Remember mitochondria: the “powerhouses of the cell”? It turns out, they’re not just high school biology trivia. Mitochondria are vital for transforming the energy your body needs, but their role goes far beyond power generation.
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What are Mitochondria and how do they work?
Mitochondria. Mitochondria impact everything from metabolism to mental health. Here’s how to keep them strong as you age. Now as we age, it turns out, our overall health depends more and more on these tiny structures inside our cells called Mitochondria. We can’t see them or feel them or even really easily test for them, but we’re learning more and more about their vital importance. These so-called “powerhouses” of the cell, create the energy we need to stay active and healthy. But mitochondria aren’t just about transforming energy, they play a crucial role in metabolism, the immune system, brain health, and overall healthy aging. Understanding mitochondria and how to keep them functioning well is important for all of us but especially for people over 50. So let’s dive into mitochondria, what they are, why they’re important, and most importantly how to keep them running at full speed as we age. So what are mitochondria? Mitochondria are these very tiny small structures inside nearly every cell in the body, and their main job is to transform energy into the usable form of ATP or Adenosine triphosphate This energy fuels all the body’s functions from muscle movement to brain activity, but they also help with cell growth cell death and multiple other cell functions. Now it’s no secret that our bodies need energy to function properly and mitochondria create this energy through a process called cellular respiration. You may have heard the terms like glycolysis or the Krebs cycle, the electron transport chain, these are the cellular processes by which mitochondria transform inputs into energy. And when mitochondria work well, our cells get the energy they need to function efficiently.
Mitochondrial decline with age
However, as we age, mitochondrial function can decline leading to lower energy levels, even muscle weakness, cognitive decline, and a greater risk of disease. In addition, as we get older, mitochondria produce molecules called free radicals. While small amounts of free radicals can be necessary for health, too many free radicals can damage mitochondrial DNA and different proteins, making them less efficient at creating energy and creating a metabolic strain on our bodies and brains. Over time, that damage can contribute to memory loss, heart disease, muscle weakness, and other health issues.
How Mitochondria support metabolism and brain health
So taking steps to protect mitochondria and reduce free radical production is a crucial element for healthy aging. In addition, mitochondria help control how our bodies use food for energy. They affect how efficiently we process sugars and fats, and when mitochondria don’t work properly, like when they don’t convert sugar into energy effectively, then excess sugar stays in the bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar levels and chronic height insulin levels, chronic inflammation, and this whole cascade of insulin resistance and the constellation of problems associated with poor metabolic health, such as increased risk for cancer and heart disease, dementia, mental illness, and so much more. And the mitochondrial contributions to metabolic health may be even more important for brain health. See, the brain requires a lot of energy to function properly, and if mitochondria don’t work well, then memory, focus, overall cognitive function can decline and increase the risk of mental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, etc. So mitochondria help brain cells by multiple mechanisms, including producing energy needed for communication between brain cells, regulating efficient metabolism, regulating calcium and other ion levels, which help with communications and cell function, and then reducing damage from free radicals, as I mentioned, which can contribute to cognitive decline. But it’s not all doom and gloom, right?
Lifestyle approaches that support mitochondria
There are tangible real-world ways, we can actually support our mitochondrial health and help promote healthy lives. And while these should come as no surprise to anyone, we often don’t think about these activities and their effect on our tiny cellular structures like mitochondria. And the first is to exercise regularly, again, not a surprise, but physical activity helps create new mitochondria and keeps them healthy. Now, it appears that kind of any amount of physical activity can be helpful, with even more benefits occurring with regular cardio exercise and resistance training. It sounds simple, but just regularly moving your body is good for our mitochondria.
And the second is eating a mitochondria friendly diet. We know the food that we take in and we consume, plays a big role in our health, even down to our mitochondria. Now, there is some debate about what is a mitochondria healthy diet. And it’s not clear that there’s any one magical food, but research suggests that, focusing on fatty foods, fish, nuts, avocados, and protein containing foods, even like meat, eggs, beans, lentils, can all some way be beneficial to mitochondria. And other research suggests antioxidant foods like fruits and vegetables can be helpful. But one universal key is the avoidance of sugar in ultra processed refined carbs, right? That is key. Ultra processed foods, sugars, so important. So by just avoiding these food containing these subjects, we can improve our mitochondria. But it’s crucial to recognize that foods don’t exist in a vacuum, but rather they exist within a dietary context. So any diet that helps someone eliminate sugar, eliminate ultra processed foods and refined carbs, and eat the proper amount of calories for their health can likely contribute all the way down to mitochondrial health. And along the same lines, eating fish and berries isn’t likely going to help much, if it’s otherwise part of a standard American diet, high in calories, refined carbs and sugars, ultra processed foods, etc. So there’s not a magic food, but there can be helpful foods, within a dietary matrix as overall beneficial. And then what about supplements? So a lot of people like to talk about mitochondria friendly supplements. So some evidence suggests things like Coenzyme Q can be helpful that can support energy production and protect mitochondria from damage or magnesium. Magnesium can help mitochondria more efficiently produce ATP, the body’s main energy source. B vitamins. B vitamins play a key role in converting food intake into energy. Or Omega-3 fatty acids can help maintain mitochondrial health and reduce inflammation. There are also other supplements like methylene blue or environmental supplements like red light therapy that have shown benefits for mitochondrial health.
Avoiding environmental toxins for mitochondrial function
All of these things have some evidence to support their benefits to mitochondria, but here’s the key, picking one or two things from this list while ignoring the rest of the lifestyle or other mitochondrial benefits isn’t likely going to help. We can’t eat and completely unhealthy diet and lead a sedentary life and expect methylene blue and magnesium to suddenly fix everything. It doesn’t work that way. It takes a concerted effort on all fronts to keep our mitochondria functioning their best, especially as we age. And another point is that, what we put in our bodies is just as important as what we avoid. Not just food, but also harmful chemicals from pollution, smoking, drugs, and the chemicals used to grow some of our food. These environmental toxins can have serious deleterious effects on our mitochondria.
How stress and sleep impact mitochondria
And lastly, we have to mention getting adequate sleep, managing chronic stress, and maintaining proper circadian rhythms, all of which contribute to mitochondrial health. So yes, mitochondria are key to our mental and overall health, especially as we age. We can’t see or feel our mitochondria, but that doesn’t make them any less important. So I hope this general overview was helpful, to maybe give you a renewed interest and perspective on mitochondria. And now if you’re ready to dive even deeper, please see our interview with mitochondria expert and researcher, Dr. Martin Bacard, and learn some of his amazing insights about the importance of social connections, a positive outlook in life, and even how mitochondria themselves are social organisms. It’s so fascinating. The way he talks about mitochondria with such enthusiasm and such deep, deep knowledge. I highly recommend people check out that interview. And for a deeper connection on mitochondria and mental health, please check out our interview with Dr. Chris Palmer. Alright so I hope this was helpful. Please leave us a comment about your take on mitochondria, because we would love to hear from you. And if this was helpful, please like and subscribe, so you won’t miss any of our future content. Alright, thank you so much for watching. I’m Dr. Bret Scher. We’ll see you here next time at Metabolic Mind, a nonprofit initiative of the Baszucki Group.
