ROS causes cancer, yes you heard that correctly. The over expression of ROS has been shown cause Mitochondrial disease and even Cancer! As cancer cells contain higher level of endogenous ROS than normal cells, the toxic threshold can be easily achieved in cancer cells compared to normal cells(5) Welcome to another edition in the Mitochondria series, if you have missed my last articles click here and here. Today you are going to learn why ROS may hold the key towards optimal health!

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The Top 3 Must Do longevity Tips in Order To Avoid
Mitochondrial Disease And ROS
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ROS causes cancer, yes you heard that correctly. T he over expression of ROS has been shown
cause Mitochondrial disease and even Cancer!
As cancer cells contain higher level of endogenous ROS than normal cells, the toxic threshold can be easily
achieved in cancer cells compared to normal cells(5)
Welcome to another edition in the Mitochondria series, if you have missed my last articles click here and here.
Today you are going to learn why ROS may hold the key towards optimal health!
ROS And Mitochondrial Disease
T he production of ROS (reactive oxygen species) is made within mammalian mitochondria and it is extremely
important, because it underlies oxidative damage in your body (Cellular rusting)
ROS is f ormed in the mitochondria by reduction of molecular oxygen that is mediated by reactive compounds
such as semi-ubiquinone (coQ), which are involved in electron transport chain.
ROS causes oxidative stress, mutations, and promotes tumor f ormation and progression. T he growth
promoting ef f ects of oxidative stress in cancer is due to oxidative stress responsive signal transduction.
Oxidative stress is also implicated in aging, and many diseases including heart, lung and neurodegenerative
diseases.(1)
Remember ROS is a normal part of your cellular process. T he problem arises, is when ROS is being expressed
too much and my cause the f ollowing Mitochondrial diseases. Just to name a f ew.
Alpers Disease
Barth Syndrome / LIC (Lethal Inf antile Cardiomyopathy)
Beta-oxidation Def ects
Carnitine-Acyl-Carnitine Def iciency
Carnitine Def iciency
Co-Enzyme Q10 Def iciency
Complex I Def iciency
Complex II Def iciency Complex III Def iciency

2. Complex IV Def iciency / COX Def iciency
Complex V Def iciency
Lactic Acidosis
LBSL – Leukodystrohpy
Leigh Disease or Syndrome
What Causes ROS to Increase?
# 1 over expression of insulin:
Insulin has been shown to increase ROS (2) Now Insulin is not evil, however when you take into consideration
our diet of processed f oods, sugar, grains and HFC this comes as no surprise that your insulin is constantly
elevated.
Pause f or a moment, and think about… look at our rate of type 2 diabetes and metabolic issues; it is all
connected with the homeostatic values of insulin.
And it gets even worse… As now you get trapped in a viscous cycle as insulin increase in unnatural levels,
ROS f ollows, as ROS increase, one starts to become insulin resistant, hence the evil cycle; they both f eed
each other down a dark hole known as insulin resistance and or type 2 diabetes (2)
# 2 Coq10 deficiency:
Coenzyme Q10 is one of the most signif icant lipid antioxidants, you probably heard about it being healthy f or
your heart, well that’s the truth What you probably didn’t know is that is also responsible f or controlling
ROS and mitigating the ef f ects of mitochondrial disease.
T he concentration of coenzyme Q10 in the human body decreases and the def iciency of coenzyme Q10 leads
to the dysf unction of the respiratory chain (Energy power house),
CoQ10 can neutralize f ree radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.
Inhibiting mitochondrial depolarization independently of its f ree radical-scavenging property does this.(3)
“ Treatment with CoQ10, but not with riboflavin, could normalize the CoQ10 level and decrease the level of ROS in
the patient cells. Additionally, riboflavin-depleted control fibroblasts showed moderate CoQ10 deficiency, but not
increased mitochondrial ROS, indicating that variant ETF-QO proteins and not CoQ10 deficiency are the causes of
mitochondrial ROS production in the patient cells. Accordingly, the corresponding variant
Rhodobacter sphaeroides ETF-QO proteins, when overexpressed in vitro, bind a CoQ10 pseudosubstrate, Q10Br,
less tightly than the wild-type ETF-QO protein, suggesting that molecular oxygen can get access to the electrons
in the misfolded ETF-QO protein, thereby generating superoxide and oxidative stress, which can be reversed by
CoQ10 treatment.”
Comes as no surprise that CoQ10 def iciency is rampant f rom the consumption of the SAD diet, environmental
f actors, lack of sleep, stress and so much more!

