• The link between mitochondrial health and immunity
  • How poor mitochondrial health manifests in chronic disease
  • Nutrients the body needs to stimulate mitochondria

Our immunity and mitochondrial health are intimately linked. The mitochondria is the power house of our cells and our energy is really dependent on the health of our mitochondria. If you suffer from fatigue, your mitochondrial health is likely compromised. But there is more to this. The basis of several chronic diseases stems from either a lack of immune system cells or impairment in differentiation of immune cells. Both of these are dependent on your mitochondria health. By giving our mitochondria a boost, we are also improving our immune health – this is because our bodies need a huge amount of energy to fight infection. Our mitochondria is involved in the process of activation, differentiation and survival of immune cells.

So what nutrients do we need for optimising the health of our mitochondria?

There are 4 vital nutrients we need : N-AcetylCysteine (NAC), Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Alpha Lipoic Acid and co-enzyme Q10 (coQ10). Specifically, the alpha lipoic acid and Acetyl-l-carnitine combination has been well researched. Acetly-L-Carnitine stimulates the mitochondria, causing mitochondrial energy metabolism to shift from glucose to free fatty acids and it does this by increasing the transport protein, carnitine. Basically, you are burning more fat and you are doubling energy production per gram of fuel. But by doing so, the mitochondria produces more free radicals (creating oxidative stress, which we now need to quench with antioxidants!) – this is why alpha lipoic acid is needed here, to negate the free radicals production. Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant.

NAC is known to improve mitochondrial function too. It has mitochondrial-specific antioxidant effects, reducing the effects of oxidative stress. CoQ10 has bioenergetic effects on the mitochondria and also has antioxidant properties. Age-associated decline in mitochondria is typically associated with reduced levels of CoQ10.

What is the link between mitochondrial health and chronic illness?

Diseases such as diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and immune decline have all been linked to a dysfunction in the mitochondria . In other words, having a healthy mitochondria will slow down the onset of disease and will encourage healthy ageing. When mitochondria deteriorates with age, it loses respiratory activity and damage occurs to its DNA (called mDNA). It also produces a huge amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes damage to the cells. Mitochondria are the main sources of ROS to the cell, causing oxidative damage to protein, lipids and nucleic acids (which are the backbone of DNA). It is this damage caused by ROS that drives the ageing process. Other factors other than ROS that are implicated in disease include ATP (this is energy, produced in the mitochondria) shortage, inflammation and apoptosis (cell death). When we have damaged mitochondria, autophagy occurs. Autophagy is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells so that it can produce new, healthier cells. Sometimes autophagy fails and the mtDNA can escape , driving inflammation in our bodies.