Adult Stem Cell Snapshot

The Immune System is vital to our health because it protects the body, but, have you ever thought about what repairs the body?

All of us need rebuilding and repair because our lifestyle puts pressure on our hearts, muscles, and bones and joints especially after a long ball game, bike ride, run, or a stressful day at work.

The Adult Stem Cells or Stem Cell System™ within our bodies rebuild and repair our tissues from stress and damage.

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What is the Controversy about Stem Cells?

When most people think of the words “stem cells” they automatically think of embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells come from early-stage embryos, which are a group of cells that form when fertilization occurs. Because embryonic stem cells are extracted from human embryos, this raises ethical issues. However, Natura has NO ethical issues as we are NOT involved in embryonic stem cell research. Natura is only concerned about developing products that target the ADULT STEM CELLS of your body and these cells are naturally occurring in your body. Thus, adult stem cells are in YOUR BODY and are yours from the moment you are born. So let’s be clear, ADULT STEM CELLS ARE FROM YOU, not embryos. Supplying nutrition to your adult stem cells (what Natura’s focus is) so that they function better is a very different concept than other types of stem cell research.

Stem Cell Basics

According to the Mayo Clinic, stem cells are “the body’s master cell”. This means that the stem cell is the primary cell that can become any other cell type within the body including a blood cell, nerve cell, skin cell, or heart cell, and many others. The stem cell also has a very important advantage, in that it can also produce more stem cells just like itself or self-renew. Thus, all cells within the body originally come from stem cells. The stem cell, under certain conditions, differentiates or develops into a specific cell type. Let’s say for instance, a group of stem cells become cardiac or heart cells; eventually these heart cells will then group together and form heart tissues, which will then result in the making of the heart itself, which is considered an organ of the body. Organs then make up the body’s systems. In summary, cells give rise to tissues, which give rise to organs, which give rise to systems. There are twelve systems in the body: Circulatory, Digestive, Endocrine, Immune, Lymphatic, Muscular, Nervous, Reproductive, Respiratory, Skeletal, Urinary, and Integumentary. All twelve of our systems started with a single stem cell.

What are Adult Stem Cells and What Do They Do?

An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found in our bodies. From the moment of birth and throughout our lives, these stem cells are considered to be our adult stem cells. However, certain stem cells have been found in the amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood, which may also be called perinatal cells. When an adult stem cell is said to be undifferentiated, this means they can produce more stem cells like themselves or they can, under certain conditions, develop into other cell types. The adult stem cell can become virtually any other cell type within the body. The primary roles of adult stem cells are to maintain and repair tissues. The adult stem cells of the body behave very similarly to the National Guard in that they are always ready for “active duty” but not on active duty all the time. In the in-active state, they are collected together in reservoirs awaiting “orders” or chemical signaling from the body. When the body experiences some kind of injury or illness, chemical messengers or signals are released into the bloodstream that signal the in-active adult stem cells, triggering them to become active and migrate to the site of injury and to begin the repair or maintenance needed at that particular area.

Where are My Adult Stem Cells?

Adult stem cells have been located in most parts of the body including brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, liver, ovarian epithelium, testis, and fat. The numerous tissues where adult stem cells are being located are still being investigated.

Your Adult Stem Cells Age Like You Do

Our adult stem cells are responsible for maintaining and repairing our tissues, so they are vital to our health. In order for the adult stem cells to keep repairing tissues they continually divide through a process called mitosis. As long as the adult stem cells keep dividing they maintain the ability to keep repairing. However, as we age, our adult stem cells begin to divide or self-renew (make more of themselves) more slowly and they also decrease in number. When this happens, our adult stem cells begin to lose their ability to repair tissues and are not able to support a strong immune system, making us more susceptible to illness. Thus, your adult stem cells age with you.

What Can I Do to Help Support My Adult Stem Cells?

Everyone seems to have their own opinion and expertise on how to stay healthy, from eating the right foods and exercising, to limiting your vices and pursuing your passions. Most of the suggestions are obtainable, which is a bonus, as most people are concerned about making their health better. But, have you considered the proper health and nutrition for your adult stem cells? Since our adult stem cells age with us, it is imperative to keep them as healthy as possible. Natura Therapeutics tested over 200 different natural ingredients and found that 4 of these ingredients (blueberry extract, green tea extract, L-carnosine, and Vitamin D3), when combined together, had a potent synergistic effect on helping adult stem cells to grow (proliferate). This formulation was developed at the University of South Florida in Tampa by leading scientists in the fields of nutritional neuroscience and adult stem cell research. This formulation became known as NutraStem^® and was patented in 2008. Keeping your adult stem cells healthy so they can help the body repair itself is Natura’s focus. For more information about Natura’s NutraStem^® products please visit our Home page.

References

• Stem cells: What they are and what they do?
  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stem-cells/CA00081
• What are adult stem cells? (Stem Cell Information)
  http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics4.aspx