyword is cellular stressors.
“Cellular stressors generate free radicals causing damage to DNA. The resulting DNA damage creates mutations that are normally repaired by DNA mismatch repair systems. If the stressors induce mutations within DNA mismatch repair or replication systems, this can lead to irreversible genome breaks and damage and loss of the original genome template.”
This 2022 study published in Nature: “performed whole-genome sequencing of 208 intestinal crypts from 56 individuals to study the landscape of somatic mutation across 16 mammalian species.”
Researchers found that:
“Somatic mutagenesis was dominated by seemingly endogenous mutational processes in all species, including 5-methylcytosine deamination and oxidative damage.”
This comprehensive study concludes:
“These data unveil common mutational processes across mammals and suggest that somatic mutation rates are evolutionarily constrained and may be a contributing factor in aging.”
This 2013 study comparing younger and older people with cancers illustrated that “Half or more of the somatic mutations in cancers of self-renewing tissues originate prior to tumor initiation.”
Researchers found:
“In younger individuals, there were more somatic mutations within their tumors as compared to older individual’s tumors, suggesting mutations occur throughout development and contribute towards aging.”
As pointed out in this NIH Genetics book on Somatic Mutations:
“The clinical significance of somatic mutations is vast. Some of the more recognized pathologies include McCune Albright Syndrome, Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, Sturge Weber, and variations of Lissencephaly.”
After this brief background, based on my review of the literature on somatic mutations, genome mosaicism, and the effects of cancers in aging, I’d like to share my opinions on reducing the risks of accelerated mutations.
My understanding from the limited research on somatic mutations boils down to two consequential health factors, including environmental toxins and biochemical interactions in the body’s cells caused by various internal and external stress factors.
The Importance of Cellular Health for Lifestyle Design
In my opinion, our health starts in cells. The health of each cell determines the quality of tissues and organs. Thus, I hypothesize that if we can protect our cells and improve their function with lifestyle choices, we might noticeably enhance our health and life span.
As documented in Blue Zone studies, my ideas come from observing people with healthy lifestyle choices having a relatively higher quality of life and even gaining some longevity benefits.
For example, scientists investigated the dietary profile of people in Blue Zones such as Sardinia. There are many more examples like this in the literature, shedding light on the lifestyle of centenarians.
I also noticed the effects of healthy lifestyle habits in my personal transformation. For example, simply skipping a meal significantly impacted my health journey, as I documented in this article titled When I Skipped Breakfasts for Two Decades, I Gained Copious Benefits.
Based on my reviews and observation of centenarians in my circles, such as Algor, Gisela, and Jeremy, one of the significant contributors to cellular health is the initiation of the autophagy process naturally. This built-in process cleanses the body by removing toxins and pathogens. I provided three tips to activate autophagy.
In addition, improving the density of our mitochondria can also increase the health of cells serving as the energy source of the cells. I provided 12 tips to make our mitochondria denser using lifestyle habits.
In my reviews and observations, hormonal balance also significantly affects our metabolism, e.g., reducing visceral fat and maintaining lean muscles. Thus I hypothesize that hormonal balance is critical for our health and life span.
Based on my experience, I’d like to introduce three lifestyle changes that might reduce the “imaginable” risks of somatic mutations. I provide these points for information purposes, not prescriptive advice.
1 — Reduce Intake of Toxins and Eliminate Them
The harmful effects of toxins in our cells are well documented in the body of knowledge. For example, when we check out PubMed using the keywords “toxins and cells,” we find over 196K scientific references. Thus, I will not go into details.
When we look at the lifestyle effects, we have already learned a lot about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking on our cells.
As I pointed out in a recent article titled “Three Tips to Quit Smoking Permanently,” 16 million Americans live with a disease caused by smoking, according to CDC.
So simply by stopping tobacco smoking, we can significantly improve our cellular health. Smoking is not an essential human need. It is a lifestyle choice.
Entirely preventing environmental toxins looks impossible. Thus, we need to find intelligent ways to eliminate toxins. As I mentioned before, one of the effective ways is to initiate autophagy using lifestyle habits.
In addition, we might use some tools and techniques to get rid of toxins with the help of qualified health care professionals.
For example, a friend, Alan, successfully reduced toxins and reaped health benefits. I documented his method in this article titled Alan Detoxified His Body with 3 Self-Healing Mechanisms Lowering Health Risks & Accelerating Fat Loss.
2 — Improve the Quality of Food
I believe in the adage, “we are what we eat.”
