Article Highlights:
- More than energy: Mitochondria regulate metabolism, immune function, and other essential cellular processes.
- Key to healthspan: Healthy mitochondria support energy, resilience, and healthy aging.
- Support your “cellular CEOs”: Protecting mitochondrial function may help maintain overall health and vitality.
When you think about your health, you might think about your heart, brain, or perhaps something that is bothering you as you get older. Perhaps you wish that you have more energy, have more efficient metabolism, are entering family planning stages of life, or simply want to age well and gracefully.
At the core of all this are dynamic organelles in your cells, called mitochondria, that direct and complete vast amounts of work and energy. Each of these mitochondria are kept running smoothly and efficiently with quality control measures in a masterful creation. Knowing how to support these exquisite factories is essential for your healthspan and are at the crossroads of life.
Protecting the CEO of Cells
Mitochondria have historically been described as the energy factories of the cell. This is true, but their function goes far beyond this life force activity. In recent years, scientists have discovered extraordinary findings that have led researchers to argue that mitochondria should be considered the CEO or “Chief Executive Organelle” of the cell.
Mitochondria CEO activities are described as, “dynamic information and energy processors that play crucial roles in directing dozens of cellular processes and behaviors. They provide instructions to enact programs that regulate various cellular operations, such as complex metabolic networks, signaling and innate immunity, and even control cell fate, dictating when cells should divide, differentiate or die.”
Other research explains, “Mitochondria reside at the crossroads of catabolic and anabolic metabolism – the essence of life”. First identified 170 years ago, researchers now recognized that mitochondrial dysfunction and decline contribute to most age-related declines and breakdown in health.
Mitochondria and Healthspan
Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of nine factors that represent common denominators of aging and your healthspan. Mitochondria decline can affect one tissue type like skeletal muscle, brain, liver, heart, kidneys, or endocrine glands or it can affect multiple tissues.
Factors that Impair Mitochondria Activities and Quality Control
Changes in mitochondrial function can happen at any age depending on genetics or acquired changes. Factors that impair or stress mitochondria include:
• smoking/use of tobacco products
• high blood sugar/diabetes
• excessive fatty foods/Western diet
• sedentary lifestyle
• alcohol
• elevated cholesterol/impaired lipid metabolism
• environmental toxins
• heavy metals
• high stress
• chronic inflammation
• several medications
• low T3 thyroid hormone levels and activity
Mitochondria and its CEO functions are at the crux of your overall health and wellbeing. Protection and support of the natural inborn mitochondria quality control mechanisms is an ongoing need for your life and healthspan.
Mitochondria Quality Control
Within mitochondria throughout your body is a complex quality control system that monitors the production (mitobiogenesis), remodeling (fission and fusion), and removal of aged, damaged mitochondria (mitophagy).
Mitogenesis
Mitogenesis or mitochondrial biogenesis is the birth of new mitochondria. It is the process of increasing the number and size of mitochondria in response to higher energy demands and cellular signals. This tightly regulated production process depends on energy reservoirs with NAD+, acetyl coA, ATP levels, SIRT-1 activity and other factors. It is controlled by several signaling pathways that provide antiaging activities and include AMPK, SIRT1, PGC-1α, NRF1 and NRF2.
Mitogenesis cross-talks with mitophagy to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis. The birth of new mitochondria occurs throughout your life with high production in youth and lower production with age and sedentary activity. Some factors that influence mitogenesis include cold exposure, exercise, restricting caloric overload, brown adipose tissue, cytokines, and nutrients.
Fission and Fusion
Fission and fusion of mitochondrial is the recycling and rebuilding of mitochondria. Cellular parts that are beyond repair are removed, while viable components are recycled or salvaged and made into new mitochondria.
Fission is adversely impacted by severe stress, excess calories/overeating/grazing/high calorie-nutrient poor foods, heavy metals, PFAS, pesticides, excessive UV radiation, and other factors.
Mitophagy
Mitophagy is the degradation and removal of mitochondrial parts that are old and worn out triggered by oxidative stress. This is a cellular defense mechanism to remove damaged mitochondria that produce high amounts of ROS free radicals.
High levels of wear-and-tear, stress, injury, sleep deprivation, and other life and environmental factors that generate excessive oxidative can overwhelm mitochondrial mitophagy.
A healthy balance between mitobiogenesis and mitophagy is essential for mitochondrial function and maintaining homeostasis with body temperature, thyroid function, oxygen and circulation. As quality control mechanisms diminish, it results in fewer healthier mitochondria and lower function resulting accumulating in age-related wear and tear. To deter this trend, it is essential to support lifestyle activities and nutrients
Meal Timing and Chrononutrition
These three mitochondria quality control stages are supported by allowing time between meals/intermittent fasting. Caloric overload from overeating, not allowing time between meals, and ultra-processed foods or excess carbs overload mitochondria generating oxidative stress and dysfunction. Following The Five Rules of the Leptin Diet supports a healthy mitochondrial lifestyle.
1. Never eat after dinner
2. Eat three meals a day
3. Do not eat large meals
4. Eat a high protein breakfast
5. Reduce the amount of carbs eaten
Chrononutrition like the Leptin Diet supports mitochondria quality control and CEO activities. This lifestyle approach supports your mitochondrial efficiency affecting weight control, blood sugar, cholesterol, and overall metabolism even without caloric restriction.
Exercise
Exercise and physical activity are essential for healthy mitochondria. Out of all the modern technologies, conveniences, and behaviors available to mankind, “exercise remains the most potent behavioral therapeutic approach for the improvement of mitochondrial health not only in muscle but potentially also in other tissues.”
The best exercise is the one that you will consistently do and enjoy. Be active with both cardio/aerobic and strength training. Strive for at least 150 minutes every week of activity. Change things up periodically as mitochondria and muscles need a diversity of activity.
Nutrients
Several nutrients are essential for mitochondria quality control activities including: NMN that supports NAD+ production, PQQ, R-alpha lipoic acid, acetyl-l-carnitine, coenzyme Q10 ubiquinol, spermidine, and B vitamins.
Numerous other nutrients enhance mitochondrial quality control activities including astaxanthin, berberine, glucosamine, melatonin, resveratrol, turmeric, and more. Strive for a well-balanced, whole foods diet at least 80-90% of the time to help provide your mitochondria essential and a wide variety of nutrients like proteins, complex carbohydrates, quality fats and phytonutrients.
For targeted nutritional support consider Mitochondria Ultra and NAD+ Helper with NMN. If you desire additional in-depth support, Pantethine or Stress Helper, Berberine Ultra, Repair Plus, Melatonin, Super Q10 Ubiqinol, and others may be added.
Each quality control stage is vital to maintaining the complex energetics of your health and longevity. Heart rhythms, memory, mood, and cognitive function, balance and movement, circulation, immune resilience, breathing, digestion, detoxification, skin, joints, and all other aspects of health depend on the CEO activities of your mitochondria.
The amazing adult human body has about 100,000 trillion mitochondria with about 2 billion mitochondria replaced every second. Healthy mitochondria quality control is essential for energy, life and thriving. Are your cellular CEOs getting the support and recognition that they need to do their job?
Additional Resources
Mitochondria – Drugs that Injure and What Mitochondria Injury Looks Like
Nutrients and Chrononutrition: Biological Clock Enhancers
Exercise and Mitochondria: Use It and Nurture It
Mitochondria: Your Battery Pack for Thyroid, Adrenals, and Stress Tolerance
Thyroid Guide: Resources for Improving Thyroid Health Naturally
Melatonin, Mitochondria, Circadian Rhythms – Are You in Sync?
Master Enzyme Switch Deactivated in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
