Energy Game Changers

Mitochondria and carb cycling are 2 hot health topics that could be the key to renewed energy.

- Jonny Bowden

Q: What are “mitochondria”? I’ve never heard this term before, and now I’m starting to hear it everywhere!

The mitochondria are microscopic structures inside your cells that have an outsize effect on every aspect of your health. Almost every cell in the human body has between one and tens of thousands of them. (The heart muscle – which consumes a ton of energy and works 24/7 – has about 5,000 mitochondria per cell.) The “mighty mitochondria” are the cellular power plants that keep your metabolism humming. They’re so important that nature has given them their very own DNA, different from that of their host (you).

These little self-contained mini-factories live inside the cells and are responsible for creating adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the Bitcoin of cellular energy for the human body. Your body uses ATP for everything from blinking to playing Guitar Hero. The mitochondria are also responsible for burning fat, detoxication and ghting oxygen-based free radicals. It’s quite a résumé!

So if the mitochondria aren’t functioning at top level, virtually every system in the body is affected. You may feel it as brain fog, fatigue or a tendency to get sick more often, but mitochondrial dysfunction is a component of all chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, diabetes, autoimmune, mood and psychiatric diseases. And the research on this is voluminous.