Mitochondria – the powerhouse of our cells - Carolyn Hansen

A diet rich in antioxidants – mainly fresh vegetables and fruits - keeps our mitochondria humming their best tune. Photo / 123RF

OPINION

Carolyn Hansen is co-owner of Anytime Fitness

We all know that energy is what powers everything into action, including the human body. But have you ever really thought about your personal energy level and what powers it? Has it ever occurred to you that you might be able to increase and control your energy levels (at least to a degree)?

Understanding our mitochondria as they play a key role in both health and disease. Inside each cell is an energy generator called mitochondria, an unusual organelle (structures that perform different jobs inside our cells). Considered the body’s battery pack, it is the part of the cell that combines the air and food we eat into energy, a process known as the Krebs cycle.

The chemical energy produced by our mitochondria is called ATP or adenosine triphosphate. Basically, it is fuel for our tank. However, our body can only store a small amount of ATP so we must continually regenerate ATP on a cellular level through a series of complex chemical processes. More ATP is produced aerobically with oxygen; however, it can be produced anaerobically/without oxygen.

Following the pattern of other systems within our body, the amount and the size of our mitochondria decline over the years. Therefore, the energy we once enjoyed and experienced as a youth when our mitochondria count was naturally high, diminishes along with it.

Igniting the curiosity of scientists, researchers are now looking at the mitochondria decline as a primary driver of feeling and looking tired, as a major contributor towards diseases of the brain along with cardiovascular disease – both currently impacting a large section of humanity.

Boosting mitochondria - Our food choices, specifically, the nutrients we provide our body turn into energy that in turn fuels every cell in our body. Since all cellular processes and biochemical reactions that occur within us are driven by our body’s battery pack, our healthy mitochondria, it makes sense for us to continually boost these bodily processes by increasing mitochondrial function.

This boost increases our overall energy and (as researchers begin to understand) even offers us the potential to slow and somewhat reverse the aging process.

Although lifestyle habits, stress, environmental poisons/toxins/different pesticides, mercury and radiation all harmfully affect how healthy and strong our cells’ mitochondria are, the worst offender lies with our choice of foods and our diet.

Beyond adding flavour and calories, our food choices, once consumed, become an information highway of sorts, telling our cell’s mitochondria what they should and should not do.

Overeating and consuming refined oils, processed foods, and sugar overload these precious energy factories, damaging and limiting production. Similarly, buying into fad diets and going into starvation mode causes the body to cling to and hang onto its present reserves of fat, the opposite goal of dieting.

As an example - dieting on and off for years, often called yo-yo dieting or simply depriving oneself of needed calories by severely restricting one’s diet are extreme actions that cause our metabolism to slow down and save their reserves of fat for a possible “rainy day” situation.

In the process of creating energy, our mitochondria also produce molecules that are highly reactive and damaging to our cells called oxidants. A diet rich in antioxidants – mainly fresh vegetables and fruits -keeps our mitochondria humming their best tune.

Bottom line is this: optimizing our mitochondria requires us to eat healthy, nutrient-dense foods and to eat an abundance of those healthy foods. Anything that spikes our blood sugar should be avoided.

The more mitochondria we have the more energy or ATP we produce along with more enzymes that break down fat, making fat burning more efficient. When we burn fat over carbs for energy, our fuel reserves last longer, meaning our energy levels last longer and our fat pockets get smaller.

Eating a proper diet is just one (a major one) way to increase mitochondria function and, not surprisingly, exercise is another.

It’s no secret that proper exercise is key to healthy immunity, heightened cognitive functions, better quality sleep, longer lifespans and increased muscle tone. But can it rebuild membrane-enclosed organelles/mitochondria that naturally degrade with age?

According to the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, “exercise stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis, a process that increases the number of mitochondria in our cells.” In order to contract, our muscles need ATP. It makes our muscles longer, stronger and more efficient.

A study was performed that included 36 men and 36 women split into two groups: one group aged between 18 and 30 and the other group aged between 65 and 80. These groups were further divided into three different exercise programs including high-intensity interval biking, strength training using weights and a combination of interval and strength training.

Once completed, a biopsy from the thigh muscles of the participants allowed the researchers to compare proteomic and RNA-sequencing data for the exercise groups. The team discovered that “exercise encourages our cells to produce more RNA copies of the genes that code for mitochondrial proteins and proteins responsible for muscle growth.”

For example, carrying out interval training showed a 49% increase in mitochondrial capacity for the youth group while the senior group experienced a 69% increase!

Dr. Sreekumaran Nair, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, who spearheaded the study, recommends both high-intensity interval training along with strength training for the best results. A powerful duo for sure!

Whether interval training, strength training or a combination of both – it is your choice, they all work to increase mitochondrial function.

In the end, our energy levels, our daily production levels and our longevity/the way we age can all contribute to our daily habits. What we eat and how much exercise we give our bodies, along with fresh air and sunshine.

Bad habits and unhealthy lifestyles zap our mitochondria, decrease our energy levels and accelerate aging. Healthy lifestyles, nutrient-dense foods and proper exercise are all empowered to multiply and increase our mitochondria, boost their healthy functioning within our bodies and reward us with healthy longevity.