Your Cell Power House And Your Health

Living things comprise millions of tiny units of life called cells. These cells make up small functional parts called organelles.

A mitochondrion is a cell organelle that has an essential role in the proper functioning of the cell, also known as the powerhouse of the cell.

Mitochondria produce chemical energy (known as ATP (adenosine triphosphate)). This energy is necessary for all biological processes that take place within the human body.

Energy production is the popular function of mitochondria. Scientists have placed too much importance on this function and relegated or neglected other essential functions. 

Mitochondria also help in storing calcium, regulating metabolism, controlling cell death and cell signaling, and carrying out various other functions.

Mitochondria creates energy from food by moving small units of energy, along with subunits/complexes inside the little organ. The mitochondria can give off sparks or free radicals when the component are missing or damaged. These sparks act like ricocheting bullets and damage anything nearby.

Healthy aging requires healthy mitochondria.

There are many ways to protect your mitochondria. We will focus on the three supplement strategies used most:

1. Nicotinamide Riboside
2. Coenzyme Q10 and
3. Vitamin K2-7

Nicotinamide Riboside: this is a new form of vitamin B3 (also called niacin). Researcher Charles Brenner, Ph.D., discovered it.

Dosage is 300mg twice a day via a supplement form to support metabolism and healthy aging.

Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10: is a fat-soluble nutrient. It is part of the electric chain gang in your mitochondria. Humans produce CoQ10 naturally, but because of genetics, it is high sufficient in some people than others.

You will see CoQ10 labeled as either ubiquinone or ubiquinol in supplements. The ubiquinol form is best absorbed and utilized by the body.

CoQ10 – More than a Heart Supplement. CoQ10 is more widely known as a heart supplement.

How does CoQ10 promote heart health?
The heart is a muscle. Muscles are rich in mitochondria. Since CoQ10 is a sub-unit inside the mitochondria, CoQ10 helps the heart function and protects it from those sparks/free radicals. 

Coenzyme Q10 is rich in fatty membranes found in the body. It acts as an essential antioxidant to these tissues.

Deficiency of Coenzyme Q10 results in aging. When you eat excess food or have too many toxins, your mitochondria are stressed. 

During the stressed period, CoQ10 becomes used up, and your mitochondria lose function. Now, these cellular powerhouses are less efficient at turning your food into energy, triggering a vicious cycle of metabolic stress.

How to Boost CoQ10 Levels Naturally
While you obtain CoQ10 from animal products and some cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, you can supplement too.

• You can take CoQ10 (ubiquinol) most days of the week. This supplement is expensive.
  
  
• Taking extra CoQ10 helps to insulate the body from dietary and environmental stressors. My general recommendation is to take 200-300mg of ubiquinol (CoQ10) per day taken after a fat-containing meal, or buy those combined with Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

• As CoQ10 can be more expensive at higher doses, take what you can afford. 60-100mg is still much better than nothing. Taking as little as 60mg can still yield statistically significant benefits for heart, muscle, and metabolic health.
  
  
• For full-body support, take 300mg. Overachievers take up to 500mg.

Your cells will thank you for it.

Vitamin K2-7: has enormous importance for regulating calcium in the body, protecting bone health, promoting metabolism, aging gracefully, and keeping your arteries healthy. 

For all the experts out there on the benefits of vitamin K2, they shared a nugget;

Vitamin K2 also can be substituted as an electrical carrier in your mitochondria.

Like CoQ10, Vitamin K2-7 is a fat-soluble antioxidant. Its chemical name is menaquinone, which sounds a lot like ubiquinone (CoQ10). 

Patients who have Parkinson’s disease regularly carried a mutated gene that causes mitochondrial dysfunction. 

Using fruit flies with the same mutated gene, the researchers found that vitamin K2 could rescue dysfunctional mitochondria & restore proper function.

If vitamin K2 can act directly as an electron carrier, then supplementing with vitamin K2-7 should offer at least the same benefits as CoQ10 besides vitamin K2-7’s previously recognized benefits.

Take 320mcg/day of K2-7 once a day to optimize Vitamin K2 function.

When you discover a new function of a core nutrient for the body, it is profound. They publish the findings in Science, one of the most prestigious journals worldwide.

Nicotinamide riboside, Vitamin K2-7, and CoQ10 are at the core of supplementation as they optimize mitochondrial health. They are necessary for healthy aging, protection against toxins, and help in metabolism.

As discussed in this article, mitochondria health is essential to our overall well-being because it is the powerhouse of our cells, which are basic units of life.