Try to Eat Less of These Foods! They Will Damage Our Mitochondrial Functions

High-sugar foods

High-sugar foods such as candy, sweet drinks, and refined grains can cause blood sugar to rise rapidly. When the human body consumes too much sugar, a large amount of pyruvate is produced through glycolysis in the cells.

Mitochondria need to process these pyruvates and convert them into acetyl-CoA to enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle. However, excessive pyruvate can overload the mitochondria, and more reactive oxygen species (ROS) will be produced during sugar metabolism.

These ROS will attack the inner membrane, DNA, and protein structures of the mitochondria, resulting in impaired mitochondrial function. For example, ROS can reduce the activity of the electron transport chain complex on the mitochondrial membrane and affect the efficiency of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) synthesis.

Regularly drinking large amounts of carbonated beverages will cause the high sugar content in them to be quickly metabolized in the body. Long-term such eating habits will cause the mitochondria to be in a state of high sugar stress, their function will gradually decline, and the cell energy supply will also be affected.

Foods rich in trans fatty acids

Trans fatty acids are mainly found in fried foods (such as fried chicken and French fries), some baked foods (such as margarine cakes), and some processed snacks. After these trans fatty acids enter the human body, they interfere with the fatty acid oxidation process in mitochondria. Normal fatty acid oxidation is essential for mitochondria to produce energy, but the chemical structure of trans fatty acids prevents them from being recognized and metabolized normally by the fatty acid oxidase in mitochondria.

They will accumulate in the mitochondria, change the fluidity and permeability of the mitochondrial membrane, and affect the normal function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. At the same time, trans fatty acids will also trigger inflammatory reactions, and inflammatory factors will further interfere with mitochondrial metabolism and energy production.

If you often eat a lot of fried foods, trans fatty acids will continue to accumulate in the body, gradually increasing the damage to mitochondria, leading to energy metabolism disorders in cells and increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Alcohol

After alcohol enters the human body, it is mainly metabolized in the liver. In the mitochondria of liver cells, alcohol is first oxidized by alcohol dehydrogenase into acetaldehyde, which is a highly toxic substance. Acetaldehyde will bind to proteins and DNA in mitochondria, interfering with the normal metabolism of mitochondria.

At the same time, the alcohol metabolism process consumes a large amount of NAD⁺ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), resulting in an imbalance in the NADH/NAD⁺ ratio. This imbalance affects the oxidative phosphorylation process of mitochondria, because NADH is an important substrate of the electron transport chain, and the reduction of NAD⁺ will hinder electron transfer and ATP synthesis. In addition, alcohol can also induce oxidative stress, produce a large amount of ROS, and damage mitochondria.

People who drink a lot of alcohol for a long time will have serious damage to the mitochondrial function in their liver cells. For example, mitochondrial swelling and inner membrane damage will occur, and the energy metabolism of liver cells will fail, which may lead to decreased liver function, such as fatty liver, cirrhosis and other liver diseases.

Nitrites in Processed Meats

Processed meats (such as sausages, ham, etc.) contain nitrites as preservatives. Nitrite can be converted into nitrosamines in the body, which are carcinogens.

It can damage the DNA of mitochondria and cause mitochondrial gene mutations. Mitochondrial DNA encodes some subunits of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex. These gene mutations can cause abnormal structure and function of the respiratory chain complex, affecting mitochondrial energy production. Moreover, nitrosamines can also trigger oxidative stress reactions, produce ROS, and further damage the structure and function of mitochondria.

If processed meats are eaten frequently, the nitrite components in them will continue to damage mitochondria. For example, in intestinal cells, when mitochondrial function is damaged, it will affect the normal metabolism and absorption function of intestinal cells, leading to intestinal health problems.