What Does the Mitochondria Do? 10 Ways to Boost Mitochondrial Health for Energy, Brain Health and Vitality

Is your Power On?

The power goes out in your home, but instead of calling your electricity provider, you call an electrician to find out why your lights are off. You call an appliance repair company to investigate your broken refrigerator and oven. You call your telecommunications company to fix your internet. 

All of these specialists would think you are crazy, of course; these aren’t working, they have no power.

Imagine this occurring in your body. Not no power, just insufficient power. You may have brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues and body aches. It may not be that something is wrong with these individual organs, but with their power supply.

The human body is a lot more complicated than an appliance, and issues can have multiple contributing factors and causes. However, more and more research is showing that our health, vitality and even lifespan is heavily dependent on the functionality of these tiny organelles we all forgot about after high school science.

High School Biology Flashback: What are Mitochondria?

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. That’s what we all had to memorize for the test. But what does that mean? And, what does the mitochondria do?

The mitochondria are double-membraned organelles found in almost all cells in the human body (plants and other animals have them too!).

The main function of mitochondria is to convert our food, in the form of glucose, into energy, in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondria also play a role in the calcium levels of cells and apoptosis (cell death).

Fun Facts about the Mitochondria

• Mitochondria have DNA separate from the DNA in the nucleus.
• Mitochondria are matrilineal – you inherit them from your mother only.
• Mitochondria are believed to have evolved from ancient bacteria that formed a symbiotic relationship with a prokaryotic cell.
• Muscle cells have the most mitochondria, as they need more energy.
• Red blood cells do not have any mitochondria, as they only deliver oxygen to other cells and thus have no need to produce energy for themselves. 

Don’t Shoot the Messenger:  your fatigue and brain fog may not be just hormone-related

One of the most common health complaints today is fatigue and brain fog. Hormones are often blamed, particularly if you are a woman entering menopause or peri-menopause.

While hormones, chemical messengers, play a role in energy and focus, they are not the whole story.  Chronic fatigue, brain fog or slow metabolism can all be due to an imbalance at the cellular level known as mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial dysfunction means mitochondria can become damaged due to increased oxidative stress, so they no longer function as they should. 

What is Mitophagy?

When mitochondria produce energy for your body, they also produce a waste product called reactive oxygen species. This is like exhaust from your car.

This waste product makes mitochondria susceptible to damage from oxidative stress. Therefore, mitochondria need to be recycled often.  Mitophagy is the breakdown of old and inefficient mitochondria to promote the biogenesis of new healthy mitochondria.

Mitophagy is good, and we need our mitochondria recycled efficiently for optimal energy levels. Mitophagy not only plays an important role in maintaining energy levels. but also in reducing inflammation and improving longevity as a whole. 

A decline in mitophagy is a part of mitochondrial dysfunction as a whole. A lack of mitochondrial degradation has been linked to many different diseases, including cardiovascular disease and neurological diseases.

10 Ways to Help Your Mitochondria

 

1. Get Better Sleep

Multiple studies have concluded that continuous lack of sleep can increase oxidative stress and damage mitochondrial DNA. If you are not getting more than 7 hours of sleep per night, then chances are you are damaging your mitochondria.

Unfortunately, this idea of “catching up on the weekend” doesn’t really pan out scientifically.  A 2019 study demonstrated that sleeping in on the weekend doesn’t make up for lack of sleep throughout the week in the long term.

However, you can recover from one or two nights of sleep deprivation. The link between mitochondria and sleep quality is bidirectional. Melatonin, our sleep hormone, is mainly produced within mitochondria. Therefore, healthy mitochondria will promote better quality sleep. So, if you have gone through a period in your life where you haven’t had enough sleep (e.g., a newborn baby at home), you may find that you are still fatigued even though you are now getting enough sleep.

If this is the case, don’t fret.  By continuing to get quality sleep and doing other things to regenerate your mitochondria, you can get your energy back!

Way to improve sleep:

• Avoid caffeine after 12 PM
• Avoid eating at least 3 hours before bed
• Avoid blue light from screens 2 hours before bed
• Practice breathing exercises and meditation to relax
• Use relaxing herbs such as lemon balm, chamomile, hops, and valerian

2. Move More

You need to use energy to make energy. It may seem counterintuitive, but consistent movement throughout the day tells your mitochondria to get moving and produce more energy. Movement brings blood flow and nutrients to our heart and muscle cells, where many of our mitochondria live.

Studies suggest that shorter, more frequent durations of exercise throughout the day are more beneficial to mitochondria than just exercising once a day. If you work a desk job, here are some ways to get some exercise throughout the day.

