73 | id == 73
73 | category_id == 4
73 | category_order == 1
73 | category_name == Brain
73 | category_color == #C47AC0
73 | slug == BCL2-Cognitive-Function
73 | title == How Might This Gene Influence Cognitive Function? (BCL2)
73 | meta_description == The BCL2 gene is involved in regulating cell death, and may influence brain size and cognition. Click here to learn more!
73 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>The BCL2 gene helps damaged cells stay alive so that they can be fixed up by the body&rsquo;s natural repair mechanisms. Certain variants in this gene may influence how susceptible your brain&rsquo;s neurons are to common sources of cell damage, such as inflammation and oxidative stress. This, in turn, may influence cognitive function! Read on to learn more about this gene and how it works, and the variants you carry.</strong></p>
73 | overall_score_text == Your cognitive function score (based on BCL2 gene)
73 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/BCL_post_image.jpg
73 | author_id == 4
73 | author_name == Matt Carland
73 | author_title == PhD
73 | author_order == 10
73 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Matt.jpg
73 | author_intro == <p><strong>Matt received his PhD at the Universit&eacute; de Montr&eacute;al in Neuroscience.</strong></p>    <p>Matt holds multiple degrees in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. He has over a decade of experience in academic research and has published a number of articles in scholarly journals. He currently works as a neuropsychologist in Montreal, where he performs research on the links between personality traits and the development of clinical disorders such as addiction, compulsive gambling, and disordered eating.</p>
73 | reviewer == None
73 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
73 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
73 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
73 | publish_date == 2019
73 | publish_date == 11
73 | publish_date == 11
73 | avg_rating == 5.0
73 | tags_id == 216
73 | tags_name == Apoptosis
73 | tags_id == 214
73 | tags_name == BCL2 Gene
73 | tags_id == 164
73 | tags_name == Cancer
73 | tags_id == 215
73 | tags_name == Cell Repair
73 | tags_id == 13
73 | tags_name == Cognition
73 | tags_id == 55
73 | tags_name == Cognitive Flexibility
73 | tags_id == 40
73 | tags_name == DNA Repair
73 | tags_id == 24
73 | tags_name == Inflammation
73 | tags_id == 28
73 | tags_name == Intelligence
73 | tags_id == 39
73 | tags_name == Oxidative Stress
73 | tags_id == 123
73 | tags_name == Processing Speed
73 | permissions_favorite == False
73 | permissions_rate == False
73 | content_article == <table style="width: 90%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" border="1" cellpadding="10"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: justify;"><strong>Note:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene is one of the 45 unique intelligence-related genes that we analyze in our comprehensive </span><a href="https://get.selfdecode.com/mind-protocol-nm/"><strong><em>Cognitive Function DNA Wellness Report</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. If you&rsquo;re interested in learning more about the genes that influence your cognitive ability &mdash; and the actionable steps that you can take to boost your cognition even further &mdash; we recommend checking it out!</span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How Your Cells React To Stress And Damage</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">As you go about your daily life, the cells in your body are continually being exposed to sources of potential stress and damage. One well-known example is </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/oxidative-stress-101/"><strong>oxidative stress</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. While a certain amount of oxidative stress is perfectly normal, too much of it can cause damage to your cells, or the DNA inside them.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Usually, when your cells detect damage of some kind, one of two things will happen:</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the damage isn&rsquo;t too severe, a damaged cell will activate mechanisms that come in and repair it, bringing the cell back to normal. For example, the </span><a href="../../gene/parp1/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">PARP1</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is one of the mechanisms that your body uses to repair damaged DNA, which helps cells to recover from oxidative stress and other common causes of DNA damage. (You can learn more about this gene &mdash;and your genotype for it&mdash; in our </span><a href="../article/Fight-Brain-Fog-with-PARP1-17"><span style="font-weight: 400;">SelfDecode Blog post on </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">PARP1</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, sometimes the damage is more serious. In this case, the cell might instead decide to undergo a process called </span><strong><em>apoptosis</em></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">: a kind of &ldquo;</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">self-destruct</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rdquo;</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">mechanism that causes the cell to kill itself! This ultimately helps your body out by allowing a newer, healthier cell to take its place instead.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your cells have two main ways of responding to damage. When the damage isn&rsquo;t too bad, they will get fixed up by the body&rsquo;s natural repair mechanisms. However, when the damage is more severe, they will actually &ldquo;self-destruct&rdquo; through a process called </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">apoptosis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, making way for a healthy new cell to take its place!</span></span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Why Is </strong><strong><em>Apoptosis</em></strong><strong> Important?</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although it might seem odd that your cells come with a built-in &ldquo;self-destruct&rdquo; trigger, there&rsquo;s actually a very good reason for this! This is because cell damage can occasionally lead to mutations in its DNA that will cause it to reproduce uncontrollably.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In fact, this is how tumors often start &mdash; and tumorous cells can go on to develop into full-blown cancer unless your body finds a way to stop these tumorous cells from reproducing further.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Therefore, telling cells to &ldquo;self-destruct&rdquo; when their DNA gets damaged is one of the key mechanisms that your body uses to protect itself against cancer &mdash; it&rsquo;s basically playing it safe by simply killing off the cell before it has a chance to turn into an even greater problem!