Why do my mitochondria even matter?
Last week we talked about the impact that Zone 2 Training can have on your mitochondria. This week we will discuss how those mitochondria can change your overall health.
As a quick review, Zone 2 Training will directly impact the number and efficiency of the mitochondria that exist in our cells. Zone 2 Training has also been shown to eliminate malfunctioning mitochondria cells. Remember that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cells. They directly impact our ability to function as human beings.
Quite possibly the most important impact that healthy mitochondria provide is in terms of insulin sensitivity. The healthier our mitochondria are the more sensitive our body is to insulin. This means that we will need to use less insulin to control the glucose in our blood. Insulin resistance has been linked to obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and cardiometabolic syndrome (i.e. hypertension and hyperlipidemia). It makes sense then that improving our mitochondria, in terms of both number and efficiency, has a direct impact on obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and cardiometabolic syndrome.
Improved insulin sensitivity is only one impact that increasing mitochondria has on our body. If we take this back to the book that started this whole conversation about Zone 2 Training, Outlive by Peter Attia. In the book, Dr. Attia talks about what he refers to as the 4 Horseman of death for human beings - Cancer, Heart Disease, Metabolic Dysfunction, and Neurodegenerative Disease. We have already discussed the impact that mitochondria have on Heart Disease and Metabolic Dysfunction, but there has been research that shows that mitochondrial health is also linked to Cancer and Neurodegenerative Disease.
Wait a minute... Did we just say that the health of our mitochondria has been linked to all 4 of the disease processes that are most likely to cause our deaths?
Yes, we did.
Doing the work required to care for your mitochondria may just be one of the best things that you can do for your long-term health.
So get started today!
