Mitochondria

 

Article At A Glance:

·       Mitochondria are the powerhouses charging every cell in our body.

·       The first thing we can do to optimize our biology is to eliminate things that damage mitochondria.

·       We can strengthen our mitochondria through diet, exercise, light exposure, and sleep.

 

Mitochondria are the powerhouses charging every cell in our body.  In fact, the average human cell has between 1000 and 2000 mitochondria.  That means our bodies are stuffed with a quadrillion of these power packs.  Within these powerhouses, intense explosions occur enabling the nutrients we consume (i.e., fat, protein, carbohydrates) to be converted into units of energy called adenosine triphosphate or ATP.  Yeah, that is right, we are going back to high school biology.  But if you were like me, and did not pay enough attention in class, do not worry, I will keep it simple.  When mitochondria are functioning optimally, these explosions occur efficiently and are well contained within the armored walls of the mitochondria.  When functioning is compromised, however, energy is depleted and toxic free radicals leak from the surrounding cells, causing damage. 

 

There are many reasons for mitochondria disfunction including nutritional deficiencies, poor metabolism of fatty acids, hormone imbalances, environmental toxins, chronic stress, and sleep deprivation.  Clearly, if we want to optimize mitochondria functioning so we have the physical energy and mental functioning needed for wellness and peak performance, the first step is to greatly reduce, if not eliminate, factors that are damaging our mitochondria.  We need to reduce exposure to toxins in our environments and the foods we eat as well as lower stress levels.  Once we have addressed these factors, however, we can also take steps to improve mitochondria functioning and we will take this topic on in this and other articles.  We will survey some of these strategies here and dive deeper into each of these in the future. 

 

Eat To Fuel Your Brain and Body

One of the strongest steps we can take to optimize mitochondria function is to ensure our diets provide us with the nutrients, such as antioxidants found in vegetables and some fruits, needed to operate as they are designed.  Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD) does not provide us with the nutrients we need.  Perhaps the most efficient way to improve mitochondrial functioning is to stop eating sugar, refined carbohydrates, and damaged hydrogenated fats (i.e., toxins that damage mitochondria) and to start fueling our body with the fats and nutrients we need for optimal functioning. 

 

Personally, I follow a “clean keto” diet and have been for a couple of years.  Most of my calories come from healthy fats (e.g., coconut oil, eggs, avocados, butter from grass fed cows, grass fed beef, and salmon).  I also eat a moderate level of protein, as you can tell from some of the foods I just listed, but I also eat a freaking ton of organic vegetables.  And even with that, I still supplement with polyphenols, glutathione, and coenzyme Q-10.  The fact is, as much as I try to optimize my biology by aligning my dietary, exercise, and sleep habits with the way humans have lived for thousands of years, modern food is nutritionally deficient.  Because of commercial farming, the food we eat today is not the same as the food people ate 50 years ago let alone 1000 years ago and supplements like these are likely needed for optimal mitochondrial functioning.    

 

You’ve Got To Move It

While the process of aging decreases our bodies ability to make mitochondria, aerobic exercise has been found to support mitochondrial biogenesis (i.e., making new mitochondria).  And one form of exercise, referred to as High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT, may be particularly effective when it comes to mitochondrial biogenesis. 

 

Personally, I love distance running.  Unfortunately, while our bodies were literally designed for distance running (i.e., for most of our existence this is how we were able to hunt our meals), we were not designed to run on asphalt, literally “pounding the pavement.”  So, as much as I like distance running, and would love to do it everyday, my knees can only take so much of it.  Further, as much as I would love to go for a 12 mile run in the morning, I just do not have the time.  And it is for these reasons that I have become a huge fan of HIIT training because you can experience all of the same benefits for your brain and body in just 20 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half. 

 

Personally, I exercise alone, first thing in the morning, and my favorite way to do HIIT training is on the Peloton bike.  The coaches are motivating and the workouts are insane.  And if you do not have the bike, just about any stationary bike and the Peloton App will do the trick.  However, there are a lot of ways to experience the mitochondrial benefits of HIIT training.  The key is to intersperse short periods of maximum physical exertion with short periods of rest.  One way to do this is to run as hard as you can for 400 meters, literally lay down for 1 minute, bounce up and do it again.  Rinse and repeat for 20 minutes.  Do this once a week and your mitochondria will thank you.

 

Live In The Light

Our brains and bodies require the proper balance of healthy light sources throughout our day in order to thrive.  Unfortunately, since moving largely in doors with the invention of lightbulbs, we have disrupted the natural balance of light spectrums we are exposed to throughout the day.  This leads to a host of problems including sleep disturbance, seasonal depression, and problems with mitochondrial function. 

 

One of the problems is we are exposed to far to much blue light and insufficient red light.  Blue light, including the light coming from fluorescent light bulbs and our screen devices, can seriously disrupt our quality of sleep.  The light coming from these devices tricks our brain into thinking it is day time, shutting down the production of melatonin, and making it harder for us to fall asleep and reach deep levels of restorative sleep. 

 

Another problem, is that we are exposed to far less red light than our ancestors and this can have serious effects as well.  Red light helps mitochondria produce more energy, decrease inflammation, and build up cell defense systems for increased resiliency.  Because of the benefits of red light on mitochondria it has anti-aging effects, lowers inflammation, improves fat loss, balances hormones, and enhances cognitive functioning.  Honestly, red light therapies are new for me but I took the plunge with a red light/infra red light lamp from Red Rush360 and red light/infra red light sauna from ClearLight.  I also started waring a Veilight while meditating.  No joke, I experienced more energy throughout the day, had better focus, and reached deeper levels of meditation faster. 

 

Sleep is Key

Years ago I saw in interview with Rudy Giuliani, back in the early 2000s when he was “America’s Mayor” (i.e., not what ever the hell it is he has turned into now), and he shared that he had trained himself to function on less sleep.  I thought this was amazing and started to do the same thing.  I imagined all of the things I could do if I only needed to sleep 4 hours a night.  That would give me an extra 4 hours a day, 28 hours a week, more than 4.5 extra days a month, 56 extra days a year, and you can see where I am going with this.  Unfortunately, and perhaps Rudy is a good example of this, but not getting sufficient sleep can seriously impair brain function. 

 

I have recently started tracking my stress and recovery (i.e., sleep) using the Whoop and it has been a game changer.  While I could always feel the toll that insufficient sleep was having on my body (e.g., a chest cold that never went away) and brain (e.g., poor attention, memory, and executive function), whoop analyzes the degree to which insufficient sleep is impacting me and determines the factors that may be contributing to poor sleep quality.  As a result, I can optimize my sleep and even get more recovery in less time.  With Whoop, I know what time I need to get to bed, what time I can wake up and still experience a high level of mental and physical functioning, and how to optimize the amount of time I spend in restorative deep (i.e., brain recovery) and REM (i.e., body recovery) stages of sleep. 

 

If you are interested in optimal functioning and well-being – more energy, greater focus, and lower levels of stress – you can not do it through psychological strategies alone.  Without getting your biology right, efforts to optimize psychological functioning will likely fail.  Optimal functioning and well-being requires we understand and attend to our mitochondria as they fuel our mental and physical well-being.  The first and most powerful step is to eliminate things from our environment that are damaging mitochondria and then add things that optimize functioning including proper nutrition, exercise, light, and sleep.