Note: This is a continuation of Ancient Longevity Techniques: Movement and Exercise: Yoga, Tai chi and Pilates Part 3.
"The first person to become 1,000 years old, has already been born."
-Aubrey de Grey, Biomedical gerontologist and SENS’ Chief Science Officer
There's a big paradigm shift happening in the world of aging. In the new paradigm, aging is a disease. Unfortunately, what we find scientifically often collides with what we find in ancient texts, but the truth lies in the middle. In the study of longevity, that intersection is DNA. In particular, today’s scientists are asking the question: is it possible to manipulate DNA for the purpose of longevity?
For some scientists this is a question of evolution. Laboratory research from Dr. Michael Rose, who has strong theories on the “evolution of aging”, proposes that aging is not a positively selected process, and has not evolved for the good of the species as many would think, but instead, aging exists because natural selection is weak and ineffective at maintaining survival, reproduction, and cell repair as we enter old age.
In the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin--the father of natural selection--we find several attempts to connect longevity to natural selection. While flawed, the text sets the foundation for scientific debate on the importance of longevity on natural selection. Specifically, the critic is questioning the validity of natural selection since descendants do not have longer lives than their progenitors. In a chapter designated specifically to respond to flaws in this thesis, Darwin responds with the following reply:
A critic has lately insisted, with some parade of mathematical accuracy, that longevity is a great advantage to all species, so that he who believes in natural selection "must arrange his genealogical tree" in such a manner that all the descendants have longer lives than their progenitors! Cannot our critic conceive that a biennial plant or one of the lower animals might range into a cold climate and perish there every winter; and yet, owing to advantages gained through natural selection, survive from year to year by means of its seeds or ova? Mr. E. Ray Lankester has recently discussed this subject, and he concludes, as far as its extreme complexity allows him to form a judgment, that longevity is generally related to the standard of each species in the scale of organisation, as well as to the amount of expenditure in reproduction and in general activity. And these conditions have, it is probable, been largely determined through natural selection.
Perhaps Darwin's greatest flaw was an obsession with the superiority or inferiority of certain creatures over others. It certainly does him no favors here.
150 years later scientists are still grappling with the question of longevity and evolution. In 2016, scientists radiocarbon dated a number of Greenland Sharks. Taking into account the room for error, the shark was at least 272 years old or at most 512 years old. We know the lifespan of the bow-head whale, thought to be the world’s longest lived mammal, is 268 years. We also know that the extinct woolly mammoth had a lifespan of 60 years, similar to the 65-year span of the modern-day African elephant. The extinct Pinta Island giant tortoise had a lifespan of 120 years. The last member of this species, Lonesome George, died in 2012 at age 112. Neanderthals and Denisovans, which are extinct species closely related to modern humans, supposedly had a maximum lifespan of 37.8 years.
Like the hydra; a fresh water animal that can rejuvenate itself, and the immortal jellyfish; a jellyfish that can reverse the aging process, humans are able to rejuvenate themselves as well. Whenever a baby is born it is born from an egg that has been inside of a women's body for years. So, if a women has a baby at the age of 30, the baby goes through a biological process that takes it from 30 years old to 0.
It might be that extreme longevity is both a function of DNA and lifestyle, but how can we change our DNA? Perhaps this is what ascended masters have done. They’ve simply figured out a way to change or activate their DNA. The phrase is growing in popularity along with the phrase DNA activation symptoms. According to practitioners, DNA activation has many benefits including longevity. Specifically, it gives you the ability to slow the aging process or to stop time. Other benefits include increased empathy, telepathy, increased IQ, manifestation, increased healing power, astral projection and a number of other abilities discussed by ascended masters. We’ll talk more about this later -- for now let’s look at what scientists are working on today regarding DNA.
“I just hope to live long enough not to die.”
-Bill Maris, the CEO of Google Ventures
What is Methylated DNA
DNA activation is not a scientific term, but we do know that DNA methylation can change the activity of a DNA segment. So what is methylated DNA?
Scientists know that something called methylated DNA is linked to longevity. They all agree on this. What they are struggling with is how.
Methylated DNA is a biological process. Methyl groups are added to the DNA molecule. DNA methylation typically acts to regulate gene expression. Here’s how the National Institute of Health puts it:
Methylated DNA regulates gene expression by recruiting proteins involved in gene repression or by inhibiting the binding of transcription factor(s) to DNA. During development, the pattern of DNA methylation in the genome changes as a result of a dynamic process involving both de novo DNA methylation and demethylation.
That’s a lot, but ultimately they are saying that methylation can change the activity of a DNA segment without changing the sequence. It can literally activate your DNA.
One study found that "People over the age of 100 had less methylated DNA than newborns. People around the age of 26 had methylated DNA levels between those of newborns and centenarians." In other words, DNA methylation slows down as you age. The implication for scientists is that impaired DNA or less methylated DNA is a cause of old age. Likewise, and by extension, methylated DNA must aid in the activation of DNA. To what extent is unknown.
If you search on the web, you will find dozens of products that claim to restore impaired DNA. Disregard them. If you do more research you will find that nutrient deficiency is a primary cause of impaired methylation. The two most important nutrients are B12 and folate, but other nutrients such as "methionine, cysteine, taurine, DHA, zinc, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, betaine, choline, and sulfur also play a role (10)". Inadequate intake of any of these nutrients can impair methylation. Foods high in these methylation-supporting nutrients include beets, spinach, mushrooms, eggs, organ meats, and shellfish.
A healthy gut also plays a role in bringing bacteria into balance, which in turn brings methylation back into balance. Many of the bacteria found in the gut are folate producers, while other bacteria are folate consumers. In addition to diet, you will also find many references to a secret elixir of life, which you can read more about in the post: Ancient Longevity Techniques: Diet & The Elixir of Life, Part 2.