Now that you've read Mitochondria – Fix Your ATP, Fix Your Life, you should know that mitochondria put the "vital" in "vitality."

If you didn't know this, then I suggest you go back and try reading at a slower pace.

This article is going to focus on something called Mitochondrial Biogenesis.

Mitochondrial Biogenesis is the growth or division of pre-existing mitochondria(S).

It causes the mitochondria to either grow in mass or increase in numbers.

What Increases Mitochondrial Biogenesis?

Multiple systems are involved in this, but the one we are going to really be focused on increasing is…

PGC-1α


Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC-1α) – say that 5 times fast – is a part of the family of transcription coactivators, where it plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cellular energy metabolism(S).

What does it do?

To name a few:

Increases mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration rates

Increases the uptake of nutrients

Increases the speed of which these nutrients are processed into ATP

Coactivates mutliple transciption factors that govern energy metabolism

Increases fat-burning

PGC-1 alpha overexpression promotes recovery from mitochondrial dysfunction and cell injury(S)

It is deeply involved in the Circadian Rhythm.

Most of us know that the Circadian Rhythm is our bodies 24 hour sleep and wake cycle, but there is much more to it than that. PGC-1α is responsible for stimulating the expression of "clock genes(S)." Clock genes are components of the circadian clock responsible for generating oscillations of gene expression(S).

PGC-1α is "a key component of the circadian oscillator that integrates the mammalian clock and energy metabolism(S)."

This means that problems in the Circadian Rhythm can lead to Metabolic problems, and Metabolic problems can lead to Circadian Rhythm problems(S).

Upon activation, PGC-1α also induces the transcription of NRF-1 and NRF-2(S).

NRF-2 is specifically known for its role in increasing the genes that are responsible for increasing our bodies own antioxidant system.

***This is the reason why increasing mitochondrial number and mass does not equate to increased ROS and cell damage.***

The same factor (PGC-1α) that drives mitochondrial biogenesis also increases our bodies' ability to control ROS (NRF-2)(S).

Side note: You can increase mitochondria without activating the PGC-1α pathway. However, in mice that had this pathway silenced – the mitochondria showed a reduced resilience to stressful conditions. In other words, mitochondria are stronger with PGC-1α.

Ok, now for the fun part!.

Mitochondrial Boosters

Free Methods:

1) DIET : Ok, so food isn't exactly free, but you have to eat anyway – so it's not exactly an added expense like adding a supplement would be… The food you choose to eat can be directly responsible for stimulating PGC-1α and mitochondrial biogenesis.

However, the opposite is also true. The food you choose to eat can be directly responsible for stifling PGC-1α and mitochondrial biogenesis.

The first dietary mean to improve your mitochondria is through…

A. Ketones/Ketosis/Ketogenic Diet – Basically a ketogenic diet is one that restricts carbohydrates and forces your body to use fat-driven ketones as energy instead of carb-driven glucose.

The Ketogenic Diet is shown to increase mitochondrial respiration (energy production), increase the NRF-2 antioxidant pathway, decrease reactive oxygen species, decrease anxiety, decrease markers of brain atrophy, be neuroprotective, increase glutathione(the master antioxidant), decrease inflammation, upregulate stress response genes, and increase mitochondrial biogenesis(though maybe not through PGC-1α)(S)(S)(S).

If you don't feel like switching up your diet, evidence suggests that you can still receive the benefits of ketosis through supplementing with MCT Oil, Butyrate, or something like KetoForce (S).

The other type of food that can add some fight to your mitochondria is…

B. Resistant Starch – I've discussed Resistant Starch in my "Gut Health" article, but I did not mention that Resistant Starch can increase mitochondrial biogenesis and the expression of PGC-1α!

When your gut bacteria digest the resistant starch, they produce Short Chain Fatty Acids(SCFA) and Medium Chain Fatty Acids(MCFA or MCT).

Mitochondria