AC-11 is a revolutionary advancement in human nutrition and skin care. Derived from the inner bark of Uncaria tomentosa, a vine indigenous to the Amazon rainforest, safe, all-natural AC-11 helps the body to repair DNA damage. The process by which this repair occurs is self-healing and has evolutionary origins. Its proper functioning may be the critical piece to the human health puzzle. Current science confirms that it is unrepaired DNA damage that leads to accelerated aging and an eventual breakdown of the body.

Effective both orally and topically, AC-11 begins where the protective benefits of antioxidants end by visibly reducing the adverse effects of aging and by helping to restore healthy cell function. Supported by over 40 peer-reviewed scientific studies, AC-11 works with the body to repair DNA damage caused by over-exposure to the sun and oxidative stress (pollution, etc,). This action helps boost immune function and allows our bodies to perform more efficiently, so that we look and feel younger—a perfect solution for inner health and outer beauty!

The human body is made up of trillions of cells, the smallest living biological structures on the planet. The vast majority of cells have specific functions. When combined, they form tissues, and from tissues, the body’s organs. Cells conduct the metabolic processes that keep the body alive: they absorb nutrients, generate and transfer energy, and dispose of waste products. The nucleus of the cell works like a central command center and contains DNA—the genetic code that dictates and organizes the body’s structure and physiology. Each molecule of DNA is organized in a tight coil around a group of simple proteins forming a chromosome. Normally, a human cell contains 23 pairs of 46 chromosomes.

Cells do not live forever; accordingly, they must continually reproduce, or replicate, to keep the body alive. The replication process, called cell division, results in the creation of a new cell that is an exact copy of the parent cell and performs the same functions. In preparation for division, the chromosomes first split into two identical sets and then line up within the cell to separate when the cell divides.

DNA contains the body’s entire genetic code, i.e., the information determining everything from eye color and skin tone to body type and gender. When unwound from its characteristic helical shape, each DNA molecule appears as a long, ladder-like structure consisting of two strands connected in between by rungs called nucleobases. The arrangement of these ladder connections causes the DNA to twist. Within the structure of the molecule are four chemical bases that comprise the DNA code. It is the complex sequencing of these bases that records the information needed to form the body’s overall genetic blueprint.

Cells require energy. Energy sources such as light, food, and oxygen react chemically with cellular structures to provide fuel to sustain the cells. However, the same reactions also create byproducts called free radicals. While free radicals are a natural byproduct of certain metabolic processes, and play a positive role in the body, excessive amounts are known to produce unwanted side effects. In particular, these particles when in excess tend to bombard cellular structures, including DNA. Sometimes they distort or change a part of the DNA strand; sometimes, they break it entirely, in the process weakening or even destroying the biological function of the cell. As the scientific community’s understanding of these interactions has grown, the critical link between free radical damage to cells and the aging process has become apparent.

The body naturally protects against free radical damage by producing neutralizing antioxidants. Certain foods and dietary supplements, moreover, provide a way to introduce additional antioxidants into the system.

Where free radical damage, or a lesion, has occurred to DNA, the body has a limited repair capacity. Specialized proteins scan the DNA to identify and isolate corrupted portions of the genetic code. Minor lesions may be chemically reversed; more extensive damage must be removed. Repair enzymes cut out or excise the damaged area and re-create the discarded section.

Together, antioxidants and the cell’s internal DNA repair mechanisms work to preserve the integrity of the cell. However, too many free radicals and too much damage over a given period of time can overwhelm these basic mechanisms and cause them to fail. Overload of this type is called oxidative stress. When lesions are left unrepaired, eventually they impair the cell's natural functions, including its self-repair functions. Individual cells damaged by oxidative stress break down and die prematurely. Over time, the body becomes progressively less capable of restoring healthy DNA as the cells continue to replicate in damaged or corrupted form.

Cell division is an important process in the human body. Regeneration resulting from cell division, along with the programmed death of old cells, or apoptosis, allows the body to grow, change, and repair itself. Apoptosis also eliminates abnormal, inefficient cell structures, and maintains basic, healthy biological functions, including proper immune response.

Just before division, a parent cell's DNA is fed through a replication bank. A complex protein called helicase unwinds each ladder section of the molecule and breaks the hydrogen bonds between the bases comprising the rungs to create two separate strands. A specialized enzyme then creates something akin to a template on the opposite side of each separated strand. With the template in place, a replication enzyme builds a new strand of DNA—complete with the damage, if any, contained in the original strand. Finally, the section seals and twist back into its characteristic helical pattern. Section by section, the proteins move down the structure, creating two separate, identical molecules of DNA.

As a result of unrepaired DNA damage that accumulates with age, the body becomes less efficient at basic tasks. For example, damage to the white cells, which form the core of a person’s immune system, will increase the body’s susceptibility to acute, chronic, and degenerative diseases. Moreover, non-regenerative structures, such as collagen, will begin to deteriorate rapidly and lead to aging the skin and weakening of the joints, bones, and connective tissues.

AC-11 is a revolutionary botanical extract that helps repair damage to DNA. This patented compound enhances cellular repair mechanisms to improve the utility and function of organs, muscles, and tissues throughout the body. Topical applications of AC-11 help to repair UV damage, fade discoloration, and ease fine lines and wrinkles. When ingested, this natural supplement also helps to support a healthy response to excess inflammation and encourage collagen production, while simultaneously supporting the immune system.