Mitochondrial Function and Aging- The Missing Link?

These days we are bombarded by anti-aging strategies

As a long-time reviewer of telomere tests for Life Length, I see what almost everyone agrees on as the typical anti-aging patient. And one thing is rampant: what I call Dog Chasing Its Tail behavior.

Part of my review is to go over the medications and supplements people take

Sometimes I have to laugh because I consider myself on the extreme end of things. Count the capsules I take in a day and you will land somewhere between 20 and 30. But here is the key. It is not a whole ton of different supplements. It is mostly high doses of five or six, and the capsule count adds up because the doses are large.

Not so with the people I talk to on a regular basis. In addition to staples like Omega 3 and a multi, they have the latest marketing hype: myostatin inhibitors (impossible-to-source claims made from egg yolks; the real GDF-11 is very hard to get even if you can afford it), strawberry pigment extracts, all kinds of nanoparticulate buffered odds and ends, then a long list of items recommended by various doctors, some of whom have graduated from “buying you runway” to actually promising you something close to immortality, usually based on yeast or mouse studies.

One thing that has percolated in the background for years and actually has science behind it is the use of Co Q with antioxidants for mitochondrial performance.

I have written about this for the past eight years, so I will give you the thumbnail. The mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. They burn fat and oxygen the way the old school carburetors (now fuel injectors and turbochargers) burn fuel in your car. They supply the tremendous amount of energy we need to be what we are, by making ATP, the currency of cellular energy.

While it is still being fleshed out

The role of failing mitochondria in disease points to a central actor in many “incurable” diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, ALS, and chronic fatigue. Since there is not a great way to study this role directly, progress has been slow. But when you start addressing the failure backwards, by using something that may help the mitochondria do their job, you see improvements where there were none before.

A classic example is the use of higher-dose CoQ10 in early-to-mid Parkinson’s disease, or the use of MCT and ketogenic compounds in Alzheimer’s.

Now, before those devastating diseases occur, there is what I call the “loss of reserve” theory of aging. It says aging begins long before the diseases of aging actually show up. Again, using Alzheimer’s as the example, you can see it on a sensitive MRI long before any clinical signs.

But aging is not a disease, or so the medical authorities say

Even though they are quick to persecute and prosecute anyone who says you might live longer by doing something specific.

So as always, I am not saying any of those things. I am simply telling you where to look in the science for some interesting findings.

I feel strongly that providing the mitochondrial powerhouses with substrates that may help them perform better is part of any good routine to support healthspan, meaning how long you stay healthy.

That is why I make and take Toco Q every day. On occasions where my stress levels go up, I drink the odd glass of alcohol, or take the odd prescription drug, I increase the dose from my usual 2 a day to 4 to 6 briefly.

I would suggest you consider the same. Look at how I look, act, play, and love. That is the result of taking care of yourself.

Doc