Table Of ContentLIFE
THE EPIC STORY OF OUR MITOCHONDRIA
How The Original Probiotic Dictates Your Health, Illness, Ageing,
And Even Life Itself
LEE KNOW, ND
TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE:
THE FORCE
1.1 Review of Cell Biology
1.2 Evolution of the Eukaryotic Cell
1.3 A Spiritual Twist
1.4 The Force
1.5 Basics of Mitochondria
1.6 Basics of Cellular Respiration and Oxidative Phosphorylation
1.7 The Electron Transport Chain (ETC)
Complex I
Complex II
Complex III
Complex IV
Supercomplexes
1.8 ATP Synthase: Coupling the ETC with Oxidative Phosphorylation
1.9 Mitochondrial DNA
1.10 Mitochondrial Mutations
1.11 A Radical Signal for Death
1.12 Dead or Alive
1.13 Ageing
1.14 Mitochondrial Theory of Ageing
1.15 The Evolution of Maximum Lifespan in Mammals
1.16 Degenerative Diseases and the Eventual End
1.17 It’s Getting Hot in Here — Uncoupling the Proton Gradient
Part Two:
Dark-Side of the Force
2.1 A Review of Bioenergetics
2.2 Food and Oxygen
2.3 ATP Production and Turnover
2.4 Cardiovascular Disease
2.5 Nervous System, Brain, and Cognitive Health
Alzheimer’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease
Huntington’s Disease
Depression
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders
2.6 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
2.7 Type 2 Diabetes
2.8 Medication-Induced Mitochondrial Damage and Disease
2.9 Mitochondrial Disease
2.10 Age-Related Hearing Loss
2.11 Ageing Skin and Wrinkles
2.12 Infertility
2.13 Eye-Related Diseases
2.14 Stem Cells Require Healthy Mitochondria
2.15 Cancer
2.16 Ageing
Part Three:
Nurturing the Force
3.1 D-Ribose
3.2 Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ)
3.3 Coenzyme Q10
3.4 L-Carnitine
3.5 Magnesium
3.6 Alpha-Lipoic Acid
3.7 Creatine
3.8 B Vitamins
3.9 Iron
3.10 Resveratrol and Pterostilbene
3.11 Ketogenic Diets and Calorie Restriction
3.12 Massage & Hydrotherapy
3.13 Exercise and Physical Activity
3.14 Pulling It All Together
Glossary
References
Copyright
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FIGURE/ILLUSTRATION CREDITS FIGURE 1
Author: Kelvinsong, from Wikimedia Commons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mitochondrion_structure.svg Figure 2
Author: Public Domain Material obtained through PubMed Central Open Access
Subset http://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=1751057_cc5014-
1&req=4
Figure 3
Author: Fvasconcellos, from Wikimedia Commons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Complex_I.svg
Fugure 4
Author: Fvasconcellos, from Wikimedia Commons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Complex_II.svg
Figure 5
Author: Fvasconcellos, from Wikimedia Commons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Complex_III_reaction.svg Figure 6
Author: Fvasconcellos, from Wikimedia Commons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Complex_IV.svg
Figure 7
Author: Fvasconcellos, from Wikimedia Commons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mitochondrial_electron_transport_chain%E2%80%94Etc4.svg
Figure 8
Author: Alex.X, from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Atp_synthase.PNG
Figure 10
Author: Slagt, from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acyl-
CoA_from_cytosol_to_the_mitochondrial_
matrix.svg
DISCLAIMER:
Neither the author not publisher is engaged in rendering professional advice or
services to the individual reader. The information in this book is for educational
purposes only and not to be construed as medical advice. It is not meant to
diagnose, or in any way replace qualified medical supervision. For any medical
conditions, each individual is recommended to consult with their health care
provider before using any information, idea, or products discussed. Neither
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the author nor publisher assumes any responsibility for errors.
PART ONE:
THE FORCE
“Without the Midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no
knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will
of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind, you’ll hear them
speaking to you.”
—Qui-Gon Jinn, to Anakin Skywalker
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… there were intelligent microscopic
life forms called Midi-chlorians that lived symbiotically inside the cells of all
living things. When present in sufficient numbers, they allowed their symbiotic
host to detect the pervasive energy field known as the Force. Midi-chlorian
counts were linked to one’s potential in the Force, ranging from normal human
levels of 2,500 per cell to the much higher levels in a Jedi. The highest known
Midi-chlorian count (over 20,000 per cell) belonged to Jedi Anakin Skywalker.
Present in all life, Midi-chlorians are the same on every world that supports life
—in fact, Midi-chlorians are necessary for life to exist. In sufficient numbers,
Midi-chlorians will allow their host organism to detect the Force, and this
connection can be strengthened by quieting one’s mind, allowing the Midi-
chlorians to “speak” to their host and communicate the will of the Force.
For many reading this book, I’m sure you’re thinking, “What…the… has he
gone completely sideways?” What the heck am I talking about? Well, science-
fiction fans—and the generation(s) who grew up in the era of Star Wars—may
have a better chance at guessing that Midi-chlorians are a creation of George
Lucas…or are they?
Midi-chlorians were first conceived by George Lucas as early as 1977. At this
time, Lucas sat down with a member of his staff to dictate a number of
guidelines for these works, explaining various concepts of his universe. Among
them was an explanation of Midi-chlorians (even though Lucas did not feel he
had the time or opportunity to introduce the concept until 1999, when it was first
mentioned during Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace). Explaining why
some were sensitive to the Force while others were not was an issue that he
needed to address—an issue that he had left unresolved since the original film
Star Wars.
Midi-chlorians in The Phantom Menace are part of a recurring theme
throughout the movie—that of symbiotic relationships. What’s fascinating to me
is that Midi-chlorians were loosely based on mitochondria, organelles that
provide energy for cells on our non-science fiction, real-world planet.
Like Midi-chlorians, mitochondria are believed to have once been separate
organisms that inhabited living cells and have since become part of them; even
now, mitochondria act in some ways as independent life forms, with their own
DNA.
Most will remember them from high school Cell Biology class, described as
the “powerhouses” of the cell—the tiny generators living inside cells that
produce almost all the energy cells need to live. Depending on the type of cell,
there are usually hundreds to thousands of mitochondria in each cell. They use
the oxygen from the air we breathe to burn up food we eat to produce useful
energy.
Some people may have heard of the term “Mitochondrial Eve.” Mitochondria
are inherited maternally, so if we trace our genetic lineage from child to mother,
to maternal grandmother, and so on, Mitochondrial Eve would be the mother of
all mothers. She is thought to have lived in Africa approximately 170,000 years
ago. This does not necessarily mean she was the first human; it only means that
she is the most recent ancestor common to all humans living today.
The reason we can trace our ancestry this way is because all mitochondria have
their own DNA (the “genes”), which are normally passed on to our children only
in the mother’s egg, not in the father’s sperm. This means that mitochondrial
DNA (abbreviated as mtDNA) act like a genetic surname. However, unlike
