A recent discovery sheds new light on how our cells make energy, and how we can influence that process to slow aging, and give you more energy throughout your day.
This nutrient — called pyrroloquinoline quinone, or PQQ — has the potential to become an anti-aging powerhouse, and I’m already using it with my own patients to improve daily energy levels.
You see, PQQ is the first nutrient ever discovered that multiplies the number of mitochondria in your cells. Mitochondria are the “power plants” in your cells that generate all of the energy you use to get through your day.
As you get older, mitochondria become weak and start to disappear. This is the first time we’ve ever had the opportunity to stimulate the growth of new power producers in your cells. And that’s big news.
Still ignored by mainstream medicine, PQQ has also been shown to fight nerve damage, cancer and even nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, one of the fastest-growing epidemics of the 21st century.
Now the latest research has uncovered the crucial role of this super-nutrient and antioxidant in the prevention – and even the reversal – of age-related brain conditions, like dementia, strokes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Today, I’ll show you how this new evidence will help your brain power, and your ability to think, recall, plan, and strategize as you get older.
Healthy Brains Need Healthy Mitochondria
As the most energy-hungry organ in your body, your brain cells have the greatest number of mitochondria – more than 2,000 of them in each nerve cell.
And healthy brains need well-functioning mitochondria.
But as you grow older, your mitochondria decay, become weaker and die. They also become fewer in number. This is a major cause of aging and the cause of many neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s and dementia. iii
Recent clinical studies reveal that your brain is a prime target for mitochondrial decay – more than any other part of your body. iii
This happens because the high-energy demands of your brain cells – and their constant exposure to large amounts of oxygen – make them vulnerable to damage from free radicals and oxidative stress. ivWhen the damage becomes severe enough, brain cells trigger the destruction of their own mitochondria. v
Fewer mitochondria in your brain cells mean you lose your capacity to make energy and your mental performance begins to decline.
Ultimately, this sets your brain cells on the path to “cell suicide.” And this loss of cells in brain tissue impacts your mobility, your ability to learn and your memory, causing all kinds of neurological and brain disorders. vi
PQQ to the Rescue
PQQ has a restorative and rejuvenating impact on your brain. And it does this in three important ways…
1. Mitochondria have their own supply of DNA, and if you supply them with this super-nutrient, they start multiplying within each of your cells. PQQ triggers your aging brain cells to grow new mitochondria.
And it is this process of “mitochondrial biogenesis” that halts and reverses cell death and brain degeneration. PQQ is the only nutrient that can do this.
2. PQQ also protects the existing mitochondria in your brain cells by working to mop up free radicals and the oxidative stress damage in brain tissue – the very things that kill mitochondria in the first place.
3. At the same time, PQQ stimulates production of nerve growth factor (NGF) which triggers the growth of new brain cells and branching of nerve cells. viiviii NGF is crucial in repairing damage caused by strokes.
I recommend that my patients get PQQ both from food sources and supplements, because it is so important for cell health.
Here’s a rundown of common PQQ-rich foods, based on a 100-gram (3.5 ounce) serving:
- Kiwi fruit, 2.74 mcg
- Sweet green peppers, 2.8 mcg
- Carrots, 1.68 mcg
- Irish potatoes, 1.66 mcg
- Cabbage, 1.63 mcg
- Sweet potatoes, 1.33 mcg
- Bananas, 1.26 mcg
You should try to get as many of these foods into your diet as possible. But when push comes to shove, you really need to take a good PQQ supplement to ensure you get all the benefits.
For the best results, take your PQQ with CoQ10 – both are key to helping each of your mitochondria remain healthy. I recommend 10 mg of PQQ daily with a 50 mg supplement of ubiquinol, a far more powerful form of CoQ10 that’s much easier for your body to absorb.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
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ii Martin LJ. Mitochondrial and cell death mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2010;3(4):839-915.
iii Boveris A, Navarro A. Brain mitochondrial dysfunction in aging. IUBMB Life. 2008 May;60(5):308-14
iv Szeto HH. Mitochondria-targeted peptide antioxidants: novel neuroprotective agents. AAPS J. 2006 Aug 18;8(3):E521-31.
vHaddad DM1, Vilain S, Vos M, Esposito G, Matta S, Kalscheuer VM, Craessaerts K, Leyssen M,Nascimento RM, Vianna-Morgante AM, De Strooper B, Van Esch H, Morais VA, Verstreken P. Mutations in the intellectual disability gene Ube2a cause neuronal dysfunction and impair parkin-dependent mitophagy. Mol Cell. 2013 Jun 27;50(6):831-43. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2013.04.012. Epub 2013 May 16.
vi Ames BN, Liu J. Delaying the mitochondrial decay of aging with acetylcarnitine. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Nov;1033:108-16.
vii Yamaguchi K, Sasano A, Urakami T, Tsuji T, Kondo K. Stimulation of nerve growth factor production by pyrroloquinoline quinone and its derivatives in vitro and in vivo. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 1993 Jul;57(7):1231-3.
viii Murase K, Hattori A, Kohno M, Hayashi K. Stimulation of nerve growth factor synthesis/secretion in mouse astroglial cells by coenzymes. Biochem Mol Biol Int. 1993 Jul;30(4):615-21.