7 replies to this topic

[Sillewater]

Cell Metab. 2011 Feb 2;13(2):149-59.Dietary inorganic nitrate improves mitochondrial efficiency in humans.Larsen FJ, Schiffer TA, Borniquel S, Sahlin K, Ekblom B, Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E.

Nitrate, an inorganic anion abundant in vegetables, is converted in vivo to bioactive nitrogen oxides including NO. We recently demonstrated that dietary nitrate reduces oxygen cost during physical exercise, but the mechanism remains unknown. In a double-blind crossover trial we studied the effects of a dietary intervention with inorganic nitrate on basal mitochondrial function and whole-body oxygen consumption in healthy volunteers. Skeletal muscle mitochondria harvested after nitrate supplementation displayed an improvement in oxidative phosphorylation efficiency (P/O ratio) and a decrease in state 4 respiration with and without atractyloside and respiration without adenylates. The improved mitochondrial P/O ratio correlated to the reduction in oxygen cost during exercise. Mechanistically, nitrate reduced the expression of ATP/ADP translocase, a protein involved in proton conductance. We conclude that dietary nitrate has profound effects on basal mitochondrial function. These findings may have implications for exercise physiology- and lifestyle-related disorders that involve dysfunctional mitochondria.

This is a study done in healthy young volunteers.

Eat your vegetables!

[Lufega]

Is this the same as the nitrates/nitrites in my bacon giving me shortness of breath ?

[JohnD60]

It is an interesting response, but I don't necessarily see that it is inherently 'good'. It could turn out that people that don't eat nitrate rich foods compensate by producing more mitochondria, which in some way may be better. I will wait till someone spikes rat food with nitrates and measures the effect upon longevity.

[maxwatt]

Is this the same as the nitrates/nitrites in my bacon giving me shortness of breath ?

From skimming the material, it seems it is different in vegetables. I believe beets and beet juice were mentioned as sources.

@JohnD60: you want both more and better mitochondria. Defective mitochondria reproduce faster than functional ones, one of the factors that leads to sarcopenia with age.

[JohnD60]

But your cells are not going to make more mitochondria then you need, so if your mitochondria function more efficiently they will produce less mitochondria not more mitochondria, hence my point.

[maxwatt]

But your cells are not going to make more mitochondria then you need, so if your mitochondria function more efficiently they will produce less mitochondria not more mitochondria, hence my point.

Mitochondria are constantly being replaced, every two or three months or so. If you are producing fewer mitochondria you will not be abe to produce as much energy. In Auwerx' resveratrol study, resveratrol improved the number and efficiency of rodent's' mitochondria, and the resveratrol-fed mice outlasted the controls in endurance tests, just as exercise-trained mice outlast sedentary mice. From the description in the paper, nitrates would act the same way.

[JohnD60]

But your cells are not going to make more mitochondria then you need, so if your mitochondria function more efficiently they will produce less mitochondria not more mitochondria, hence my point.

Mitochondria are constantly being replaced, every two or three months or so. If you are producing fewer mitochondria you will not be abe to produce as much energy. In Auwerx' resveratrol study, resveratrol improved the number and efficiency of rodent's' mitochondria, and the resveratrol-fed mice outlasted the controls in endurance tests, just as exercise-trained mice outlast sedentary mice. From the description in the paper, nitrates would act the same way.

I have reviewed summaries of Auwerx' studies involving Resveratrol and I could not find one that showed that resveratrol improved both the number and efficiency of mitochondria, please provide a link to the study you reference.

[Sillewater]

http://www.cfs.gov.h...essionals_e.pdf

To keep nitrite consumption low follow these instructions:

a. Store the leafy vegetables in refrigerator if they are not cooked immediately;
b. Cook vegetables soon after chopping or mashing;
c. Wash and peel vegetables before cooking;
d. Blanch leafy vegetables or high‐nitrate‐containing vegetables in boiling
water for 1 ‐ 3 minutes and discard the cooking water before consumption.
e. Infant foods such as vegetable puree and vegetable congee should be prepared for
immediate use.
f. If there is delay in consumption of the puree/congee, it is best to be kept in
freezer (at or below ‐18oC) to avoid accumulation of nitrite due to contamination
of bacteria of the food.
g. If refrigerated (at 0 ‐ 4oC), puree/congee should not be stored for more than 12
hours. Refrigerated storage longer than 12 hours is considered unsafe in this
situation.