It was almost 25 years ago when I first began calling attention to the incredible importance of mitochondrial function.

For decades, scientists and researchers from all persuasions have presented thousands of papers documenting how the bottom line for health and disease is optimal mitochondrial function. But it wasn’t until I developed a way of measuring it, that the importance of mitochondrial function finally started getting the recognition it deserves.

Briefly put, your health and longevity depend on your mitochondrial function more than any other single measurement of health. So read on, because the latest research is showing several very effective ways to improve mitochondrial function.

Mitochondria are areas in our cells in which the energy is formed that keeps us alive. All cellular functions require energy. We get that energy from our mitochondria. When they are working great, we have lots of energy and abundant health. But when they function poorly, we have less energy and our health declines.

This decline typically starts in the 30s and then escalates in the 50s and 60s. All the symptoms and diseases of aging can be traced to this decline. Essentially, those people who can maintain healthy mitochondrial function into old age are the ones who will live the longest and be the most functional and disease free.

As I said above, although the medical and scientific literature is overwhelming when it comes to the importance of mitochondrial function, it wasn’t until I developed a way to measure it that its importance was fully recognized. I have talked about this measuring tool before. I call it Bioenergy Testing. You can learn more about it by watching my YouTube series, “Disease is Optional,” which you can find by searching YouTube for: “Shallenberger disease is optional.”

When I first began to measure the mitochondrial function of my patients, I was shocked. A large percentage of them had seriously depressed mitochondrial function. What was worse was that a lot of that group consisted of men and women who felt perfectly well and who would otherwise have been declared healthy.

I developed the phrase Early Onset Mitochondrial Dysfunction to refer to people who felt great, functioned normally, had no disease, and yet had very poor mitochondrial function. Even though these men and women seemed by all standard indicators to be completely healthy, they were on their way to a shortened life span, premature aging, and degenerative disease. I reported my findings in The Internist, the Townsend Newsletter, the Journal of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and in my book Bursting With Energy.

Now, years later, none of this has changed. Maintaining youthful mitochondrial function into old age is still the Holy Grail of optimal aging. The keys to this are a healthy lifestyle, including aerobic exercise, hormonal replacement, and targeted nutritional supplementation. Here’s a simplified version of how this works.

In order for our mitochondria to produce energy, our cells need to have a molecule called NAD. NAD stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. This is a molecule the mitochondria create from vitamin B3 or niacin. Our cells use NAD to do virtually everything that keeps us healthy. As our cells use NAD, it is changed into NADH. NADH is essentially a useless molecule and needs to be changed back into NAD. This is a critical function of our mitochondria. They can convert NADH back into NAD. So, as mitochondrial function decreases, the levels of NAD decrease, and we start the process called aging.

To make matters worse, it's a vicious cycle. The less NAD the mitochondria are able to make, the less able they are to function. And the less able they are able to function, the less NAD they can make. So, because of all this, researchers have been increasingly investigating different nutrients and drugs looking for that special nutrient or nutrient combination that can increase NAD levels and reverse this vicious cycle. And here’s the good news.

Several natural compounds increase NAD levels and thus increase mitochondrial function. Perhaps the most influential of these compounds is resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic reagent found in many foods. Just a few months ago researchers reported an experiment demonstrating the powerful effect of resveratrol on mitochondrial biogenesis. Mitochondrial biogenesis refers to the ability of the cells to make more mitochondria and thus improve overall mitochondrial function.

The researchers knew that in the early hours after a brain hemorrhage, the mitochondria in the brain cells lose their function. Because of that, many brain injuries remain permanent. So, they took a group of rats and subjected them to an experimental brain hemorrhage. After the injury, they gave some of the rats resveratrol. What they found was amazing.

The mitochondrial function of the brains of the animals getting the resveratrol was significantly restored. But that’s not all. PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM are proteins formed in our cells that have been shown to play vital roles in mitochondrial biogenesis. The researchers discovered that the resveratrol treatment increased the levels of each of these proteins. The result was that the brain cells in the resveratrol animals developed more mitochondria. The result was that the increased number of mitochondria produced much higher levels of ATP. ATP is the main energy molecule produced in the mitochondria.

Additionally, the researchers found that the amount of brain damage in the resveratrol animals was significantly decreased. They concluded that, “These results indicate that resveratrol promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and function by activation of the PGC-1α signaling pathway in early brain injury.…”

In another paper on the effects of resveratrol titled, “Therapeutic potential of resveratrol: the in vivo evidence,” the authors reviewed the various positive effects of resveratrol in human health. One of those effects is that resveratrol has been shown to activate proteins called sirtuins.

