The ABC's of Having More Energy
As we move into spring/summer people look for ways to increase their stamina, strength and endurance, and how better to do this than to have all our cells produce more energy? Seems obvious, but how do you get there?
The answer is what we have been talking about at Optimum Health since 2002:
Giving your mitochondria a tune-up can actually be pretty straight forward with substances like Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, NAC, and Micro-PQQ. These are the ingredients in our Cell Fuel formula.
Coenzyme Q10 (as Ubiquinol) is a vital component of the respiratory chain in the mitochondria. [1,2]
As per Nobel Prize winner Bruce Ames PHD, (see article below), the Acetyl-L-Carnitine improves oxygen utilization, and Alpha-Lipoic Acid works as a "free-radical mop" neutralizing excess oxidation and keeps the mitochondria "running cool".
This effect is greatly enhanced by N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC), which is a precursor to form glutathione..."the Master Antioxidant", and Micro-PQQ which not only supports and resuscitates mitochondrial function, but creates more mitochondria, i.e. mitochondrial biogenesis! [3,4]
Yet, if your mitochondria are being knocked off-balance (think suffocated), by inflammation, supporting them may not work as well. This is where herbal anti-inflammatory products such as Opti-AI Extra can be invaluable to let your mitochondria "breathe" again.
And to the extent that you are not using oxygen, your cells use anaerobic metabolism instead to create energy, which produces lactic acid, worsening the oxidation, (think of a smoky campfire instead of a clean-burning electricity plant.) This feeds forward creating a vicious cycle, and makes it still harder to create cellular energy, i.e. ATP.
To help alkalinize you can use half a fresh-squeezed lemon in purified, (not tap) water. Lemon is high in citrate which neutralizes excess acidity. [See recent article where 'Why are Lemons Considered to be Highly Alkaline' is discussed]. Yet, if you want a much more concentrated source of citrate you can use Opti-Alkaline to help neutralize and pee-out excess acid.
This trio of inflammation, causing mitochondrial interference, followed by acidity is at the root of innumerable health challenges. It is helpful to start with any of them, though optimum function comes when all three are addressed, either through diet or supplementation.
Hope this is helpful.
Be well,
John
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4025630/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33810539/ ...metabolic targets
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-022-00083-0
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19861415/
For more information on Cell Fuel, see our article 'How to Effectively Unleash More Energy from your Oxygen'