Every day’s a school day and today I learnt about mitochondrial dysfunction, one of various diseases that can affect the mitochondria, a vital component found in the majority of cells in our body. Mitocondria are generally the power cells for our body, generating energy to sustain our organs and performance. Poor performance of the mitochondria has a noticeable effect on organ health and makes us feel tired and lethargic.
The majority of mitochondrial diseases are genetic (inherited), but some can occur as a result of other conditions or issue within our body such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimers or cancer.
The main issue raised by the lecturer related to diets which included high consumption of dietary sugars (not just from traditional sweets, but all those hidden sugars contained in processed foods). Over indulgences with a handful of Haribos every so often will cause a sugar spike but the main issues related to sustained ingestion of sugary food, particularly fructose. Some nutritionists also suggest avoiding soy, legumes and carbs, particularly those containing gluten. (Your medical team can explain more on this).
Too high levels of glucose in the cell affects the efficacy of the mitochondria which can then result in further issues which include inflammation – not good for healthy ageing. Here is a paper which provides further information on this:
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4540/3/4/44
The good news is that, caught early on, we can reverse this problem by adopting a mainly keto based diet (again, consult your nutritionist on this). You can find more information on supplements associated with promoting the health of mitochondria via the following link:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/PrimaryMitochondrialDisorders-HealthProfessional/