Nutrition science identified harmful and toxic foods that dieticians and nutritionists inform their clients. Learning from their knowledge and experience can be invaluable in eliminating contaminated food from our diet.
The way we cook and preserve our foods can make a big difference in preventing pathogens and toxins.
For example, we know that overcooking meat can be problematic. Thus I am very cautious about burning meat in barbecues which can happen quickly.
Burned meat is carcinogenic, including heterocyclic amines (HCA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
As documented by National Cancer Institute, “In laboratory experiments, HCAs and PAHs have been found to be mutagenic — that is, they cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer.
We also know that some junk foods include harmful additives and risky ingredients that might affect our cells. Therefore, checking food labels for unsafe and risky ingredients and refraining from junk food is a practical lifestyle choice to improve cellular health.
Related to nutrition, our gut and digestive system are critical for our physical and mental health. Therefore, addressing leaky gut, bloating, allergies, and autoimmune conditions timely with help from qualified healthcare professionals can be invaluable.
3 — Prevent Chronic Stress and Inflammation
I noticed from my four decades of research that chronic stress and inflammation are associated with numerous health conditions affecting our DNA and shortening our telomeres.
In addition, stress and inflammation have significant adverse effects on our cells.
American Psychological Association about chronic stress informs that:
“ Recent research suggests chronic stress damage starts before we’re even conceived and cuts into our very cells. A number of studies have linked stress with shorter telomeres, a chromosome component that’s been associated with cellular aging and risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.”
And Healthline about chronic inflammation documented that:
“When you’re living with chronic inflammation, your body’s inflammatory response can eventually start damaging healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Over time, this can lead to DNA damage, tissue death, and internal scarring.”
The message is crystal clear about the harmful effects of chronic stress and inflammation. Nevertheless, entirely removing stress and inflammation is impossible as the body needs them for growth and recovery in an adequate amount.
However, when not treated timely, accumulated stress and excessive inflammation can imbalance our hormones and neurotransmitters at the cellular level.
Even though chronic stress and inflammation require medical intervention in severe cases, we might also prevent their accumulation and reduce the impact with simple lifestyle habits such as a customized diet, restorative sleep, joyful workouts, rest, and fun with loved ones.
Conclusions and Takeaways
Even though the human body has a complicated defense mechanism, it is impossible to cope with internal and external intruders without making a concerted effort. Thus, lifestyle choices play a critical role in maintaining good health and preventing diseases.
Healthspan and longevity are the responsibility of individuals leveraging the knowledge and support of qualified healthcare professionals.
By taking personal responsibility to design healthy lifestyle choices, we might significantly improve our health and extend our life span.
However, whatever we do, based on our current capabilities, it is impossible to stop aging and dying after a certain age as our genes make the decision.
With our present knowledge and capabilities, at least we might delay aging to some extent and prevent diseases. As we learn more about cellular health and our genes, our longevity slightly increases century by century.
I would like to conclude my article with fifteen takeaway points regarding healthy lifestyle choices (approaching health holistically) that we may explore and practice with the support of healthcare professionals, friends, colleagues, community members, and loved ones.
1 — Prevent and timely address chronic stress and inflammation.
2 — Consider a customized diet and refrain from junk food.
3 — Reduce intake of toxins and timely eliminate them.
4 — Find practical ways to activate autophagy.
5 — Find practical ways to improve the health of mitochondria.
6 — Leverage healthy lifestyle habits to balance hormones.
7 — Regulate emotions and gain cognitive flexibility for mental health.
8 — Consider time-restricted eating or fast-mimicking diets, and increase Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factors for neurogenesis and brain health.
9 — Make the body fat-adapted and support the brain with ketosis.
10 — Reduce visceral fat and maintain lean muscles.
11 — Make the body insulin sensitive and susceptible to leptin.
12 — Consider cold exposure and heat therapies like dry saunas.
13 — Consider mindfulness practices such as meditation.
14— Always pay attention to quality nourishment, restorative sleep, joyful workouts, rest, timely recovery, and enjoying life with meaningful connections by scheduling fun activities.
15— Consider well-researched supplements that might improve cellular health such as CoQ10, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, NADH, TMG, choline, creatine, digestive enzymes, magnesium, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D with advice from qualified healthcare professionals.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
In addition to health and well-being topics, I also write about my independent reviews of beneficial and well-researched supplements and molecules to improve our metabolic and cognitive health. I link them below.
Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and other nutrients that might help to improve metabolism and mental health.
Disclaimer: Please note that this post does not include health or professional advice. I documented my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information. If you have disease symptoms, please consult your healthcare professionals. Health is the responsibility of individuals.
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