Strengthen Your Immune System
Study after study continues to uncover more health benefits of the amazing soy peptide lunasin. Because it works at the epigenetic level — at the very root of gene expression and cellular function — lunasin impacts multiple aspects of human health. Dozens of clinical studies have already documented lunasin’s positive effects on the epigenome.
What is the epigenome?
The genome is your body’s complete set of DNA and genes. We have more than 300 cell types — skin cells, liver cells, brain cells, etc. — that look and function differently even though they have the same DNA.
The epigenome is made up of the DNA packaging material called histones and chemicals that tell the genome what to do. These chemicals can turn different genes on or off to create different types of cells. For example, the epigenome tells your skin cells to behave like skin cells, liver cells like liver cells, and so on.
Nutrition’s Effect on DNA
The chemical compounds that comprise and affect the epigenome come from natural sources such as food, or man-made sources such as medicines. Research shows that changes in the epigenome can trigger diseases such as heart disease, autoimmune diseases and diabetes.
Our food provides nutrients necessary for methylation of DNA, an essential biochemical process that affects the expression of genes. DNA methylation can be improved or inhibited by our nutritional intake. For example, choline — a micronutrient found in cauliflower — can improve fetal brain development by improving DNA methylation.
Immune cells in your body contain receptors that are genetically primed to respond to germs and other environmental toxins and remove them. If these receptors are slow to respond in your immune cells, your body’s innate defenses do not function properly increasing the damaging effects from chemical, bacterial and viral toxins. One of the most recent lunasin studies demonstrated its effectiveness in strengthening the immune system.
A study conducted at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis showed that lunasin can affect this process. The results of the study demonstrated that lunasin works to stimulate immune cell receptors, thus boosting innate immunity — the body’s first line of defense against infections.