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this post, we&rsquo;ll be looking at </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a gene that plays a role in deciding when damaged cells get repaired, versus when they &ldquo;self-destruct&rdquo;. As we will see, keeping these two processes in careful balance can be important for many different aspects of your health.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Apoptosis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is important because it is one of the key ways that your body actively prevents damaged cells from potentially turning into cancers.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What Does The </strong><strong><em>BCL2</em></strong><strong> Gene Do?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="../../gene/bcl2/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is activated whenever cells experience stress or damage. When activated, this gene basically acts as a signal that tells the damaged cell </span><strong><em>not</em></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to self-destruct, so that it keeps itself alive while it waits to get repaired by other mechanisms [</span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803058-5.00038-2"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In other words, this gene protects cells from dying off too quickly due to </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/oxidative-stress-101/"><strong>oxidative stress</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/chronic-inflammation-blood-tests/"><strong>inflammation</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or even strokes and other serious physical injuries to the brain [</span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803058-5.00038-2"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20504155"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, in patients who suffered from brain damage, higher levels of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> activity were associated with better chances of survival and better overall cognitive function after recovery: most likely because their brain was able to keep more of its neurons alive so that they could be repaired [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20504155"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In general, you might think that higher levels of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> would be better, since this helps keep cells alive. However, recall that part of the reason our cells come with pre-programmed &ldquo;death switches&rdquo; is to ensure that damaged or mutated cells can be disposed of safely without turning cancerous [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18368476/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Therefore, because </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> suppresses cell death, elevated levels of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> could also potentially increase long-term risk of tumor formation (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">tumorigenesis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25013758"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28035139"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25452615"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, one study observed higher levels of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in healthy breast tissue from women who had previously survived a diagnosis of breast cancer compared to women who never had cancer [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18368476/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Although it&rsquo;s still not known to what degree </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> levels might be directly involved in cancer development, this early finding provides suggestive evidence for a link that will have to be followed up by future studies [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20922713"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20664598"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18510726"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because of its dual role, at the end of the day what you really want is to have this gene in balance! Having too little of it could make your brain more vulnerable to oxidative stress and other sources of cell damage; but too </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">much</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of it could make you more susceptible to cancer in the long run.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Keeping the <em>BCL2</em> gene well-balanced can be important for making sure cells stay healthy, while also keeping your long-term chances of cancer at a minimum.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Cognitive Effects Of </strong><strong><em>BCL2</em></strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just like any other cell in your body, your brain&rsquo;s neurons are also vulnerable to stress, and have to be either repaired or disposed of when they&rsquo;re damaged. Because </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> plays a key role in the repair processes that keep your neurons healthy, variants that affect how this gene works may influence how well your brain is able to carry out complex cognitive processes.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, SNPs in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have been associated with </span><strong>overall cognitive function</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><strong>fluid intelligence</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><strong>learning and memory</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><strong>processing speed</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><strong>cognitive flexibility</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22198673"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24975275"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28424560"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This gene has also been associated with </span><strong>increased brain size (</strong><strong><em>grey matter volume</em></strong><strong>)</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in several key brain areas involved in higher cognitive processes, such as the striatum and the </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/ways-increase-neurogenesis/#Neurogenesis_in_the_Hippocampus"><span style="font-weight: 400;">hippocampus</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This increase in brain size probably reflects the role of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in keeping neurons alive when they are damaged, which over time would result in having more neurons overall (and therefore a relatively larger brain). This association between </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and brain size probably explains some of the relationships between this gene and various different aspects of cognition [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19589501"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20468060"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22198673"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">The <em>BCL2</em> gene helps keep brain cells healthy and more likely to recover from damage, which leads to lower rates of cell death. Losing fewer neurons over time leads to increases in overall brain size &mdash; which is probably why certain variants in this gene have been associated with differences in cognitive abilities.