Mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiovascular disease
Regular readers of the Updates will know that I feel that mitochondrial dysfunction is the root of all chronic disease evil. Remember that, in the process of generating energy for our bodies to function in the form of ATP, free radicals are produced that have the potential to cause severe damage to all types of tissues that they come in contact with. The body and Mother Nature have hundreds of compounds that help us quench these free radicals and prevent damage.
But, with today’s’ lifestyles of poor protective compounds from foods, pro inflammatory diets and toxin/heavy metal exposure every time we turn around, the likelihood that the mitochondria cannot keep up is high. These free radicals can damage the DNA of the mitochondria and, since the mitochondria don’t have very good repair mechanism, the mitochondria can no longer function and dies. This process, occurring over time, can kill the mitochondria and the energy that the cell needs to survive.