3. # 3 NAC (N-acetyl cysteine)
A precursor to glutathione that has benef icial implications when it comes to controlling the expression of your
ROS.
NAC plays an important role in the regulation of apoptosis, due to its role as a substrate of ROS scavenging
enzymes.
NAC has been widely used as a research tool in the f ield of apoptosis research f or investigating the role of
ROS in the induction of apoptosis.
It is generally assumed that the action of NAC results f rom its antioxidative or f ree radical scavenging property
through increasing intracellular GSH levels (6)
I do want to stress the importance that Magnesium plays, as it is another huge crucial element when it comes
to controlling ROS. One, you need magnesium to actually create Glutathione, and two, magnesium has a
relationship with ROS in terms of control (8)
T he lower levels of NAC you have, the lower GSH levels your body has…
Not-Good-At-all
Next big question is, what depletes your GSH levels?
Some of these substances are listed below:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and other pharmaceuticals;
Acetone, solvents, paint removers, f uels, f uel by-products
Heavy metals (mercury (dental amalgams), lead, cadmium, copper, etc.)
pesticides, herbicides
Nitrates and other f ood preservatives of chemical origin (in salami, hot dogs, hams, smoked f oods, etc.)
Artif icial sweetener aspartame
Benzopyrenes (tobacco smoke, barbecued f oods, f uel exhaust, etc.)
Alcohol– YES — I am sorry, I know
Household chemicals (synthetically scented and colored detergents and f abric sof teners, air f resheners,
mothballs, mildew removers, cleaners and bleach, lawn and plant f ertilizers, etc.)
Housewares chemicals (non-stick coating of pans and skillets, plastic containers and linings of tin cans
and other f ood packaging)
Formaldehyde and styrene (photocopiers and toner printers)
Chlorine in treated water
Medical X-rays
UV radiation
Industrial pollutants.
EMF (7) T his is the real truth, and I will be talking about this in more detail on later posts…
Ameer Protocol To Decrease ROS And Enhance Mitochondrial Health

4. # 1 Eat a Paleo Diet
Try to keep it on the low carb of things, expect f or summer and f all when f ruit and tubers are in abundance and
locally sourced.
Remember, the more express your insulin in unnatural levels, the greater degree of ROS is being expressed.
In my practice when I see clients with extreme Mitochondrial issues, I put them on a Ketogenic diet, as it has
been shown in studies, that the Ketogenic diet– lowers ROS (8)
I can attest to that, as I have seen it with myself and within my practice that once you adopt this diet your
Mitochondrial markers improve…
”Animals received intracranial injections of bioluminescent GL261-luc cells and tumor growth was followed in vivo.
KD treatment significantly reduced the rate of tumor growth and prolonged survival. Further, the KD reduced
reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in tumor cells. Gene expression profiling demonstrated that the KD
induces an overall reversion to expression patterns seen in non-tumor specimens. Notably, genes involved in
modulating ROS levels and oxidative stress were altered, including those encoding cyclooxygenase 2, glutathione
peroxidases 3 and 7, and periredoxin”
2# Supplement with Cq10
Eat plenty of healthy f ats f rom an Ancestral Paleo diet
Include these f oods which contain high amount of COQ10)
When you start eating a cyclic Ketogenic Diet your f ocus should be on Fish and Organs meats, which contain a
high af f inity of Coq10.
Food Source # 1: Fish
CoQ10 is established distinctively in f atty f ish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines and herring. T hese
kinds of f ish are also rich in omega-3 f atty acids, which control swelling and may possibly aid in decreasing the
danger of heart ailment.
Food Source# 2: Meats
A natural source of CoQ10 is red meat, especially the organs. T he liver, heart and kidney are all supplies of
CoQ10. Additional meats like pork, chicken and venison also contain CoQ10. Meat organs contain a certain
proportion of CoQ10 like: beef heart contains 39.2 mg/g; pork heart has 113.3 mg/g and venison contains 126.8
mg/g of genuine CoQ10, as stated at the 2001 copy of the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.
I also recommend that you start using Coq10 to jump-start your Mitochondria and decrease ROS.
Side Note Ubiquinol is the most bioavailable form.
My preferred brand is: Lif e Extension Super Ubiquinol CoQ10 with Enhanced Mitochondrial Support.
# 3 Restore your NAC and Glutathione levels.

5. Eat the f ollowing f oods to enhance GSH levels and reduce ROS. Cysteine is f ound in a variety of f oods
including:
Poultry
Raw yogurt
Egg yolks
Red peppers
Garlic
Onions
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
I consume all of these f oods minus the yogurt and make a soup. I have this at least twice a week, yum, yum
Next; I recommend including NAC supplement: I pref er Lif e extension brand as a precursor to glutathione.
Once again, we want to jump start your mitochondria, and this is only temporary.
I like to have my clients to be on NAC at least 3 months. Now the dose depends on each individual, and some
do not tolerate it well, as it is to detoxif ying, while others do amazing on it. So please work closely with your
health practitioner.
And there you have it. A simple run down of ROS and why it is one of the most important f actors when it comes
to achieving optimal health.
I would love to hear your thoughts about this post, please leave a comment below.
Remember my friends, health is not black nor white, but many colors of the rainbow.
Optimally Yours
Ameer, RHN, FDN
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