Why Mitochondria Determine Your Health, And Not Genetics

[KalosKaiAgathos]

I did a big write-up on mitochondria. Mitochondria are the main energy producing entities in your cells. The article can be viewed here:

Why Mitochondria - Your Cells' Energy Factories - And Not Your Genetics, Are To To Blame For Most Disease

Now, to disclose one thing: I'm not fully a Peatarian, and do support ketosis in some situations (but I will never support ketosis 365 days a year).

I'm very interested about the extend that Peatarians are aware of Doug Wallace's research on Mitochondrial DNA (which is different than your regular genome in the nucleus). I did a forum search, and found very little information on this topic.

The "mitochondrial paradigm" is interesting from a Peatarian perspective, moreover, because Peat has been talking about the vital relationship between energy and health for decades.

Moreover, for those who are interested in the more fundamental research that has been coming out since Wallace has been focusing on the relationships between mitochondria, aging, disease, and energy, see:

The quantum mitochondrion and optimal health

That article is mind-boggling...

 

[yerrag]

I was amused that you got me there. I thought the nucleus is one and the same as the mitochondrion all this time until I read your article. Once again, you got the " for dummies" part right, and I got a keener appreciation for the role that mitochondria plays in our health. I was about to say I don't agree about how aging is the main determinant, but I was patient enough to read on and to see that autophagy plays a significantly large role as well. Peaters would appreciate this article, as it ties in many concepts we agree with, especially with how the mitochondria is so tied with metabolism, and with energy, and with energy one not only achieves health, but also develops into a more complex being.

You mentioned fasting as one area you may not be so much in agreement with Ray Peat. Yet, your qualifications will get you off the hook on that, at least with me. It would be another great read if you could further expound on fasting in your coming blogs. I find it to be quite a complex subject, not because it really is, but because it is just needs someone to present it, gotchas and all, in a better way.

 

[Such_Saturation]

The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell

 

[KalosKaiAgathos]

I was amused that you got me there. I thought the nucleus is one and the same as the mitochondrion all this time until I read your article. Once again, you got the " for dummies" part right, and I got a keener appreciation for the role that mitochondria plays in our health. I was about to say I don't agree about how aging is the main determinant, but I was patient enough to read on and to see that autophagy plays a significantly large role as well. Peaters would appreciate this article, as it ties in many concepts we agree with, especially with how the mitochondria is so tied with metabolism, and with energy, and with energy one not only achieves health, but also develops into a more complex being.

You mentioned fasting as one area you may not be so much in agreement with Ray Peat. Yet, your qualifications will get you off the hook on that, at least with me. It would be another great read if you could further expound on fasting in your coming blogs. I find it to be quite a complex subject, not because it really is, but because it is just needs someone to present it, gotchas and all, in a better way.

Thanks a lot Yerrag! Remember that I only recommend fasting if you're in good health. So, fasting is not for hypothyroid people with an autoimmune disorder. With people who have a lot of health issues, I try to focus on strategies that are less risky: for example, sunlight, and sleep optimization.

I do not think I should be left "off the hook". But I do not think Ray Peat should be left of the hook either. No-one should. Everyone should think as critically as possible.

I do intend to update this article later this year, or next year, once I've done more research. For me, science is never completed. I've accepted that I'll never get health fully right - which you can especially see in the conclusion I wrote.

I also think it's very dangerous to completely agree with Peat, or completely agree with another health expert, or completely agree with me. If you do not at least fundamentally disagree about one important health topic with an expert, then you've not done your homework.

And yet, you cannot always do your homework. The sad thing is that we must - at least sometimes - trust experts. When a car needs repairing, I need to trust an expert. When I want to have a house built, I need to trust an expert as well. But the role of experts should be minimized, I think!

Edit: and I'll do an article on fasting in the future. Will go through all the research, and draw my own conclusion. I've also got non-native EMF planned! And sleep strategies... We'll see :)

 

[Glassy]

I also think it's very dangerous to completely agree with Peat, or completely agree with another health expert, or completely agree with me. If you do not at least fundamentally disagree about one important health topic with an expert, then you've not done your homework.

I completely agree

I don’t think there’s anything in there that is anti peat man. I just wouldn’t imagine he’d ever recommend people drop their carbohydrate levels to ketogenic levels. I personally subscribe to the approach of (ideally) becoming metabolically agile (predominantly burning either fat and sugar at certain times). I’ve not been able to reconcile this belief with Peat’s approach but I’m starting to get the feeling that his work is primarily focused on healing. I’m still left wondering if eating low carb would be as damaging if you avoided PUFA laden foods as fat sources. I don’t think we were meant to eat that way all year round but it makes sense to do so periodically.

It was an interesting article. I was hoping you’d go into uncoupling or perhaps the effect of energy substrates on the mitochondrial energy levels, but you provided plenty of food for thought. Thanks for sharing

 

[KalosKaiAgathos]

Yes, uncoupling is in there, in a "nerd section".

My articles are primarily written to bridge the gap between science, and people who have no background in that science. Uncoupling is very interesting (and hugely important), but I thought most readers would not immediately be interested in that subject. Maybe I was wrong about that... :)

And on the carbs: Peat has taught me a very important lesson there, especially about fructose. That's why you do not see me advocate LCHF 365 days a year.

 

[Inaut]

Just discovered Doug Wallace's work this afternoon :) Very thankful!

http://www.mitoaction.org/files/podcasts/Mitochondrial Medicine and Disease.mp3

 

[Hairfedup]

Isn't mitochondria by and large influenced by your maternal haplogroup? I thought that codes for enzymes or something I could be wrong...could explain the obsession of so-called DNA companies in the collection of peoples mtdna haplogroups, disguised as heritage/ancestry calculators. Even I sent mine off. I do often wonder how important the maternal haplogroup is. 7 billion humans and only a (relative) handful of mtdna haplogroups have survived.