Antioxidants, ideally in the form of natural substances, are essential in order for the cell to stay healthy and counteract the attacks of free radicals that occur day after day. It is here that vitamins play an especially central role. The most well-known cell protectors are vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and the mineral selenium. Vitamin E is present in every cell membrane as the most important fat-soluble antioxidant and is in need of sufficient amounts of vitamin C as a helper. As a radical catcher, vitamin E protects organs such as the liver, brain and heart, as well as blood cells and musculature. This is why vitamin E, in conjunction with vitamin C, is one of the most important vitamins. These vital antioxidants keep the aging process at bay, are responsible for physical performance and can counteract premature aging. Sadly, a number of negative influences exist which impair vitamin E supply. These include an unhealthy diet and unfavorable lifestyle, which are factors that release increasing oxidative stress in body cells. If sufficient cell-protecting vitamin E is not present, then the degradation process of the body is sped up.

Vitamin C is also helpful in the protection of body cells, as it strengthens the natural immunity of the body and ensures regeneration of vitamin E. Beta-carotene also plays an important role to counteract free radicals. Other vitamins, especially those in the vitamin B class are not only active as antioxidants, but also support numerous mechanisms inside the cell in order to protect against free radicals. Selenium is a vital trace element, which helps with the production of enzymes that are important for the protection of the body. There are additional minerals (manganese, magnesium, chromium, iodine, etc.), which are significant co-factors for cell protection.

Next to oxidative stress, chronic inflammation is the second mechanism why a cell or an organ—and thus the entire organism—ages prematurely or becomes susceptible to certain illnesses. There are also different substances which counteract inflammation. The most well-known product is certainly Aspirin®, which counteracts inflammation in different ways. Similar effects can also be reached through the use of specific phytonutrients, which are generally extracted from Southern fruits. Certain vegetables or agricultural plants such as green tea, cabbage and garlic contain substances that block enzymes that encourage or preserve chronic inflammation. As with almost all physiological processes in organisms, the inflammatory process is subject to specific time fluctuations throughout the day. This is why it is important to utilize the different inflammation blockers at the correct time of day or night in order for the effect to be optimal, while at the same time not interfering with other substances.

A chronobiological approach to therapy can also be used in cells that are no longer part of the natural life cycle. On the one hand, the goal of this chronotherapy is to protect the healthy cells against currently used medications which are capable of killing. On the other hand, chronotherapy increases the effectiveness of the treatment against tumor cells. The first can be reached through the chronobiologically correct use of antioxidants or anti-inflammatory substances. Additionally, many of the chemotherapies in use today have a so-called therapeutic window. If they are used at the correct time of the day, they are significantly more effective while also having fewer side effects. In addition to this therapy optimization, natural substances can also be used which are said to demonstrate effect mechanisms.

Certain tumor cells have specific genes, or gene sections, that are so altered that they can no longer be read. When the phytonutrient reactivates this gene, then the cell can initiate the programmed cell death. Other substances lead to DNA (the place of cell process regulation) becoming more susceptible to anti-cancer substances. Other phytonutrients regulate the expression of specific modulators within tumor cells, which can also be used to initiate natural cell death. All of these effect mechanisms reach into those cells that evidence disturbed mechanisms; in other words, they reach into the tumor cells rather than into healthy cells. Just as with the chemotherapies described above, these phytonutrients also have an ideal time of day in which they are able to reach optimal effectiveness.