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Image: Interventions that can improve mitochondrial function, metabolic state, and overall health.
Unlocking the Power of Your Mitochondria is the Key to Achieving Optimal Health
90% of the energy in the body is produced in the mitochondria. If your body has functional mitochondria and sufficient energy, it can handle almost anything.
Disorders in the function of mitochondria lead to:
- Autoimmune diseases
- Diabetes
- Increased body weight
- Increased rate of aging
- Degeneration of the nervous system
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cancer
9 Ways to Improve Your Mitochondrial Function
1. Expose yourself to sunlight as much as possible, even during winter and with clothes on. Infrared radiation can penetrate clothes and boost melatonin production in the mitochondria.
Melatonin is present in the body, within the nervous system and the mitochondria. While it helps induce sleep in the nervous system, it acts as an antioxidant in the mitochondria, boosting energy levels.
2. Avoid eating processed and fried foods as they are low in nutritional value and often contain oxidized vegetable oils like seed oils, cottonseed oils, and canola oil, along with added sugar and preservatives that can harm your mitochondria.
3. Ensure you get enough sleep for 7-8 hours and adequate deep sleep. Deep sleep is critical for the health of the mitochondria. During deep sleep, the body repairs mitochondria and regulates the hormonal, biological, and immune systems.
Alcohol and other psychotropic substances can affect sleep quality and decrease the performance of mitochondria. While alcohol can help initiate sleep, it reduces the duration of deep sleep and can damage mitochondria. As a result, the body may increase cortisol secretion the following day due to ineffective repair and restoration. Elevated cortisol levels can disrupt metabolism as well as the functions of the hormonal, nervous, and immune systems.
4. Regular physical exercise is a highly effective way to enhance the functioning of your mitochondria. For optimal outcomes, engaging in intense exercise twice a week is recommended, complemented by some form of gentle movement on the remaining days.
Excessive exercise can harm the body and increase stress levels by elevating cortisol and other stress hormones, hindering progress. The amount of exercise that can be considered excessive may differ based on age and physical condition. To start, you can do a more intense exercise twice a week and gradually increase to three or more times while monitoring your body's response.
5. Address any micronutrient deficiencies, as they can impact the function of the mitochondria. The mitochondria rely on a multitude of micronutrients to function correctly. Mitochondria interact with almost any metabolic process within the human body.
Until recently, assessing mitochondrial function in a clinical setting was not possible. However, targeted analysis that measures the small molecules involved in chemical reactions occurring in the mitochondria can now detect deficiencies and increased needs that affect mitochondrial funtion.
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Image: Mitochondria interact with almost any metabolic process within the human body. Micronutrient deficiencies affect mitochondria function and overall health. Amaloha Casanova et al. Front Physiol. 2023. Under CC BY 4.0
6. Periodic fasting has been found to increase the rate of renewal and restructuring of mitochondria, which is the process of biogenesis and remodeling. On the other hand, continuous food intake can deregulate mitochondria and reduce their ability to switch from using fat to using sugars as a fuel source.
Mitochondria should be able to switch between these fuel sources for optimal performance. After a meal, your body's mitochondria should utilize glucose for energy. However, they should switch to using fat for fuel during overnight fasting.
7. Consume minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods, including red meat, seafood, fish, fruits, honey, olives, soaked nuts, olive oil, goat dairy, and fermented foods (yogurt, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, brined olives, aged cheeses).
8. It is crucial to ensure that you drink appropriate water and consume enough unrefined salt. Water is necessary for all the chemical reactions to occur in our body and is an excellent antioxidant.
However, our body needs salt to regulate water. If you consume enough water, the surplus salt is eliminated through urine. The problem arises when you consume too much salt without drinking enough water or, alternatively, drink too much water without an adequate amount. To enhance mitochondrial efficiency and maintain good health, it is crucial to balance water and salt intake.
9. Be socially active. Interacting with other people reduces stress and improves mitochondrial function.
Reference
Mitochondria: It is all about energy. Amaloha Casanova et al. Front Physiol. 2023.
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