Adrenal Tests

Other than taking a decent amount of exercise and following a healthy
diet, we may feel there is little we can do to help our bodies maintain
themselves. However, it is possible to boost the immune system and
encourage cell production through the use of supplements containing
nucleotides - the body’s essential cell building blocks.

The body has an ongoing demand for new cell production, and must create cells at the same rate at which its cells die.
To do this, a typical cell must double its mass and duplicate all of
its contents in order to produce the two new ‘daughter’ cells.

This multiplication of a cell starts with the doubling of the
information (inter-phase) - namely the DNA. Previously we discussed how
the DNA is formed by the five key nucleotides. A normal DNA consists of
3 billion nucleotides.
It is only after this multiplication of the DNA that the M-phase can
start.  This is where the two cell nuclei are formed and the cells
start to divide into two separate cells.

Cell proliferation is a lengthy and complicated process, dependent
mainly on energy and supply of the specific building blocks, the five
key nucleotides.

Research has shown that by providing extra dietary sources of
nucleotides, the multiplication of these new cells can be speeded up.
This applies to the following cell types:

Intestinal mucosa cells - the cells lining the gut

Bone marrow cells, namely leukocytes (especially
Lymphocytes) - more commonly termed as the white blood immune cells

Erythrocytes - Red blood cells

Certain brain cells

For years, nucleic acids and nucleotides were considered essential
nutrients.  Now these nucleotides are increasingly considered to
be limiting in certain diets and during periods of stress and illness.

It was thought that the body could synthesise sufficient nucleotides to meet its physiological demands via ‘de novo’
synthesis of nucleotides. However, research during the last several
years indicates that this is not correct.  There are certain
conditions in which the body requires dietary nucleotides to meet its
physiological requirements.

These conditions include:

Rapid growth

Limited food supply

Stress

Chronic disease

Bacterial and viral infections

In these situations, metabolic demand exceeds the capacity of the ‘de
novo’ synthesis, and therefore dietary nucleotides become conditionally
essential.

Importantly, dietary nucleotides may also spare the energetic costs of ‘de novo’ synthesis of nucleotides.

Critical point in nutrition: energy

Building nucleotides by the ‘de novo’ process requires lots of time and
energy.  Supplementing purified nucleotides to the diet reduces
the proportions required to manufacture, while accelerating all active
processes and saving energy also.

Supplementary nucleotides have been demonstrated to enhance the efficiency of a number of vital organs; these include:

Immune organs including the bone marrow

Liver

Intestines

Consequently, supplementary nucleotides have an effect on a number of vital functions:

Immunity

Production of stress hormones

Digestion and absorption of nutrients

Vitality and well-being

Focussing on Immunity

Nucleotides are an essential part of an healthy immune system, because they have been shown to support the
following:

The reversal of malnutrition or starvation-induced immunosuppression

Enhancement of T-cell maturation and function

Enhancement of natural killer cell activity

Increase of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity

Aiding resistance to infectious agents such as Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans

Modulation of T-Cell responses toward type 1 CD4 helper lymphocytes or TH1 cells.

In layman’s terms, nucleotides help to boost the immune system by
speeding up the process of creating new defence cells, which are
essential for the body to fight infections.

Reducing the effect of an infection

In 2003 a double-blind placebo controlled trial was carried out by Dr
Isobel Davidson at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. This
clinical trial was carried out to test the effects of nucleotides on
reducing the severity of specific symptoms, secondary infections and
healing time after a natural infection by the cold or flu virus. The
findings showed that the specific formula of nucleotides significantly
reduced the symptoms of painful sinuses and earache.  Over the
first six days of taking the nucleotides or a placebo, the discomfort
level was on average greatly reduced for the nucleotide patients:

Dry mouth:       30% less
Sore throat:       20% less
Muscle aches: 15% less
Headache:       40% less

Salivary IgA (antibody) concentrations were similar at recruitment, but
the subsequent to this were higher in general for the nucleotide group.
For the layman, higher antibody levels indicate a greater immune
response.

Preserving a strong immunity

The positive effects of supplementary nucleotides on immunity was also
backed up with another placebo controlled trial carried out by
Professor Lars McNaughton, University of Bath, 2002. McNaughton tested
the effects of nucleotides on athletes under both short-term and high
intensity, and moderate endurance exercise.  Again these results
were significant and conclusive.  Athletes on the nucleotide
treatment showed a 25% higher IgA concentration after 90 minutes
endurance exercise, compared with the placebo group. 

The stress hormone, cortisol, was 10% reduced for the nucleotide
supplemented group.  High cortisol levels have been shown to
impede the effectiveness of disease fighting cells. Hence, the placebo
group showed a greater drop in antibodies.  High decreases in IgA
(antibodies) are thought to be a reason for increased levels of Upper
Respiratory Tract Infection (e.g. colds and flu) for athletes and
people suffering high levels of stress.

In conclusion, the body needs nucleotides to help support a healthy
immune response.  The body can normally take these from food, but
in times of stress, illness, poor diet or rapid growth, dietary
nucleotides become conditionally essential; supplementing all five
nucleotides has been shown to preserve a strong immunity, and reduce
the severity of infections.