Suddenly it seems that mitochondria are being mentioned everywhere, with new studies showing that caring for our mitochondria will lead to better health and studies of cell death and disease even pointing to and showing that healthy mitochondria can reverse the aging process.
But while mitochondria have gained some notoriety, the importance of these cellular powerhouses is nothing new. In fact, as the organelles that create cellular energy, mitochondria are some of the most essential components of the human body.
What are mitochondria?
If you remember your days in freshman biology, you may remember that mitochondria are the 'power stations' of your cells. The analogy is apt; the role of mitochondria is to convert the food we eat into cellular energy. In fact, mitochondria produce about 90 percent of the energy our cells need to survive.
But mitochondria don't stop at making energy; they are also essential in causing cell death, an essential function that, when hindered, can lead to tumor growth and cancer.
And these are not the only health problems caused by dysfunctional mitochondria. As David Asprey, founder of Bulletproof, explains, mitochondrial dysfunction appears to be “at the heart of most illnesses and chronic illnesses.”
“You can get mitochondrial dysfunction if you don't have enough mitochondria, if the ones you have aren't working properly, or if you don't produce them consistently,” he explains. “Disconcertingly, research shows that half of people under the age of 40 have early mitochondrial dysfunction.”
Why are we now hearing more about mitochondria for the first time?
Mitochondria have not suddenly become more important in our bodies; our understanding of their essential role in a wide variety of disease processes has recently come to light.
“Mitochondria have always been important, but until recently, not much thought was given in medicine to do anything to improve their function.”
“The development of chronic health problems and diseases is usually attributed to flawed genetics and bad luck,” said Dr. Robert Zembroski, a functional medicine specialist, clinical nutritionist and author of REBUILD. “This outdated thought process is now being proven wrong.”
Malfunctioning mitochondria have been linked to problems such as fatigue, excess fat and declining cognition, not to mention Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), atherosclerosis, diabetes, autoimmune disease -immune diseases and mood disorders.
It is often an indicator of simpler problems to more serious problems, noting that as mitochondria deteriorate in function and power, we may first experience some sort of brain fog or difficulty thinking.
The muscles will have less energy all over the body. As mitochondria continue to break down, there is a progression from these common and vaguer symptoms to actual disease states such as diabetes, heart disease and cancers as cellular metabolism shifts to compensate for mitochondrial deficiencies.
5 steps to take better care of your mitochondria
Taking care of your mitochondria is essential to avoiding these health problems, and it's easier than you might think. To keep your mobile powerhouses as powerful as possible, experts suggest five basic steps.
Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
Inflammatory foods stress and overwork your mitochondria, so removing them is an important way to keep your mitochondria healthy and strong.
The main reason for mitochondrial burnout is the consumption of processed, low-calorie foods. These unhealthy foods cause the mitochondria to produce excessive free radicals and the immune system to produce inflammation which in turn damages mitochondrial function.
To ensure that your mitochondria live in their ideal environment – both to stay healthy and to repair themselves when damaged – our experts recommend eating a mostly plant-based diet rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants, supplemented with small amounts grass-fed or wild-caught animal protein sources and minimized processed foods, such as refined sugars, gluten, dairy, and hydrogenated oils and fats.
For many of the experts, this anti-inflammatory diet goes hand-in-hand with a low-carb diet ketogenic diet.
Mitochondria like to use ketones for fuel, and if you follow a high-fat, low-carb diet properly, you'll enter a fat-burning, ketone-generating state.
Intermittent metabolic switching is also often recommended.
This involves the transition from using carbohydrates and glucose to fatty acids and ketones as the main fuel source and can be achieved by combining regular intermittent fasting with regular exercise.
Avoid toxins and poisons
Toxins such as heavy metals, solvents and pesticides are some of the main culprits that disrupt cellular and mitochondrial function. A previous study showed that exposure to pesticides could contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease because of the ways in which pesticides induce morphological changes in mitochondria.
To prevent your mitochondria from coming into contact with toxins, choose the cleanest foods, cosmetics and household cleaners and choose organic where possible.
Movement
Moving your body is a great way to keep your mitochondria healthy and strong.
Through exercise and exercise, we can activate mitochondrial biogenesis – which is a great way to achieve the production of more mitochondria. The only important and effective way to do this is to demand more energy from your muscle cells, which causes mitochondria to divide. This means that more young and healthy mitochondria are created, which are more likely to function better and increase our 'bank account' of energy.
Try to find ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily life, such as walking, playing outside with kids or pets, or climbing stairs, in addition to your favorite spinning class, Pilates workout, or walking routine.
Get enough, high-quality sleep
Sleeping is one of the best ways to prevent mitochondrial dysfunction; in fact showed a double study from 2015 that less than seven hours of sleep per night can lead to a substantial decrease in mitochondria.
Go to bed at the same time every night and sleep in a completely dark room for at least seven hours to get the best sleep.
Stay stress free
Stress can have a major impact on your mitochondria. Acute and chronic stressors have adverse effects on mitochondrial function, particularly in the brain.
Consider adding meditation, forest bathing, or some other relaxing protocol to your daily routine to reduce your overall stress—and thereby lessen its adverse effect on your mitochondria.
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