In previous blogs, I’ve discussed how Membrane Lipid Replacement with NTFactor® Lipids all-natural supplements can help restore and maintain mitochondria, the little batteries inside each cell. Mitochondria provide over 90 percent of cellular energy in the form of high-energy molecules like ATP, essential for reducing fatigue and maintaining other body functions as we age. Mitochondria decay and decline with age; to restore our overall energy and vitality, the membranes of our mitochondria must be replaced or repaired in order to keep them functioning at peak performance. This is where NTFactor® Lipids comes in—it provides the essential components of the mitochondrial inner membrane matrix to keep our mitochondria at peak function so they can maintain cellular ATP levels.
As we age, some of this higher organization of various molecules and structures, along with the communication systems to control them, slowly breaks down. This is due partly to the loss of high energy ATP necessary to maintain this organization, and partly to our genetic programs that control the synthesis and turn-over of various molecules and enzymes at the cellular level.
Cells, tissues and organs like our heart, brain, and skeletal muscles require high-energy molecules like ATP from mitochondria to drive almost all of our cellular, organ and tissue processes. If you ever wondered how we move our muscles and limbs, we need mitochondrial energy in the form of ATP and organized structures both within and outside cells to do this, as well as nerve cells to transmit the messages from our brain to our muscles to execute these movements.
As we age, some of this higher organization of various molecules and structures, along with the communication systems to control them, slowly breaks down. This loss of organizational control is increasingly visible as we get older, and in our last days it becomes very obvious that our systems and organs are no longer highly coordinated and under strict control.
If you’re a science buff like me, here’s a bit more to digest! An important part of the control and organization of our tissues and organs depends on our ability to move nutrients (and molecular messages) to various places where they are utilized, and, when these nutrients are in excess, to store them properly in cells and tissues until they are needed. Our cells also break down structures and molecules that are no longer needed or are functionally deficient, and they recycle the subcomponents of these structures or individual molecules and repair them or destroy them and remove them from cells. Eventually the molecular remains that are removed from cells, organs, and tissues are sent to the gastrointestinal system for further degradation and elimination. This system works like a series of conveyor belts that move molecules around our bodies, from nutrients being imported to degradation products being exported out of our cells and tissues and sent to organs for secretion. This whole process of building components and structures and later tearing them down and recycling or eliminating their parts when they are no longer functional requires cellular energy, and this is also an important part of aging. As we get older, our bodies seem to do less building and more tearing down, and there is less coordination in the process.
How can we reverse this? One validated way is to keep moving—literally. Continuing to move and exercise, even in our later years, helps to maintain our muscle mass and stimulate the processes that maintain our body’s structures and functions. Another important ingredient in aging is to maintain the energy necessary to keep building new molecules and structures and to maintain existing structures that are essential. This is where Membrane Lipid Replacement with NTFactor® Lipids comes in—providing the essential membrane lipids that build mitochondria and other cellular membrane systems in order to provide the energy to keep our molecular conveyor belts moving.
Prof. Emeritus Garth Nicolson, PhD, MD (H)
The Institute for Molecular Medicine
Huntington Beach, California
References:
Nicolson GL. Membrane Lipid Replacement—a functional approach to repairing cellular membranes, reducing symptoms, and restoring function. Functional Food Science 2022; 2(8): 198-204. https://doi.org/10.31989/ffs.v2i8.990
Nicolson GL, Ferreira de Mattos G, Settineri R, Breeding PC. Membrane Lipid Replacement and its role in restoring mitochondrial membrane function and reducing symptoms in aging and age-related clinical conditions. Nature Cell Science 2024; 2(4): 238-256.
https://doi.org/10.61474/ncs.2024.00038
