Yoga and meditation reduce the risk of cancer by changing our DNA

Yoga and meditation reduce our risk of cancer by changing our DNA, new research reveals.

People who practice so-called mind-body interventions (MBI), such as yoga, meditation and Tai Chi, produce significantly lower amounts of molecules that activate inflammation-causing genes, a study review found.

Inflammation has been linked to cancer, accelerated aging and poor mental health.

Lead investigator Ivana Buric from the University of Coventry, said: 'Millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of MBIs like yoga or meditation, but what they perhaps don't realise is that these benefits begin at a molecular level and can change the way our genetic code goes about its business.

'Put simply, MBIs cause the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path which improves our wellbeing.' 

Researchers from the universities of Coventry and Radboud analysed 18 studies with 846 participants conducted over 11 years.

Studies were included in the analysis if they measured gene expression after a MBI.

Results revealed people who practice MBIs produce significantly lower amounts of molecules that activate inflammation-causing genes.

These molecules are released after a stressful event due to the 'fight or flight' response.

Inflammation has been linked to cancer, accelerated ageing and poor mental health. 

Ms Buric said: 'Millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of mind-body interventions like yoga or meditation, but what they perhaps don't realise is that these benefits begin at a molecular level and can change the way our genetic code goes about its business.

'These activities are leaving what we call a molecular signature in our cells, which reverses the effect that stress or anxiety would have on the body by changing how our genes are expressed. 

'Put simply, MBIs cause the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path which improves our wellbeing.' 

The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

The researchers believe the inflammation-causing fight-or-flight response, which is involved in wound healing, would have played an important role when we were hunter-gatherers due to there being a higher risk of infection from wounds.

Today, however, when stress is often long term and more internal than injury-related, inflammation-causing gene expression can be persistent and cause medical problems.

Ms Buric said: 'More needs to be done to understand these effects in greater depth, for example how they compare with other healthy interventions like exercise or nutrition.

'But this is an important foundation to build on to help future researchers explore the benefits of increasingly popular mind-body activities.' 

Also read:

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• Just 30 minutes of jogging a day could add 9 YEARS to your lifespan
• 5 Tibetan Energy Rejuvenation Rites

Organic IS healthier: Vegetables grown without pesticides have higher antioxidant levels

Products grown without using toxic chemicals, which can cost twice as much as a result, contain higher levels of flavonols. These vegetables have 20 per cent more of the antioxidants, which prevent damage to the body, an Irish study suggests.

It comes five years after a major review of more than 200 studies concluded that organic food offered no nutritional benefit.  

However, the new Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, investigation is the longest-running study to address the issue.

The findings will be welcomed by organic farmers, whose claims their food is more nutritious have previously been rubbished by the government watchdog.

How was the study carried out?

Researchers assessed the levels of flavonoids and antioxidants in 'Red Baron' and 'Hyskin' onions between 2009 and 2014.

These forms of the vegetable are known to be high in quercetin - hailed by scientists for its cancer-fighting properties. 

A range of crops, grown either organically or using pesticides, were measured for their levels of the compounds, according to the report published in the ACS' Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

What did they find? 

As well as being higher in flavonoids, the researchers also found that antioxidant activity was higher in both varieties of organic onions.

To be certified as organic, farmers are unable to use the strong chemical weedkillers and pesticides on their vegetables. 

Instead, they use natural forms of growing crops in time for their harvest, such as biological pest control and rotation. 

However, due to this method of farming being less efficient, it costs more to produce - explaining the higher price of such vegetables.

Also read:

• Junk food damages blood cells
• Eating plenty of fruit and veg DOES help us live longer - by keeping our immune system young
• Steps you can take to naturally slow aging

Transfusions of young blood may protect against Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer

It appears Dracula may have been onto something when he drank the blood of young maidens to stop him aging.

Older people given transfusions of blood from younger adults are at a lower risk of cancer, dementia and heart disease, new research shows.

In groundbreaking trials on humans, scientists appear to have confirmed the long-standing myth that such injections can reverse aging. 

Ambrosia, a start-up firm based in San Francisco, has been testing the horror-movie inspired technique to assess its benefits.

It is similar to that of former North Korean dictator Kim Il-Sung who was said to take blood from people in their twenties to try to live to 100. 

Jesse Karmazin, founder of the company, told New Scientist: 'I don't want to say the word panacea, but there's something about teenagers.

'Whatever is in young blood is causing changes that appear to make the aging process reverse.'

How did they carry out the study? 

The findings came from blood tests that were taken both before and a month after 70 participants were given the radical treatment.

All of those involved were at least 35 and had paid $8,000 (£6,200) to be part of the experiment out of their own pocket.

They were given plasma - the main component of blood - from volunteers aged between 16 and 25.

What did they find? 

Researchers noted improvements in biomarkers of various major diseases, also known of indicators

for certain conditions. This included a 10 per cent reduction in blood cholesterol, of which high levels are known to lead to heart disease.

Other effects noted by the scientists were a 20 per cent reduction in proteins called carcinoembryonic antigens. These can be seen in high quantities in people who have various forms of cancer, the website reports, but it remains to be seen whether.

The younger blood also helped to slash amyloid protein levels, which forms toxic clumps in the brains of dementia patients, by a fifth.  

In particular, one 55-year-old patient with early onset Alzheimer's began to show improvements in his condition after just one transfusion. Mr Karmazin said that another, slightly older, woman affected worse by the disease is showing similar improvements. He reported some of the firm's findings, which suggested people will receive the most benefit from two injections a year, at the Recode conference in Los Angeles yesterday.  

However, he hinted it's possible some of the effects of could have been imagined by those who were desperate to see results after paying so much. 

Scientists have long studied the effects of young blood on animals, but have come across a mixed bag of results.

Just last month US research suggested that the blood from human umbilical cords could be the key ingredient for a ‘fountain of youth’ drug.

The Stanford University team discovered a protein found with the plasma can reverse the effects of age-related mental decline.

However, experts at The Ottawa Hospital made a much different finding last July. They noted how blood donations from young women may be linked to poorer survival rates in recipients. 

Also read:

• Is young blood the secret to eternal youth?
• Does teenage BLOOD hold the key to the fountain of youth?
• Scientists discover a protein that can make old blood young again

Going to the beach changes your brain for the better

You've probably noticed how spending a day at the water can make you feel more relaxed, rested and re-energized. That feeling is not all in your head, scientists say when we spend time by the water, our brain actually changes.

Our minds are sent into a restful almost hypnotic space thanks to the soothing smells and sounds of the water. Researchers refer to this as "blue space."

Here's what a visit at the beach, or really a trip to the lake or any other body of water, can do:

Boosts creativity

Being in a blue space makes you more creative, because 

it allows your brain to become relaxed, so you are more likely to drift off and imagine than you would be when thrust in the middle of the often chaotic day-to-day world.

Stress melts away

If you put your toes in the water, or go for a swim, that water is filled with naturally occurring positive ions that are known to help relieve stress and boost your mood. Some scientists believe that the positive ions given off by the many appliances we use on a regular basis can leave us feeling angry, cranky, and overworked. Naturally occurring negative ions counteract all of this.

It reduces depression

The sounds of the waves can put you into a meditative state which has been associated with reduced depression and better mental clarity.

Your perspective is changed for the better

Being in a place surrounded by beautiful scenery, the sounds of the water and simply the presence of nature is incredibly soothing to the soul. It reminds us that there are things bigger on this planet than a traffic jam or a snarky co-worker.

Also read:

• Having access to green places 'helps people live longer'
• Doctors explain how hiking actually changes our brains
• Why GARDENING is the best fitness for elderly women