Why is PQQ being touted as the new hero of the latest anti-aging studies?
Most of the cells in our bodies are home to microscopic organelles (aptly named because organelles act to a cell as an organ does to a human body) called Mitochondria (singularly: mitochondrion).
Some cells like muscle tissue have tons of mitochondria while others like neurons don’t need as many. These tiny little heroes in your body are the energy factory which give your cells and thus body energy and can determine how long your cells (and therefor you) will live.
Studies show that a primary cause of age related decline is Mitochondrial dysfunction . A recent study proved to be quite revealing when a team of researchers compared the muscle tissues of an aged 90 year old man to that of a 5 year old boy. Whereby the elderly man’s muscle tissue was composed of 95% damaged mitochondria, the young boy’s showed virtually no damage.
By the time a human body reaches 70 years old more than half of the mitochondria in the cells no longer function properly. Exercise, food, supplements, toxins all have an affect negatively or positively.
Signs of malfunctioning mitochondria include sluggishness or feeling tired but some more aggressive examples of damaged mitochondria are cancer, heart disease, type-2 diabetes and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimers.
Research and studies recently done show it is actually possible to to generate new mitochondria in the cells, which is something not thought to be a possibly previously. An intense exercise regimen combined with a seriously restricted calorie deficit have shown to be very helpful to creating new healthy mitochondria.
But really the biggest game changer is the study of pyrroloquinoline quinone (for short: PQQ). Whether massive caloric deficits and intense exercise are possible for you, studies are showing that PQQ can help you to level the odds in your fight with father time.
Discovered in the 1960s, PQQ has been intensely studied to do the fact that it is full of antioxidants and fights free radicals. But the fact that it generates new mitochondria and helps the organs which need the most energy (the brain and heart in particular) has really been the biggest finding of PQQ. The brain and heart happen to have the largest mitochondria per cell and so they tend to gain the most.
In related studies, animals with PQQ removed from their diet had less healthier blood despite eating a nutritious diet. Supplementing the animals with PQQ in the study showed that fat was removed from their blood, protecting their heart from heart attacks.
In human studies, PQQ supplements improved mitochondrial functions significantly while decreasing blood markers for inflammation greatly.
Summary
As we grow older, we see an age related degradation in our mitochondria more so than in any other cells in our body and this is what ultimately leads to human death.
Supplementing the body with PQQ is showing in studies to both create new mitochondria and to improve the health of existing mitochondria.
Simply put, researchers and biologists are putting forth the theory that the more functional mitochondria the human body has in its cells, the greater their overall health.
In essence, the number of healthy mitochondria in our cells is determining human longevity.