• Take the stairs - just walking up the stairs for a few minutes can get your blood flowing and mitochondria moving
• Use a headset and walk around while on a phone call
• Go for a walk after lunch – it helps reduce blood sugar
• Fidgeting – Even just small micromovements, like shaking your legs, tapping your fingers etc., can help with metabolism. I find this easier if you listen to music while working, although you may want to forgo loud drum solos on your desk if you are in a communal workspace. 

3. Time-Controlled Eating

Mitochondria can get overwhelmed and overworked if they are constantly bombarded with food that needs to be converted into energy. Our mitochondria do most of their regeneration at night, so it is best to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime.

Time-controlled eating doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t eat most of the day. An 8-hour eating window is often enough to give your mitochondria a break. This could mean you eat breakfast at 10:00 AM, lunch at 1:00 PM, and then finish dinner before 6:00 PM. Fasting, even for short periods, is one of the best ways to induce mitophagy.

For more information on how to adjust to time-controlled eating for mitochondrial health, I recommend the book The Energy Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry.

4. Heal Your Gut

Mitochondria are very sensitive to inflammation and oxidative stress. Inflammation begins in the gut.

Here’s how the perfect storm of inflammation originates in the gut:

Our gut is home to billions of microbes, many of which are beneficial, although some can be harmful. The goal is to have more of the good guys (probiotics) and fewer of the bad guys (harmful microbes such as candida and parasites). If this balance is thrown off, it is called dysbiosis.

Another issue that can occur is increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut.) This is when the tight junctions of the cells creating the gut lining begin to come apart. Leaky gut and dysbiosis means that undigested food particles and unwelcome microbes can leak into the blood stream triggering an inflammatory response (the body’s alarm system).

The solution is to rebalance the microbiome and heal the lining of the gut.  The health of our microbiomes is crucial to the health of our mitochondria. Remember, mitochondria were once bacteria themselves, so our gut bacteria are their long-lost relative, and they like to talk to each other.

Their method of communication is a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate. Our gut produces butyrate, which then sends a signal to the mitochondria that all is well, and it should continue to make lots of energy. Healthy, well-fed bacteria will produce butyrate for you, however it can also be taken as a supplement to provide temporary support.

Your gut bacteria are living things and therefore need to eat. Their preferred food of choice is fiber known as pre-biotics.  Sources of prebiotic fiber include:

• Dandelion Greens
• Onions
• Garlic
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Chicory root
• Apples

For more information on gut healing, contact Essential Balance.

5. Address Nutrient Deficiencies

The mitochondria need many nutrients to function. One of the main nutrients is B-vitamins, particularly vitamin B3 - niacin. Foods high in niacin includes many different fish such as tuna, salmon, anchovies and mackerel. Poultry, beef and pork are also good sources of niacin. If you are a vegetarian, you can find niacin in red bell peppers, asparagus, tomatoes and nutritional yeast.

Another important nutrient for mitochondria is coenzyme Q10. Food sources of coenzyme Q10 include liver, mackerel, herring, chicken, beef, avocado, sesame seeds and lentils.

Polyphenols help to protect your mitochondria from oxidative stress. The best way to get your polyphenols is to eat a diet rich in colourful vegetables and fruits. Some good sources of polyphenols include dark berries and other fruits (blueberries, pomegranates, cherries) as well as olives, raw cacao, garlic, onions, spinach and artichokes.

Minerals are extremely important as well in reducing the oxidative stress of mitochondria. Studies have shown that all of these minerals are essential to mitochondrial function:

• Calcium – spinach, sesame seeds, dairy products
• Magnesium – spinach, almonds
• Sodium – salt, sea vegetable, celery
• Potassium – avocado, adzuki beans, bananas, mangoes
• Selenium – Brazil nuts, fish, pumpkin seeds
• Molybdenum – lentils, split peas and sunflower seeds
• Copper – avocado, adzuki beans, dark chocolate
• Zinc – oysters, beef, pumpkin seeds
• Iron – red meat, spinach, red kidney beans
• Silica – spinach, artichoke, asparagus
• Colbalt – foods rich in B-12 (cobalamin) such as red meat and spirulina

This may seem overwhelming, but it’s really just about eating a varied diet of whole foods.   

6. Practice Yoga

Chronic stress on our nervous system puts stress on our whole body including our cells and mitochondria. Studies have shown that inducing a relaxation response through yoga practice can encourage the expression of genes to improve metabolism and mitochondrial health.

Remember that yoga is not just about postures but includes meditation, breathing exercises, mantras and other mindfulness techniques, principles and ethical practices.