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>BCL2</em></strong><strong> Genotype</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can see your genotype for the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> SNP </span><a href="../../snp/rs956572/"><strong>rs956572</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the table below. However, keep in mind that this is only one gene that is related to cognitive ability, which can be influenced by hundreds of different genes! In other words, your genotype for this SNP doesn&rsquo;t necessarily reflect your &ldquo;overall&rdquo; level of intelligence &mdash; just one of many genetic factors potentially related to it.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*1134314726820529*</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*5086208028483936*</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />The two possible alleles for this SNP are &lsquo;A&rsquo; (major) and &lsquo;G&rsquo; (minor). </span><strong>When it comes to cognitive function, it&rsquo;s probably better to have the &lsquo;AA&rsquo; genotype</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (which ~13% of the population carries).</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, one targeted gene study in ~100 healthy older Taiwanese males reported that carriers of the &lsquo;GG&rsquo; (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">homozygous minor</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) genotype tended to perform worse (by about 7%) on a test of general cognitive function compared to carriers of one or more &lsquo;A&rsquo; alleles. In this study, the &lsquo;GG&rsquo; genotype appeared to affect language-based abilities especially &mdash; and the authors suggest that this might be due to </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">&rsquo;s influence on the relative size of certain language-related brain areas (such as the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">middle temporal gyrus</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or MTG) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22198673"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly, another gene-targeted study in 220 postmenopausal women (predominantly Caucasian) found that SNPs in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene &mdash; including rs956572 &mdash; were related to a wide variety of cognitive functions including </span><strong>processing speed</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><strong>concentration</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><strong>cognitive flexibility</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and several types of </span><strong>memory</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28424560"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27099827/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nonetheless, there are some important limitations to note about these studies. One is that their sample sizes were relatively small, and studies with greater numbers of participants will be needed to confirm these effects. Secondly, these findings have so far only been reported in a Taiwanese and a predominantly Caucasian sample &mdash; so similar studies in other ethnic groups will be needed to know if these effects apply to other populations as well.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What Can You Do About Your </strong><strong><em>BCL2</em></strong><strong> Genotype?</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because this gene could have potentially negative effects when it is too low </span><strong><em>or</em></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> too high, we don&rsquo;t recommend trying to increase or decrease your levels of this gene directly.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, a better approach would probably be to address the underlying causes of cellular damage, such as oxidative stress and inflammation, at their source. After all, the less damage your cells have to deal with, the less dependent they will be on repair-related genes such as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the first place!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>As always, make sure to speak with your doctor before making any significant changes to your lifestyle, diet, or before trying out any new supplements.</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> These factors may have unexpected interactions with preexisting health conditions, current medications, or could have negative side-effects &mdash; and only your doctor has the necessary information and training to help you manage these considerations.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*9908350355728401*</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">BCL2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> could have negative effects when it is too low </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">or</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> too high, a better strategy is to try to reduce common sources of cell damage &mdash; such as inflammation and oxidative stress &mdash; at their root.</span></span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Quit Smoking</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">We all know that smoking is terrible for your health &mdash; and one of the major reasons that cigarettes are so harmful is because their smoke contains many </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">free radicals</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that directly cause oxidative stress and DNA damage [</span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.10.197"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19440393"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3007083"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Therefore, if you&rsquo;re a tobacco user, one of the best first steps to take to reduce overall oxidative stress would be to quit smoking!</span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Avoid Environmental Toxins / Air Pollution</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unfortunately, even for those of us who don&rsquo;t smoke, there are a lot of common environmental toxins that can also cause harm by promoting oxidative stress [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3526996"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Factors such as air pollution, heavy metals, and pesticides can each contribute to increased oxidative stress throughout the body and brain, leading to damage to your cells and their DNA [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23636598"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24813750"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ecronicon.com/ecnu/nutrition-ECNU-01-000018.php"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Therefore, it would be a good idea to try your best to limit your exposure to these factors as much as possible.