Description
Mitochondria are tiny double membrane-bound organelles found in almost every cell of all organisms except bacteria. Known as the “powerhouse of the cell” they are primarily responsible for converting the air we breathe and the food we eat into energy that our cells can use to grow, divide and function. Mitochondria produce energy by turning glucose and oxygen into a chemical called ATP (Adenosine triphosphate).
The density and health of the mitochondria in the organs and muscles are a reflection of your current level of health and fitness. People who start life with healthy mitochondria can damage and deplete them through stress, sedentary lifestyles, free-radical damage, and exposure to infections, allergens, and toxins which have a negative effect on mitochondrial function. But one of the main reasons the mitochondria deteriorate, is that people eat too much poor-quality foods and and not enough healthy ones.
Multiple Sclerosis : Known as a neuro-immune disease, patients with multiple sclerosis frequently have impaired ATP synthesis. The lack of ATP is evidence of malfunctioning mitochondria. Also evident in most patients with multiple sclerosis is chronic oxidative stress.
Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia: Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia have visibly detectable changes in the structure of the mitochondria.
Cancer : Aside from turning the food eaten into energy, the mitochondria also have other radically important functions. For example, they act as the coordinator for apoptosis, or programmed cell death — an important process that ensures the death of malfunctioning cells that might turn into tumors unless they are cleaned out. Over the course of a cell’s life, damage will inevitably occur. Once that damage reaches a certain threshold, signals are sent to the cell with instructions to self-destruct. So, even if the mitochondria are able to make the determination that the threshold has been reached and are able to signal apoptosis, if there’s insufficient energy, defective cells will still survive and multiply. This, in a nutshell, is how dysfunctional mitochondria end up causing cancer.
Heart Disease : Heart failure has also been linked to mitochondria dysfunction.
