Maximizing Your Mitochondria with Magnesium
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Your mitochondria are what give you energy through the process of oxidative phosphorylation, which consumes oxygen to generate ATP, the energetic currency of your cells. They supply fuel to every single type of cell in your body, from muscle to neuron, to keep your cells functioning at their best. Your mitochondrial health is strongly tied to your fitness both in terms of physical performance and even longevity. It is your mitochondria that provide nourishment during injury to speed up wound healing and recovery. In this post, I am going to explain how optimizing your magnesium levels, an essential mineral that 45% of the US population is deficient in, can help you maximize your mitochondria in order to enhance your performance.
Increasing oxidative capacity
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has repeatedly proven to be an excellent way to improve exercise performance in both non-athletes and athletes. One of the ways HIIT improves performance is by increasing oxidative capacity. Oxidative capacity is a term that refers to the ability of muscle to utilize (or consume) oxygen. Oxidative capacity not only depends on the availability of oxygen (this is what most people focus on) but also critically relies on your mitochondria, which are the tiny units inside your muscle cells that actually consume oxygen and produce ATP in the process. This is a critical point that should not be minimized: it's ultimately the abundant production of ATP that enhances performance and prevents muscle fatigue.
At the level of the mitochondria, there are two ways in which studies have shown you can enhance your oxidative capacity:
- Boost your mitochondrial mass (increase quantity)
- Maximize the efficiency of your existing mitochondria (increase quality)
Increasing the Number or "Mass" of Your Mitochondria
One of the ways HIIT increases oxidative capacity -- and thus, performance -- is by increasing your mitochondrial mass, which is the number of mitochondria per muscle cell. Studies have shown that even just one session of HIIT results in mitochondrial biogenesis (the production of new mitochondria) within muscle cells.
Herein lies the problem: remember how I mentioned that 45% of people in the U.S. are deficient in magnesium? In order to produce new mitochondria each of your existing mitochondria have to synthesize their genome anew (yes, mitochondria have their own genome) and this depends on enzymes that require magnesium as a cofactor to do just that (1,2). If your magnesium levels are inadequate, then your ability to boost mitochondrial number during HIT will be dampened, thus, compromising performance and the mitochondrial mass you would have otherwise gained as a consequence of your hard work and effort. If your magnesium levels are inadequate, then your ability to boost mitochondrial number during HIT will be dampened, thus, compromising performance and the mitochondrial mass you would have otherwise gained as a consequence of your hard work and effort.
Increasing Your Mitochondrial Efficiency or "Quality"
The second way you can maximize your mitochondria is by making them more efficient at producing ATP. It is well known that intense exercise induces oxidative stress and damage to your mitochondria, which dampens their ATP production (translation: lower oxidative capacity). But, your mitochondria have the ability to repair damage done to them using the same magnesium-dependent enzymes that I just mentioned. This means that if adequate levels of magnesium are not maintained (e.g. you're part of the 45%), your oxidative capacity will suffer because of a decline in the rate of repair of your existing mitochondria.
The role magnesium plays in mitochondrial health is only one of a multitude of reasons why you should routinely get your magnesium levels tested. When in doubt you should increase your consumption of dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale or almonds, which are all high in magnesium. One other reason that magnesium is good for mitochondria, which I'll save for a future post, is this: energy production in the form of ATP is critical for nearly all wound-healing processes. Since your mitochondria are the centers of ATP production, then mitochondrial health is key to decreasing wound healing time.
Doctor Rhonda Patrick here I'm going to explain to you how magnesium, an essential mineral that 56% of the US population is deficient in, can help you maximize your mitochondria and enhance exercise performance. High intensity interval training has been shown to enhance exercise performance in both athletes and non athletes. One important way in which this is achieved is by increasing oxidative capacity, or which is the ability of your muscle cells to consume oxygen. Now, oxidative capacity not only depends on the availability of oxygen, which is what most people tend to focus on, but it also critically relies on your mitochondria, which are the tiny units inside of your muscle cells that are actually consuming oxygen to produce ATP, which is the energetic currency of the cell.
And this is really important. You want your ATP production to exceed your ATP consumption in order to enhance or maximize your performance and avoid muscle fatigue. At the level of the mitochondria, there are two ways in which you can increase your oxidative capacity. One is by increasing the total number of mitochondria and two is by increasing the efficiency of your already existing mitochondria. Studies have shown that just one session of high intensity interval training results in the production of new mitochondria, thereby increasing the total number of mitochondria per muscle cell. But in order to make new mitochondria, this requires your existing mitochondria to copy their genome. And this is done by enzymes that require magnesium as a cofactor.
The magnesium ion sits inside of the enzyme and activates it so that it can do its job. What this means is that if your magnesium levels are low, then you're going to have a difficult time making new mitochondria during exercise, therefore compromising your performance. The second way you can maximize your mitochondria is by making your existing mitochondria more efficient at producing ATP. It is well known that during exercise, oxidative stress damages your mitochondria and dampens their ability to produce ATP. But your mitochondria have the ability to repair this damage using the same magnesium dependent enzymes that I just mentioned.
The bottom line is you want to make sure your magnesium levels are within the adequate range in order to maximize your mitochondria by a the ability to produce new mitochondria and b making your existing mitochondria more efficient at repairing damage. So in conclusion, I highly recommend you get your magnesium levels tested and and when in doubt, increase your consumption of dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale or almonds, which are all high in magnesium. I'm Dr. Rhonda Patrick, and I'll catch you next time.
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Magnesium News
- Magnesium and potassium supplements may ease insomnia severity in people with diabetes.
- Nearly half of people with type 2 diabetes have multiple micronutrient deficiencies—the most common being vitamin D.
- Low magnesium levels drive DNA damage, especially among people with high homocysteine.
- Magnesium supplementation reduces post-workout muscle soreness and enhances recovery in both recreational runners and elite athletes.
- Intensive lifestyle modification that includes diet, exercise, and stress management improves cognitive function and slows disease progression in older adults with mild cognitive impairment while also reversing biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.
