About C-60

What is C-60?

Carbon-60 is a molecule comprised of 60 carbon atoms that are arranged in a unique shape that could be thought of as a ‘carbon cage’. This shape resembles that of a soccer ball, comprising of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. At the vertex of each shape is one carbon atom, with a double bond forming the edges of the shape. Another name for this unique structure is a truncated icosahedron.

This was named Buckminsterfullerene, also known as “Bucky Balls,” after Richard Buckminster Fuller, who was a famous architect whose geodesic domes resembled the C60 molecule.

It is the shape that gives C60 all of it’s amazing properties, including being resistant to radiation, chemical corrosion and breakage under high pressure. They are small enough to move freely through cell membranes and sit between strands of DNA.

C60 was found in deep space, stardust, and in ancient mineral deposits and meteorites found on Earth. This suggesting that it predates life on the planet. These unique carbon molecules are electron reservoirs that fight oxidation by neutralizing Free Radicals.

What is Oxidation?

Oxidation happens as our bodies metabolize (or process) the oxygen that we breathe and our cells produce energy from it. This process naturally produces free radicals. Free Radicals interact with the molecules within our cells resulting in damage (or stress) to nearby cells, DNA (our genes), and the mitochondria.

Oxidation happens under a number of circumstances including:

  • When our bodies are detoxifying from pollutants, pesticides, and cigarette smoke.
  • When our cells use glucose to make energy.
  • When the immune system is fighting off bacteria and creating inflammation.

Free radicals are normal and necessary to some degree. Although they cause some damage, they also stimulate repair. It is only when the amount of free radicals produced overwhelms the repair processes that oxidative stress occurs. Oxidative stress is main cause of premature aging. Oxidation is damage to parts of the cell such as the cell wall and DNA by Free Radicals. Aging is speed up by oxidation because the cells are damaged by free Radicals faster than they can be repaired.

How Do You Know If You Have Oxidative Stress?

Here are a few signs to look out for:

  1. Fatigue
  2. Memory loss or brain fog
  3. Muscle or joint pain
  4. Wrinkles and grey hair
  5. Decreased eye sight
  6. Headaches and sensitivity to noise
  7. Susceptibility to infections
  8. Slower healing 

Oxidative stress has been associated with the following health conditions:

  1. chronic fatigue syndrome
  2. fibromyalgia
  3. diabetes
  4. Alzheimer’s disease
  5. anxiety
  6. insomnia
  7. cancer. 

Conventional Colloidal Silver products on the market are ineffective for immune support. Complete silver molecules form clusters in order to “complete” themselves. A complete cluster will not participate in Ion exchange which means that it will not attack bacteria and viruses.

What are Free Radicals?

Free Radicals are certain types of oxygen molecules created in the body from certain bodily functions (metabolism and inflammation), exposure to radiation (UV light and ionizing radiation), and exposure to air pollution (cigarette smoke and refinery smoke). These oxygen molecules are unstable because one of their pairs are missing an electron. When these Free Radicals come in contact with healthy cells, they steal an electron from the cell structures causing damage (Oxidation).

How Does C60 Help?

C60 can stop free radicals which cause oxidation by donating an electron to the free radicals without becoming a free radical itself. This neutralizes the free radicals and slows down the rate of oxidation. C60 also helps protect the body from the effects of chemical toxins and ionizing radiation.

What are the benefits of taking C60?

#1 Scavenges Free Radicals

 Ever since the first experiments with C-60 it was concluded that this molecule acts as a free radical eliminator, neutralizing any that it encounters. It has been documented that this molecule has an antioxidant capacity several hundred times higher than other antioxidants.

 What makes fullerene 60 even more astonishing is its  cage-like structure. It takes our free radicals without affecting its function or shape, allowing it to continuously neutralize with free radicals until it leaves the system (this was shown in the Baati study to be 97 hours from the bloodstream of rats).

 C60 is unlike many other antioxidants. Most antioxidants bind to free radicals molecule-for-molecule. Carbon-60 can eliminate dozens of free radicals before it it is out of spare electrons. It has been reported that C60 can neutralize up to 34 methyl radicals at one time. 

 Another research paper shows that scavenging free radicals is not Carbon-60’s only method of acting as an antioxidant, and it is capable of neutralizing pollutants via chemical reduction reactions as well. 

 #2 Increases Longevity

 The Paris or Baati study is the most famous experiment performed using carbon-60. They found that this molecule is non-toxic and increased the lifespan of rats by 90%. This is due to the fact that Carbon-60 has a high affinity for both cellular and mitochondrial membranes. It helps protect these structures, which are integral to the lifespan of our cells. 

 There are several studies proving that C60 prevents mitochondrial dysfunction. This promotes longevity, optimal health, and increased energy levels. One study showed that rats exposed to fatal levels of radiation, survived 30 days after the event, where as the others who were not fed C60 only lasted a few days. 

#3 Helps Prevent Male Infertility

 Diabetes is a very common cause of erectile dysfunction and male infertility. In diabetic male rats, C60 helped improve their fertility and genital function. The rats treated with C60 showed increased levels of the antioxidant glutathione, testosterone, vitamin E, sperm and sperm motility (more than in the other diabetic rats or even the healthy rats). Studies show that they had completely recovered from diabetes-induced testicular complications, such as free radical damage, inflammation and cell death in the testis.

#4 UV Radiation Protection

Laboratory experiments on cultured skin cells has proven that C-60 infused topicals have protected the skin from the negative and damaging effects of UVA radiation 25 . These harmful effects included cell death, DNA damage, and the breakdown of collagen. In the same case study, it was noted that the C60 never went deeper than the outer layer of the skin, protecting the outermost layers.

#5 Reduces Inflammation & Symptoms of Arthritis

 Seeing as Carbon-60 is such a potent free radical neutralizer, it makes a lot of sense that it also helps to reduce inflammation and specifically the inflammation seen seen in arthritis. In both human cell cultures and rats that had arthritis, C60 reduced inflammation in the joints and bones. C-60 helps to bring the mitochondria back into balance, which corrects the immune system and results in less inflammation of the body as a whole.

 #6 Improves Immune Function

 C-60  protects mitochondria and cells from free radical damage, but it has also been shown to stimulate the immune system as well. C-60 begins stimulating the production of important immune cells such as lymphocytes (white blood cells) and TNF-alpha. These cells both play a key role in fighting off infections and reducing tumor cells. 

#7 Inhibits Tumor Growth

 It was found that fullerene-60 can prevent certain bone marrow stem cells and other cells from communicating. This communication is likely to result in the tumor spreading rapidly (known as metastasis). It can do this by correcting MAPK-ERK signaling in the stem cells. The MAPK pathway is the way for the surface of the cell and the DNA in the nucleus to engage, acting as the on-off switch for DNA activity (cell division or protein production). In the formation of tumors, this switch can become damaged, getting stuck in one position only.

 Carbon-60 not only corrects the MAPK pathways, which may stop some types of tumors from forming; but it was also shown to correct another anti-tumor pathway known as the NF-kB pathway. This directly involves the DNA of a cell, controlling certain processes such as inflammation, transcription and its overall lifespan. Correcting this pathway suggests that carbon-60 may cause tumor cells to self-destruct.