7. Increase Short-Term Stress

Our bodies were not designed to handle constant stress, but they are well-equipped and even thrive under short-term stress. Our ancestors were not constantly plagued by current events and notifications delivered via a smartphone, but they may have had to run from a predator once in a while.

This is where the concept of hormesis comes from. Hormesis is small bursts of stress which will stimulate mitochondria and induce mitophagy.  Here are some examples of hermetic exercises.

• Cold plunges and cold exposure
• Heat exposure – infrared sauna, a hot bath, hot yoga
• High intensity exercises – such as running or cycling as fast as you can 

These practices may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult a physician particularly if you have a heart condition or POTS syndrome.

If you are interested in heat or cold exposure, I suggest you research how to do these safely. Of the three, I prefer high-intensity exercise. It can be simple, running for 1 minute as fast as you can then walking or jogging for another minute and going through that cycle about 10 times. You can also do the same on a bike. 

8. Get Sunlight

We are diurnal beings, meaning we are awake during the day. Exposure to light lets our mitochondria know that it’s daytime and they should produce energy.

In addition to this, vitamin D is essential for mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Furthermore, research shows that certain wavelengths of light are more beneficial to mitochondria than others.

Exposure to infrared light increases ATP production and reduces reactive oxygen species, whereas blue light exposure does the opposite.

Therefore, natural sunlight will trigger mitochondria to make more energy, but getting blue light from screens may be harmful. Some research shows the benefits of infrared light and blue blocker glasses. 

9. Reduce Environmental Toxins

Our mitochondria are sensitive to environmental toxins. Studies have shown that they are particularly susceptible to heavy metals, endocrine-disrupting hormones and pesticides. While we cannot remove all toxins from our environment, we can significantly reduce them. Here are some ways to do this

• Buy organic
• Filter water
• Buy natural cleaning and body care products
• Filter the air with HEPA filter

10. Use Mitochondrial Supplements

While we believe in food first, sometimes we need a little boost to kick-start our mitochondria. Here are some Canadian supplements you can take to help with energy levels:

• Advanced B-Complex Ultra by AOR

Advanced B Complex Ultra | Award-winning Formula | AOR Inc.

• Mitochondrial Energy by Regenerlife, Natural Factors

Regenerlife Mitochondrial Energy Powder | Natural Factors Canada

• NMN by Regenerlife, Natural Factors

products regenerlife-nmn-surge-150-mg – ca-naturalfactors

• Urolithin A by AOR

https://aor.ca/product/urolithin-a/

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Kirsten Colella, CNP, is a Holistic Nutritionist, graduating from the Institute of Holistic Nutrition with high honours; Kirsten is also a certified yoga teacher. As a yogi who teaches individuals, groups and soon online, Kirsten does her best to live a full yoga-styled life, incorporating the best from herbs with her farm-fresh foods. Living on a farm with her family, Kirsten loves to prepare a wide variety of farm-to-table meals, sharing her delicious recipes, colourful food pics and health-promoting food ideas on our Instagram page  @essentialbalanceholistic.      

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Relaxation Response Induces Temporal Transcriptome Changes in Energy Metabolism, Insulin Secretion, and Inflammatory Pathways | PLOS One

Reddam A, McLarnan S, Kupsco A. Environmental Chemical Exposures and Mitochondrial Dysfunction: a Review of Recent Literature. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2022 Dec;9(4):631-649. doi: 10.1007/s40572-022-00371-7. Epub 2022 Jul 28. PMID: 35902457; PMCID: PMC9729331.

Mineral requirements for mitochondrial function: A connection to redox balance and cellular differentiation - ScienceDirect

Åkerstedt T, Ghilotti F, Grotta A, Zhao H, Adami HO, Trolle-Lagerros Y, Bellocco R. Sleep duration and mortality - Does weekend sleep matter? J Sleep Res. 2019 Feb;28(1):e12712. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12712. Epub 2018 May 22. PMID: 29790200; PMCID: PMC7003477.

Leger D, Richard JB, Collin O, Sauvet F, Faraut B. Napping, and weekend catchup sleep do not fully compensate for high rates of sleep debt and short sleep at a population level (in a representative nationwide sample of 12,637 adults). Sleep Med. 2020 Oct;74:278-288. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.05.030. Epub 2020 Jun 6. PMID: 32866843.

https://www.cell.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1016%2Fj.molcel.2023.08.021&pii=S1097-2765%2823%2900656-1

The Energy Paradox, Steven Gundry M.D.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction: A Functional Medicine Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment, By Michael T. Chang M.D CFMP