Tips to keep your energy working well
Thu 10:02 am +00:00, 14 Mar 2024What Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction?
There are four primary contributors to mitochondrial dysfunction:
- Excess linoleic acid (LA) intake
- Estrogen dominance
- Electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure
- Endotoxin — Refined sugars and many starches are more likely to cause gut dysbiosis that leads to the production of endotoxin. This endotoxin is one of the factors that destroys mitochondrial function, resulting in the Warburg Effect (cancer metabolism), where glucose is burned through glycolysis
These all play major roles, but excess LA and estrogen dominance, I believe, are the leading contributors to mitochondrial dysfunction. This is largely because LA and estrogen negatively impact your body in similar ways. They both:
- Increase free radicals that cause oxidative stress and damage your mitochondria’s ability to produce energy.
- Increase calcium intake inside the cell that causes an increase in nitric oxide and superoxide that increases peroxynitrite that also increases oxidative stress.
- Cause an increase in intracellular water causing your body to retain water.
- Slow down your metabolic rate and suppress your thyroid gland.
Nearly everyone in the developing world has 10 times the amount of LA in their tissues than their ancestors of 100 years ago had. This polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) is very susceptible to oxidative damage, and produces free radicals like reactive aldehydes in your body that destroy your mitochondria.
These toxic metabolites of LA create enormous amounts of reductive stress as a result of electrons building up in the ETC and blocking the forward movement of electrons to complex IV and V to create ATP. And, because LA is embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane, it gets damaged and leaks protons that normally build up in the inner mitochondrial space.
This proton gradient is responsible for driving the nano motor in complex V to create ATP. Both processes combine to shut down and ultimately prematurely destroy the mitochondria. Also, when you eat starches, they can end up feeding endotoxin-producing bacteria in your intestine, and endotoxin is a potent mitochondrial poison.
Solutions
In closing then, some of the key solutions, if you want to improve or restore your mitochondrial function, would be to:
- Lower your LA intake as low as possible by avoiding processed foods, seed oils, chicken, pork, seeds and nuts.
- Make sure you’re eating healthy carbs such as ripe fruit, raw honey and maple syrup.
- Decrease lactate production and increase carbon dioxide, as they have opposing effects.4 You can learn more about this in “The Biology of Carbon Dioxide.”
- Reduce your stress, as chronic stress promotes cortisol release, which is a potent suppressor of mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Progesterone can be quite helpful here, as it’s a potent cortisol blocker. You can learn more about this in “What You Need to Know About Estrogen and Serotonin.”
- Take supplemental niacinamide, as your mitochondria cannot make energy without it. I recommend taking 50 mg of niacinamide three times a day.
