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Mitochondria: A quick guide to what they are and what nutrients they use!
Are you interested in how your body produces energy? Then this guide is for you! In the first part, you will learn what mitochondria are and how they work.
In the second part, I will explain what nutrients the mitochondria use and where these nutrients help.
What are mitochondria?
Mitochondria are often called the ‘Power Houses’ of the cell. They produce molecules in which energy is stored. These molecules are called ATP. What is ATP? Well, think of ATP as money! If you have a lot of money, you can do a lot of stuff! If you’re low on money, you can do less.
The same goes for ATP: if the body has a lot of ATP, it can fuel many chemical reactions. If you can’t produce a lot of energy, you will feel less energetic and fewer chemical reactions occur in the body.
Here are some interesting facts about mitochondria:
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They look like bacteria in the cell. They even have their own DNA!
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The DNA of the mitochondria is inherited from your mother’s side and is more vulnerable to the damage from free radicals than your own DNA.
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Mitochondria produce energy, but in the process of doing that, they also produce a lot of free radicals. They are called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS for short).
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You have enough ATP stored for a few seconds. Your mitochondria never rest! Not in the weekends, with Christmas or your birthday!
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On a daily basis, you produce roughly the amount of ATP that is just as heavy as your own body.
Mitochondrial dysfunction can have different types of impact. It can make you feel chronically tired or it could impair your health (mitochondrial dysfunction has been seen in Diabetes patients, heart disease and cancer for example). Needless to say…
when you take care of your mitochondria, they take care of you!
How do Mitochondria work?
Beta-oxidation
Mitochondria are involved in energy production. There is a process called beta-oxidation. Long-chain fatty acids get transported into the mitochondria via a shuttle. There these long pieces are chopped into small pieces (nerdy fact: enzymes cut long chain fatty acids at the second carbon atom – also called the beta position – producing pieces containing 2 carbons. This is why this process is called beta-oxidation). If this was a bit too technical for you, just remember:Burning fat always happens IN the mitochondria!
The fate of glucose
Glucose also gets transformed and then metabolized further in the mitochondria. But when the body needs more energy (for example during workouts, or when the cell lacks good working mitochondria) the cells can turn glucose into energy outside the mitochondria. This process produces lactic acidDuring your workout, you can feel that the energy from your mitochondria isn’t enough: the lactic acid builds up and the acid in your muscle causes the burning sensation. This process does NOT need oxygen. The mitochondria however need oxygen to process glucose and fats.
In fact, the mitochondria are the reason we breathe!
Do the mitochondria use fats & glucose as fuel?
No. Fats & glucose are metabolized to a molecule called Acetyl-CoA. I wish scientists would spend a little more time finding names that roll off the tongue better! It is Acetyl-CoA that is then processed further in the mitochondria to create ATP. If this was a bit too technical:
Consider Acetyl-CoA to be the firewood of the fire that produces energy.
What happens in the mitochondria?
I’m not going to explain this in too much detail. The Acetyl-CoA goes through a process called the Citric Acid Cycle (also called Kreb’s Cycle). Although some energy is produced here as well, the most important function of the Citric Acid Cycle is to produce enzymes that support the final step. These enzymes donate electrons to the final step and are also called electron donors. The most important donors are all derivatives of vitamin B2 and B3! (If you like to know the names of these donors: NADH, NAPDH and FADH)You don’t need to remember all this technical stuff! I’m just preparing you to understand what nutrients play a role in what process! We are almost there.
In the final step, most of the ATP is produced. That final step is called the Electron Transport Chain.
What nutrients do the mitochondria need?
Now you have an understanding of how the mitochondria work, we can talk about what nutrients they need. I already mentioned oxygen. If we can’t transport oxygen well, the mitochondria suffer. Anemia, asthma, COPD and sleep apnea are health conditions that impair oxygen transport. But what other nutrients play a role?
B vitamins
Most B vitamins play a role in mitochondria
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Vitamin B2 is needed to produce the enzymes FADH
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Vitamin B3 is needed to produce the enzymes NADH and NADPH.
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Vitamin B5 helps to form Acetyl-CoA (the firewood) from glucose. It also plays a role in beta-oxidation
L-Carnitine
Remember the shuttle that transports long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria? It needs carnitine. In fact, this shuttle is often called the carnitine shuttle!Coenzyme Q10
This coenzyme plays an important role in the Electron Transport Chain. Remember that the Electron Transport Chain produces the most ATP? No wonder medications that deplete CoQ0 like statins, beta blockers and glyburide (for diabetes) can cause fatigue or feeling weak in the muscles.D-Ribose
D-ribose is a monosaccharide (a sugar!) that is a structural component of ATPMagnesium
It seems like Magnesium plays a role everywhere in the body. Magnesium is necessary to make ATP bioactive. Without magnesium, you can’t use ATP!Antioxidants
As I mentioned, the mitochondria produce a lot of free radicals. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals. Think about true antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E. The body also produces some very potent antioxidants. The most important ones are: glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD for short).-
Glutathione production needs nutrients (Amino acids, selenium, vitamin B6)
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SOD production depends on nutrients as well! (Copper, Zinc and Manganese)
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Helps break down glucose, fats and proteins inside the mitochondria. It helps the cell also to become more responsive to the uptake of glucose. And Alpha Lipoic Acid helps regenerate other antioxidants.Omega 3s (DHEA & EPA)
Studies show that omega 3’s can help increase the capacity of mitochondria to deal with free radicals. Omega 3’s can be built into the cell membrane of the mitochondria as well. It also helps ADP to become more sensitive to becoming ATP.
Hopefully, this short guide has helped you understand what nutrients play an important role inside the mitochondria and why!
If you have any questions, let me know!
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2 Replies
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@Bahareh Safapour, this is an answer to a question you posted earlier this week. It took me a while (I was writing it, but my page refreshed and all my work was gone!)
However, here you have it!
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Hi Daniel,
Thank you for this great post. So informative.
I recently came across the mito diet. What do you think.
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