|
There are many things within your control that influence how healthy you are and how quickly you age. One of the important factors is energy ...specifically cellular energy.
Everything that your body does requires energy. It's easy to understand that walking requires energy; so does thinking. Your heart needs a continual supply of energy to keep beating.
Surprisingly, twenty-five percent of the body's energy at rest is used to simply maintain concentration gradients across cell membranes by way of "cellular pumps". This brings us to an important correlate of energy,
which is organization. The components of the body are extremely
complex and diverse and highly organized. With aging there is a loss of cellular energy and a loss of organization. Entropy is a word I use to describe the disorganization that occurs in the body's structures with age.
 | |
Biological Aging associated with Decreased Energy & Organization
|
It is self evident that it requires energy to stay organized. What does your house start to look like if you don't put in the energy to keep things in order? The same is true in the body. It takes energy to keep your cells and tissues organized and differentiated. What are the consequences of lack of organization and differentiation? Cell death and organ failure or cancerous changes, to name a few.
So, energy is critical for organization. Likewise, organization is essential for energy. Imagine removing all the organization and structure from your car's engine. Let's imagine it melts into a uniform chunk of steel. Putting premium gas in the car's fuel tank is not going to help run the car without a good, functional engine.
 | |
Mitochondria
|
With aging, the cell's engine suffers damage and becomes less efficient at producing energy. What is the cell's engine? Complex, tiny cellular structures called mitochondria. You may have heard these referred to as the "powerhouse of the cell" if you paid attention in high school biology class. In the mitochondria, digested components of your food are combined with oxygen in a series of chemical reactions to produce adenosine triphosphate or ATP - the energy currency of the body.
With aging, our energy machinery becomes damaged and we lose ability to keep our tissues organized. Total loss of energy production results in death.
The great news is that we can positively impact the energy-entropy equation. We can, through tailored therapeutic lifestyle programs, increase mitochondrial energy production and also reduce microscopic damage and degeneration or entropy.
There are many factors to consider. These include toxicity, inflammation, blood sugar, glycation, hormone balance, and exercise. Let's focus a bit on one area: Nutrient levels.
Mitochondria require carbohydrate, protein, or fat to make energy. It follows that you need to be eating an adequate amount of quality foods. There are other requirements for the body to be able to convert food into energy. Quite a number of substances play a role.Some of these are naturally made within the body, others have to be obtained from diet. The substances your body can make are not necessarily made at optimal levels. Aging, stress, dietary shortcomings, and medications are a few of the factors that can reduce levels of these mitochondrial "spark-plugs". Some of the more important nutrients involved in powering mitochondrial function include D-Ribose, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, creatine, magnesium, and B complex vitamins.
Ninety-five percent of the body's energy is made in mitochondria. What are the consequences of suboptimal mitochondrial function or low energy production? Everything from fatigue to hearing loss, from depression to infertility, from autism to heart failure, from diabetes to Parkinson's disease. Every tissue in the body is adversely affected by impaired energy production. Every degenerative disease is fueled by not having enough fuel.
With the right approaches, we can absolutely improve mitochondrial energy production! Natural approaches can improve mitochondrial function and increase the size of mitochondria and/or increase the number of mitochondria. Things that can increase energy production include optimizing thyroid hormone levels, exercise, caloric restriction, consuming extra virgin olive oil and soy, and supplementing a number of different nutrients.
For example, L-carnitine is needed to transport fats into the mitochondria to be burned for energy. An alternative form, called acetyl L-carnitine, is probably more effective in neurological tissues. Both forms have been found to help people in many ways. L-carnitine was tested in one study on men and women who were 100 to 106 years-old. Thirty-two subjects were given two grams of L-carnitine daily for six months while thirty-four subjects were given a placebo. Compared with placebo, L-carnitine supplementation produced a significant improvement in physical and mental fatigue, cognitive function and walking capacity. The group receiving L-carnitine lost an average of about 4 pounds of fat while the placebo group gained about 1.3 pounds of fat. There was a dramatic difference in muscle weight gain (3.80 vs. 0.8 kg); stated in pounds, the L-carnitine group gained over eight pounds of muscle!
 | |
Energy maintained = Biological Aging slowed
|
How can one know how how well their mitochondria are functioning? I rely on two general tests. One is a laboratory test, which gives us insight into the biochemical reactions that take place within the mitochondria. It is called an organic acid analysis or Organix profile (see "FEATURED LAB TEST" in left-hand column). This test also measures degree of free radical damage, which is a byproduct of poorly functioning mitochondria and contributes to entropy. The other tool I use is the measurement of "phase angle" from an in-office test called bioelectric impedance analysis. I liken this measurement to checking the charge on a battery. The phase angle gives us an indication of the electrical health and the structural integrity of the cells. Studies have compared this testing to blood tests in different patient populations (including cancer, AIDS, and kidney dialysis) and have found the phase angle to must accurately predict longevity. Higher phase angles are associated with greater health. Raw vegetables may have a phase angle of 45 but, upon cooking, the phase angle drops to zero because all of the cell walls have been broken down. Thus, phase angle gives an indication of structural integrity or entropy.
 Optimizing mitochondrial function is a critical strategy for promoting overall wellness and healthy aging, as well as improving disease states. This approach can complement whatever other treatment is being used. The most effective mitochondrial restoration program is one that is tailored for the individual based upon specialized assessment.
Contact my office if you have questions or would like to get started on your own program to optimize mitochondrial function and energy production.
| 