</span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Alcohol</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alcohol use also has many negative effects on health &mdash; and one of the many ways it is harmful is by contributing to oxidative stress [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24813750"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">] and inflammation [</span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811073-7.00029-5"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20238396"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Therefore, it would be a good idea to cut back on how much alcohol you consume &mdash; or even eliminate your drinking altogether!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Smoking, alcohol use, and exposure to environmental toxins can each contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation &mdash; and avoiding these factors are some of the best places to start when it comes to reducing cell and DNA damage.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to the above lifestyle factors, some evidence suggests that it may be possible to use certain supplements to further protect yourself against oxidative stress and inflammation. As always, however, it is important to make sure to discuss any new supplements with your doctor first so that you can minimize your risk of side effects, unwanted interactions with current medications, and other potential negative effects.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">With that in mind, one of the most relevant supplements when it comes to inflammation and oxidative damage may be </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/curcumin-cures-top-15-scientifically-proven-health-benefits-with-references/"><strong><em>bioavailable curcumin</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, also known as the spice </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">turmeric</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. A wide range of evidence from cell, animal, and human studies suggest that this natural compound may have considerable anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29065496"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29065496"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20056736"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15650394"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20388102"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Curcumin and Oxidative Stress</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In short, oxidative stress occurs when the amount of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">free radicals</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (the compounds that actually cause oxidative stress) outnumbers and overwhelms the body&rsquo;s natural antioxidant defenses [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29731617"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24813750"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. In this respect, evidence from a number of cell and animal studies suggests that curcumin may help fight oxidative stress on both sides of this equation.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">On one hand, curcumin may reduce levels of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">reactive oxygen species</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (such as H</span><sub><span style="font-weight: 400;">2</span></sub><span style="font-weight: 400;">0</span><sub><span style="font-weight: 400;">2</span></sub><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">hydrogen peroxide</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15650394"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">] as well as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">reactive nitrogen species</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (such as iNOS, or </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">inducible nitric oxide synthase</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. In other words, curcumin may reduce the amount of harmful compounds that directly cause oxidative stress in the first place.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the other hand, a number of animal studies have reported that curcumin may also increase the production of several major anti-oxidant compounds, such as </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/the-brain-fog-gene-rs4880-or-sod2/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">superoxide dismutase</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (SOD) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20229497"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">] and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/glutathione-20-scientifically-proven-health-benefits-glutathione/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">glutathione</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20026275"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21656326"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20388102"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20056736"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. These compounds are two of the most potent anti-oxidants naturally produced by the body to help clear out damaging </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">free radicals</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">While most of the evidence for curcumin&rsquo;s anti-oxidant effects comes from cell and animal studies, there is at least one study that has investigated these effects in humans. For example, one placebo-controlled study in 286 healthy Indian participants found that three months of curcumin supplementation (1g/day) reduced DNA and cell damage caused by environmental exposure to the heavy metal arsenic. According to the study&rsquo;s authors, this effect appeared to be due to curcumin&rsquo;s ability to reduce levels of harmful </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">free radicals</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, as well as increasing the production of the natural anti-oxidant </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">glutathione</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20056736"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although more studies in humans will be needed to confirm these effects, the evidence so far suggests that curcumin may have a double-edged effect when it comes to preventing cell damage from oxidative stress.