Mitochondria - Becoming a Mitochondriac

Oct 1

If you’re around me, you may hear the word mitochondria mentioned often. Inspired by Dr. Jack Kruse, the book “Mitochondria and the future of medicine, the key to chronic illness, aging and life itself” by Lee Know, and others. Mitochondria are an interesting point of entry into the biology of health. EMF’ damage mitochondria, the sun helps them, and when they are dysfunctional, everything suffers. Many scientists have converged on the mitochondrial theory of aging. Although opinions still vary on that, mitochondrial are clearly central to wellness. And to quote Dr. Know’s book’s quote of Star Wars: Episode I:

Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the force. When you learn to quiet your mind, you’ll hear them speaking to you.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there were intelligent microscopic life forms called midi-chlorians that lived symbiotically inside the cells of all living things. When present in sufficient numbers, they allow there symbiotic host to detect the pervasive energy field known as the force. Midi-chlorian count were linked to ones potential in the Force, ranging from normal human levels of 2,500 per cell to the much higher levels in a Jedi. The highest known midi-chlorian count (over 20,000 per cell) belonged to Jedi Anakin Skywalker— MFMKCIAL

He continues eloquently, but I’ll sum it up by remarking that George Lucas loosely based the idea of midi-chlorians on mito-chondria. It’s interesting to know that mitochondria are thought to be a symbiotic relationship between a separate bacteria engulfed by almost all human cells. Mitochondria (and similarly chloroplasts in plants [R]) are crucial for the energy demands of all multicellular organisms. No mitochondria/chloroplasts, no multicellular life. It’s also interesting to note that yours and everyone’s mitochondrial DNA is only passed down by our mothers. Making it possible to trace back the mother of all mothers (Mitochondrial Eve) through mitochondrial DNA, to Africa, approximately 170,000 years ago.

Below is a list of common medications that negatively impact mitochondrial health.

Common Medications that Damage Mitochondria [R]

Mitochondria’s role in disease

You’ll find that some health issues may be caused by mitochondrial dysfunction, while common medications to treat them cause more mitochondrial dysfunction. I would be cautious when thinking about taking any of these medications, that only treat the symptom, while making the cause worse. Below are some common health issues mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction. The list is not exhaustive. If any of these apply to you, I suggest more research. I’m 100% sure its more complicated than I am presenting.

Arrhythmias [R, R]: …tbc
Congestive heart failure: without sufficient ATP created by mitochondria the diastolic phase (relaxation phase) of the heart beat cannot happen, and the heart can’t fill fully with blood. This is called diastolic dysfunction. The beginning stages of this is characterized by hypertrophy and enlarging of the heart muscle and stiffening of ventricular walls and is a sign of congestive heart failure down the road. [R]
Neuro-degeneration: recent evidence has shown that the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations and diminished cellular energy production accelerates normal aging, leads to oxidative damage to nuclear DNA, and impairs gene transcription [R] and may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease [R], Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and cerebellar degenerations.
Anti-oxidants like astaxanthin, hydrogen water [R], turmeric (with black pepper), can pass the blood brain barrier and have a protective effect. Evidence suggests that dietary polyphenols such as resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and curcumin have the capacity to mitigate age-associated damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) by increasing the activity of SIRT1 [R] and reducing the production of beta amaloids [R]. The sun or red light therapy helps [R, R, R, R, R, R]. Ketosis helps [R, R, R, R.]. Vitamin D [R, R, R, R, R]. And Ubiquinol (coq10) [R]. This is mostly a summary of this selfhacked article, there’s a lot more there.
Depression: It has been proposed that the balance between the stress response, and adaptation and available energy (from mitochondria) is crucial for mental health. Specifically stress activates different parts of the brain, and requires neuroplasticity which comes at a metabolic cost. Although it doesn’t mean that all mitochondrial disfunction will cause depression, or that all depression is caused by mitochondrial disfunction. But it is worth looking into before taking a drug that will make mitochondrial function worse. And its worth looking into because improving mitochondrial health will at worst, probably help your depression along with everything else.
ADHD: Studies have linked ADHD to environmental toxins known to damage mitochondria, and to free radical damage. Inattention and impulsivity may be related to decreased neuronal energy availability [R, R]. The brain consumes 20% of available energy at rest. Astrocytes are important for providing energy by supplying lactate to rapidly firing neurons and to neurotransmitter release. Lactate is essential for these neurons and is a better fuel source for the brain than glucose because it’s metabolized to form ATP more rapidly and unlike glucose, it doesn’t require ATP for its metabolism. In ADHD lactate production is not sufficient to supply rapidly firing neurons with energy during brief periods of high demand. This insufficiency leads to a local transient deficiency in ATP production, impaired restoration of ions (like calcium) across neuronal membranes, and slowed neuronal firing. This results in inconsistent performance of demanding cognitive tasks. These periods of rapid firing are then followed by slow unsynchronized firing, which exerts less demand on energy resources and allow replenishment of energy reserves and restoration of function. These brief periods of energy and depletion are suggested to account for the variability of behavioral response seen in patients with ADHD when performing complex tasks that require speed and accuracy.
Cancer: Cancer is thought to be an issue with damaged DNA, to the point that the cell does not know how to behave. While that may play a role, there is another theory with a lot of evidence. Mitochondrial dysfunction and a conversion of cancer cells to glycolysis for energy instead of oxidative phosphorylation. Meaning, mitochondria are not providing sufficient ATP for these cells. And their primary mode of energy production is through fermentation of sugar, which does not require mitochondria. [R] Though the story may be a bit more complicated than that. For a more deep dive into the nuance, you could read this.

Some things that harm mitochondria

EMFs by causing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and reducing blood flow. Read more here.
Alcohol [R]
Overeating: [R]
MSG: is a neurotransmitter that stimulates neurons and quickly depletes energy stores. Too much can cause oxidative damage, impair learning and memory, and cell death.
Stress: over activation of your sympathetic nervous system for extended periods can deplete energy, induce inflammation and reactive oxygen species. [R]

Things that help mitochondria

Natural foods
Cyclical anti-oxidants like glutathione, astaxanthin, and NAC (a building block of glutathione)
Proper light exposure
Quality sleep
Hormesis like exercise, cold, heat, and intermittent fasting [R] [R]