Mitochondria are the little power plants for ALL of our cells. Every single cell in our body has mito in it. It is fairly well accepted that mitochondria don't work properly in PWME but the mechanism by which it is broken isn't well understood.. See Dr. Myhill's page for more info on mitochondria and CFS/ME.
The paper that just came out from Salk shows the mechanism responsible for the dismemberment of damaged mito and its regrowth.
"Earlier research has shown that AMPK helps to recycle damaged mitochondrial pieces, and signals to the cell when to make new mitochondria." (1)
"When mitochondria are subjected to damage in the form of environmental stress, toxins, or genetic mutations, [which in turn causes AMPK to trigger] the cell [to] take the mitochondria apart, remove the damaged pieces, and re-assemble the mitochondria." (1)
"AMPK, which can be seen as a cellular fuel indicator, is activated by the diabetes drug metformin. Exercise and a restricted diet are also known to activate the enzyme, indicating that these therapies work, at least in part, by promoting mitochondrial health." (1)This makes me wonder about the effects of prolonged fasting on PWME. It looks like fasting not only would knock out B cells but also induce the production of fresh mitochondria. Both of which could potentially be very good for PWME. Now if I could only muster up the willpower to do a three day fast. My blood sugar goes really wonky when I don't eat properly.
Oooh almost forgot the links to the papers:
- Mitochondrial Repair Mechanisms Seen in Study, Offering Insights into Diseases by Magdalena Kegel
- AMP-activated Protein Kinase Mediates Mitochondrial Fission in Response to Energy Stress by Erin Quan Toyama et al
One thing I do want to look into are the SNPs that control MFF which might be part of my Genetic Genie report. Not sure. Will have to get back to you on that one if I remember.
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