</span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Curcumin and Inflammation</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Curcumin may also help fight inflammation, another common driver of cell damage. For example, evidence from a number of cell and animal studies suggests that curcumin may alleviate inflammation by inhibiting several major </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">pro-inflammatory cytokines</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, such as [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29065496"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">:</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/supplements-lifestyle-factors-influence-tnf-interleukin-6-il-6/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TNF-&alpha;</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23425071"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15650394"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12680238"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/il-8/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-8</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15650394"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/cox2-natural-cox2-inhibitors/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">COX-2</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12680238"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">LOX [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12680238"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">iNOS [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once again, keep in mind that most of these effects have only been observed in studies in cells and animals &mdash; so it&rsquo;s still an open question whether curcumin would have these same effects in humans as well.</span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Curcumin and the Brain</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, there is also some early evidence that curcumin may increase levels of <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/a-comprehensive-list-of-natural-ways-to-increase-bdnf/">BDNF</a> and CREB: two compounds that are key for promoting <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/ways-increase-neurogenesis/">neurogenesis</a> and <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/synaptic-plasticity/">synaptic plasticity</a> throughout the brain [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17617388">R</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16364299">R</a>]. However, these effects have so far only been observed in rats, so it&rsquo;s definitely not clear whether they apply to humans as well &mdash; and you should take these claims with a healthy grain of salt!</span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Curcumin: Safety and Bioavailability</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Curcumin has been reported to be safe for supplementation in doses of up to 10 grams per day [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12680238"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23425071"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, some types of curcumin &mdash; including most dietary forms and many supplements &mdash; are not easily absorbed by the body (that is, they are not </span><strong><em>bioavailable</em></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28204864"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26942997"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Therefore, if you&rsquo;re going to try taking a curcumin supplement, you should probably make sure that you&rsquo;re taking a form that has been specifically designed for easy absorption in order to see any effects.</span></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Piperine</strong></h5> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One potential way to get around the poor absorption of curcumin might be to pair it with a supplement of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/black-pepper-piperine/"><strong><em>piperine</em></strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a natural compound derived from black pepper. Piperine has been reported to enhance the body&rsquo;s ability to absorb a number of other types of supplements, thereby potentially strengthening their effects [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23620848"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3917507"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, one study reported that piperine increased the absorption of curcumin into the bloodstream, which may increase its overall bioavailability in humans by as much as 2,000% [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some early evidence from cell and animal studies also suggests that piperine may have similar anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as curcumin. For example, piperine was reported to reduce inflammation in rats by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/interleukin-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-1b</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/supplements-lifestyle-factors-influence-tnf-interleukin-6-il-6/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TNF-&alpha;</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="http://www.selfdecode.com/gene/ptges2/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">PGE2</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) while also stimulating anti-inflammatory cytokines (such as </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/il-10/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-10</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23921080"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly, piperine may have anti-oxidant effects &mdash; specifically by helping remove free radicals [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11031726"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">] as well as boosting levels of natural anti-oxidants such as SOD and glutathione [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15231065"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once again, keep in mind that these anti-oxidant and inflammation-related benefits have so far only been shown in cells and animal models &mdash; and more research will be needed to confirm whether piperine has similar effects in human users as well.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Some early evidence suggests that curcumin and piperine may have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects &mdash; especially when used together. However, the bulk of the evidence comes from cell and animal studies, and a lot more research will be needed to know how effective these compounds are in human users.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>
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73 | content_learn_more_5086208028483936_text == Based on the SNPs we analyzed, your BCL2 variants are not associated with impaired cognitive performance -- but neither are they strongly beneficial. This suggests that your BCL2 gene activity is probably well-balanced, although you may still want to take steps to reduce overall inflammation and oxidative stress. Read on to learn more!
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