Can you control how you age?
Aging is not just something that happens. Factors such as diet, exercise, toxins, sleep, stress and more can affect how able our DNA are to make new, healthy cells which is what impacts how we age. If our DNA can't make new healthy cells, but instead make defective cells, then over time our body begins to slowly degrade and thus age. We see it in our strength, our energy levels, our skin and our overall health!
There are so many things affecting our mitochondria daily and their malfunction has been linked to being the root cause of many neurodegenetive conditions like Alzheimer’s, ALS, Cancer and Autoimmune conditions.
Mitochondria are in every single cell besides red blood cells, they are the powerhouse of the cell!
The brain has the most mitochondria, so if the brain cells are not functioning well, your brain will suffer
Guess what is directly connected to the brain? The Gut! The vagus nerve connects these two important organ systems so that they are always talking to one another.
If you don’t have enough fruits and vegetables you may not have enough antioxidants to make cellular energy through the Krebs cycle (standard American diet with refined carbs and sugar does not help). You need ATP to enter into this process!
Antioxidants need to be eaten to balance the free radicals produced by the body. Our bodies do not produce antioxidants on their own (think Vitamin C, Vitamin E, certain minerals etc.)
There are a ton of mitochondria in your ovaries and environmental toxins are causing mitochondrial damage o these delicate organs, which results in infertility.
Infertility for both men and women has gone up as more toxins have entered our environment. “In the last 50 years, average human sperm concentrations dropped by 51.6 percent, and total sperm counts dropped by 62.3 percent, according to a study published in the journal Human Reproduction Update.”
People who get more severe covid usually have underlying mitochondrial damage, often from environmental toxins
So what can you do?
My Top 5 Tips for improving the health of your Mitochondria:
1.) Avoid Toxins -This is really hard as they are everywhere! In the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the products we put on our bodies. Clean up what you are putting in your body by getting a water filter like Berkey, Aqua Tru or Clearly Filtered, or better yet…do the whole house! Palm Beach Water Purification will do your whole house OR you can get HydroViv for under your sink, your fridge, and shower, which customizes filtration based on your zip code. Stop accepting tap water from restaurants and even filters like Brita - it’s not enough.
2.) Eat Organic and Grass Fed - It is now suspected that pesticides are one of the root causes of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative conditions. Pesticides attack mitochondrial complexes and increase disruption of acetylcholine signaling. In the peripheral nervous system, acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction between the motor nerve and skeletal muscle.
3.) Avoid Alcohol and Cocaine- The metabolism of alcohol and cocaine are closely linked with the stimulation of reactive oxygen species generation and oxidative stress which damage DNA. Alcohol and cocaine age you, so do less.
4.)Know your genetics -
The APOE4 gene predisposes humans to having fragile mitochondria. Studies demonstrate that APOE4 expression is associated with altered mitochondrial dynamics, which can contribute to the formation of Alzheimer’s disease.
MTHFR gene mutations cause poor methylation. MTHFR is a key regulatory enzyme in folate and homocysteine metabolism. Having this gene mutation can result in the deterioration of mitochondria as well as cellular membranes. It can cause elevated homocysteine levels which can lead to miscarriage, preeclampsia, blood clots and cardiovascular disease. People with this gene mutation must take methylfolate not folic acid (synthetic form of B9)
5.) Be careful of MOLD-
Mycotoxins heavily damage mitochondria - 80% of houses have previous water damage and 43% have current water damage. It’s an epidemic and mold will damage mitochondria faster than anything else and it will also damage the way the liver will detox.
You don’t have to see or smell it ( I did not in my apartment). You can even have no symptoms and suddenly develop an autoimmune disease or cancer and have it be 100% caused by mold.
Mold spores stick to the lung and nose cavities and can affect the way the brain ages and neurodegenerative disorders
Mitochondria influence every single organ in our body, which includes your metabolism. Whether you lose or gain weight depends on your mitochondria, not your age. It depends on what the brain is telling your hormones, which can be to store / hold onto fat and decrease satiety hormones. If this is something you think you are struggling with, send me an email and let’s chat!
