In this article we’ll be discussing how cannabinoids found inside the hemp plant work to repair DNA. When DNA is fully functioning and healthy, premature aging and the risk of cancer are reduced.
HOW HEMP WORKS TO REPAIR DNA
If you’ve heard of the proteins albumin and edestin, you’ll be aware they are proteins that most closely resemble our own protein that makes up the building blocks of DNA. It’s no wonder then, that these proteins have been shown to have the ability to repair DNA.
So if you want to live a healthy, full life, where degeneration and the risk of disease is reduced, it makes sense then to consume foods rich in albumin and edestin to increase your body’s ability to repair and renew cells faster then they die and degenerate – after all, our bodies are deteriorating and renewing at the same time, but the balance starts to swing the latter way the more we age.
At this stage we can only slow the process through nutrition, supplementation, water intake, exercise, mindfulness and the big one, quality relationships you know you can trust and count on when you are in need – these are factors that contribute to living a long and healthy life.
HOW DOES DNA DAMAGE OCCUR
First of all, it’s important to look at how DNA is damaged before we get into how hemp can act upon the body to repair DNA. DNA is an acid that is present in all living beings, from bacteria to dolphins. It carries genetic data that is transferred when we rebuild our tissues or replicate our species.
DNA is also like a symphony conductor assisting in the regulation and direction of the millions of cells in our body to do what they are supposed to do. Small changes in the data carried by DNA creates large changes to qualities and characteristics to all living organisms.
Changes in DNA data works most of the time when we procreate and make a baby. If our mother has brown eyes and our father has green, there’s a chance the baby could have just about any eye colour. The DNA is ultimately, what selects eye colour among every other quality from appearance to temperament and personality.
CARCINOGENS, CANCER & DNA
There’s really only two main ways our DNA is damaged and starts to send the wrong data to our cells (think Chinese whispers), by the time the data reaches the cells that need to rebuild and repair, they end up creating a monster in our body (cancer), that seems to act like it’s own living organism, leaching and sucking the host dry as normal functioning is impaired. Those two sources of damage are carcinogens and radiation.
Carcinogens are substances capable of causing cancers. Carcinogens can be found in things like cigarette smoke, agricultural chemicals, industrial chemicals, and atmospheric pollutants. Radiation examples include ultraviolet radiation from the sun, certain medical treatments like radiation therapy, and some job-related exposures like those experienced by radiology technicians or flight attendants.
Our body has defence systems in place to fight and protect our DNA from being damaged, the direct exposure to carcinogens or radiation can disrupt the data transfer between DNA and cells (as explained above).
WHAT DNA DAMAGE DOES TO US
When you’re hanging out down at the beach watching the waves roll up on the shoreline and you begin feeling so relaxed you start to doze off, completely forgetting the time and when you do finally wake up you quickly put your sunscreen on and dash home only to later find you’ve got painful sunburn – one of the most common forms of radiation burn.
Sunburn damage occurs when UVB photons are directly able to damage the DNA in general. Damage to our DNA can compile as we age and this creates a snowball effect inside our bodies. The directions sent to other cells from DNA become jumbled and this causes incorrect replication and cell relationships. One of the most well-known consequences of this is cancer. People who are prematurely aging are assumed to have more damage to their DNA.
HOW DOES HEMP REPAIR DNA
You may be looking back on all those sunburnt days thinking how can you possibly reverse all that damage (even if the visible red burns have long but disappeared – until next summer)…
The truth is, DNA is capable of repairing itself. But it does need the necessary building blocks to do so. Those building blocks come in the form of protein. When DNA is damaged, it falls into chaos by failing to direct the body to produce the necessary proteins, then it begins sending the wrong signals to the cells, and then you have a traffic jam inside your body that gets worse with age.
As mentioned earlier, hemp contains two crucial proteins. These proteins are called edestin and albumin, and they help your body rebuild and repair DNA. These proteins are very easily digestible by the body, and their amino acids give the body the building material it needs to repair the cells, bringing order and balance to the system. This helps the DNA to send out the proper instructions to help the body heal itself.
OMEGA-3 IN HEMP REPAIRS DNA
Alongside hemp containing the crucial proteins essential in repairing DNA, hemp also contains the integral fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 in a ratio of 1:4, the perfect balance for the human body. The perfect ratio for breastfeeding women and the development of their new-born babies is considered to be between 1:1 and 1:4. Women eating a typical SAD (standard American diet) had alarming ratios of 1:10 and 1:25 in one study comparing breastfeeding women from Cincinnati with women from the Amazon basin eating a traditional hunter-gatherer diet (their ratios were 1:4).
Fatty acids are vitally important because they help protect our cells from damage. An example of this would be that fatty acids are powerful anti-inflammatories that can provide protection to skin cells becoming inflamed when exposed to the sun. If a sunburn occurs, these fatty acids can accelerate the healing. Omega fatty acids fortify cell membranes, allowing them to protect other parts of the cell from free radicals. Omega fatty acids also have important functions in neurotransmitter signalling, which impact cognitive functioning.
CONCLUSION: HEMP REPAIRS DNA
At the end of the day, if you’re the type of person who’s wondering how hemp helps repair DNA, you’re probably going to be the same type of person who’s going to do something about it and take action.
The key to a full, long and healthy life is giving our bodies the ability to repair damaged DNA. We can’t avoid damage to our DNA in this day and age, but we can minimize it, and give our body the resources it needs to create adequate or optimal repair.
Hemp’s ability to repair DNA by assisting the body once again in one of it’s most important processes shows just how important this special plant is to the health of our body’s, our communities and our world. As always, prevention is the best cure.