Summary
Chris Masterjohn, PhD explains why mitochondria are the master regulators of human health. He covers how these cellular powerhouses affect energy, aging, disease, and why supporting mitochondrial function should be a health priority.
Key Points
- Mitochondria as cellular powerhouses
- How mitochondria regulate metabolism
- Connection to chronic disease
- Mitochondria and aging
- Nutrients that support mitochondrial function
- Why mitochondrial health is foundational
Key Moments
This compound, also known as S-adenosylmethionine, is support for the methylation pathway
Now, if you look at clinical trials of nutritional supplements for depression, one of the most important of those is SAMe.
"If you don't have the energy reserves, you're not going to be able to do it. And one of the things that we see in people with low methylation in their brain is that they get mentally exhausted because they're investing what seems like all the energy they have in their brain in fighting off these negative thoughts. And if they can't do it, if they give up too easily, those negative thoughts overcome them and that can then interact and synergize to produce a chronic problem of depression."
of mitochondrial function at the point of oxygen utilization
of mitochondrial function at the point of oxygen utilization. Coenzyme Q10 is also used to produce ATP in the mitochondria. So you've got a double hit against ATP production.
"of mitochondrial function at the point of oxygen utilization. Coenzyme Q10 is also used to produce ATP in the mitochondria. So you've got a double hit against ATP production. As we talked about when we were covering depression, ATP is needed for methylation. But methylation is not only needed for the production of all mitochondrial proteins and therefore for ATP production itself, it's also needed to produce creatine. And when you add"
If the mitochondrial respiratory chain is the power plant, creatine is the power grid
I mentioned creatine. If the mitochondrial respiratory chain is the power plant, creatine is the power grid.
"Might there be some people outside of those boundaries that don't need to supplement with creatine? Yes. But most people outside of those two dietary patterns really should be supplementing with creatine. You can supplement with five grams a day for a month and your muscle stores will be saturated, or you can supplement with 20 grams a day for four to five days and your muscle stores will be saturated. After your muscle stores saturate, you then need to recalibrate"