In order to activate sirtuins, the cells need increasing amounts of NAD. Thus, resveratrol, by increasing NAD levels, increases sirtuin levels. This is exactly what happens when mitochondria function is increased. This effect of resveratrol has been shown to increase the life-span in several animal studies.

Resveratrol is not the only nutrient that can increase NAD levels and improve mitochondria function. Another nutrient is vitamin B3 in the form of niacinamide. NAD is formed from vitamin B3, so it is not hard to imagine that supplementing with B3 might be able to increase NAD levels. But does it really work? And what dose is needed to do that?

In a paper titled, “A nonrandomized study of single oral supplementation within the daily tolerable upper level of nicotinamide affects blood nicotinamide and NAD levels in healthy subjects” the authors note that “a decrease in NAD levels is a hallmark of aging in multiple organisms, including humans.” So, they wanted to find out just how effective niacinamide was.

To do the study, they gave six healthy men 200 mg of niacinamide and measured the increase in NAD. Astoundingly, this relatively low dose of niacinamide increased the blood levels of NAD 30 times! The NAD increase reached a maximum level in 12 hours, and the increase in mitochondrial function lasted for up to 48 hours after a single dose. That’s incredible! And it shows the marvelous impact of even small doses of niacinamide on mitochondrial function.

D-ribose is another powerful mitochondrial supplement. D-ribose is a naturally occurring five-carbon sugar produced in the cells through the action of the enzyme G-6-PD. Remember that. D-ribose is absolutely critical for the function of mitochondria, because without enough D-ribose, the mitochondria cannot produce ATP, the primary energy molecule. The problem is that many people for genetic reasons are in short supply of G-6-PD. Those people are at special risk of developing decreased mitochondrial function. Once again, it’s a vicious cycle. The less D-ribose, the less mitochondrial ATP. And the less mitochondrial ATP, the less D-ribose produced. Here’s the good news.

D-ribose can be taken as a supplement in doses sufficient to optimize intracellular D-ribose levels. The result is increased mitochondrial function.

Another report pointed out that “G-6-PD is often in short supply within the cells” leading to lower levels of D-ribose and decreased mitochondrial function.

They go on to point out that supplementing with D-ribose “allows the cells to quickly and efficiently” restore optimal mitochondrial function. For example, several studies have shown that supplementing with D-ribose after a heart attack “improves mitochondrial function by increasing myocardial ATP production.”

Additionally, D-ribose has been used both orally and intravenously in patients for many different conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and heart failure. All these conditions are associated with poor mitochondrial function. Other studies show that it can be used to improve athletic performance and reduce symptoms of cramping, pain, and stiffness following exercise. That can only happen when mitochondrial function is improved.

PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a natural molecule produced in the body and found in breast milk and certain foods. Studies have shown that rodents fed diets lacking in PQQ have reduced mitochondrial function.

In one study, researchers found out why that happened. It was because when the mice are given adequate levels of PQQ in their diets, it “resulted in mitochondrial biogenesis and increased mitochondrial function.” And just like resveratrol, they also found that supplementary PQQ increased PGC-1α, NRF-1, and TFAM levels.

In another study on 23 healthy men, researchers gave half of them 20 mg per day of PQQ. The other half got the placebo. Both groups followed a supervised six-week endurance exercise training program. Before and after the study, the researchers tested the men for VO2max and PGC-1α levels. VO2max is a measurement of total mitochondrial energy production. I use this measurement in my Bioenergy Testing. The VO2max in the PQQ men was significantly higher than in the placebo group. Furthermore, they also had higher PGC-1α levels. The researchers concluded that PQQ increased mitochondrial biogenesis “by way of significant elevations in PGC-1α protein content.”

Curcumin is another nutrient that improves mitochondrial function. It prevents the neurological damage that can occur with aging by improving mitochondrial biogenesis and increasing ATP and PGC-1α levels.

All these supplements have been found by very similar pathways to improve mitochondrial function. So why not combine them all in one easy to take capsule? So far as I know, no one has yet done that. So, I asked Advanced Bionutritionals to make one. They call it Advanced Mitochondrial Formula.

If you have had a recent Bioenergy Test and already know that your mitochondria are optimally functioning, this is one supplement you don’t need. If, however, you have poor mitochondrial function on the test, this is the supplement for you. Take 5 capsules twice a day for 40 days and then reduce the dose to 2 capsules per day. Do this in combination with aerobic exercise and watch your mitochondria regenerate to optimal performance.

If you don’t get a Bioenergy Test and are over 50, then assume you have poor mitochondrial function (as that's probably the case), and do the same thing. Call it your mitochondrial insurance plan. You will notice improved energy and overall function. And you will also be happy to know that you are optimizing the most important pathway to longevity and health as you get older. To order Advanced Mitochondrial Formula, call 800-791-3395, and give them special offer code SOMITO22.