An Introduction to Heavy Metals and Oxidative Stress in Ageing and Cancer: A Role for Detoxification Through Diet

Ever wonder why there is so much variation among adults of the same age, while there is much less variation among children of a similar age? The good news is that it's not just genetics—it’s largely to do with lifestyle. Science has shown that your chronological age and your biological age are two separate things. So, what ages you? There are a number of factors that are involved in this mysterious process. Any kind of illness or disease ages you significantly because of the stress it puts on your body; naturally, degenerative diseases are the most destructive of all. Obesity and a poor diet with high fat content (which can contribute to heart disease and cause skin cell senescence); dehydration (which is associated with chronic disease, biological ageing, increased mortality); alcohol consumption (which accelerates biological ageing), regular use of hard drugs like LSD [lysergic acid diethylamide], cocaine & heroin (which cause a decline in the brain among other organ functions); childbirth (which is associated with shorter telomere length, a marker of cellular ageing); and, other internal or external stressors like lack of physical exercise (which increases your risk of chronic diseases) and exposure to heavy metals (which can cause oxidative stress and induce cell senescence), are all contributors to ageing. What can you do to slow down ageing? Some anti-ageing tips are eating a Mediterranean diet; including organic superfoods in your daily diet; taking Greek superherbs in teas; drinking matcha green tea; and taking resveratrol supplements derived from grapes. Superfoods are generally rich in amino acids, sugars, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Superherbs are rich in phytochemicals with antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help the body to eliminate free radicals, which contribute to ageing by causing cellular damage and oxidative stress. They can also be involved in triggering cancer. Matcha green tea contains antioxidants (polyphenols) that reduce UV damage in your skin and resveratrol is an antioxidant that scavenges free radicals, which contribute to ageing in the skin. Both are known to have anti-cancer qualities, too, since the generation of free radicals can activate apoptotic pathways resulting in carcinogenesis.