Mitochondria: The Starting Point for Hormone Health

You may have heard of the mitochondria as the “powerhouse” of the cell. What that means is that they turn energy from the food we eat into chemical energy required for the 37 billion trillion chemical reactions that are occurring in our bodies every second of the day! Let that sink in for a second. 

The production of this chemical energy first requires the breakdown of the nutrients that we eat. This process is called metabolism. Metabolism and energy production don’t just happen in one part of the body. Rather, this is occurring in each of our cells all the time, and affects each of our body systems, including our endocrine, or hormone, system.

Mitochondria’s Role in Hormone Production

Sex hormones are considered a type of steroid hormone. These steroid hormones are produced within the mitochondria. And believe it or not, it all starts with cholesterol! Cholesterol is the building block of pregnenolone, the mother of all steroid hormones. Pregnenolone is the precursor to estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and other hormones.

Our endocrine system is an elaborate cascade of chemical signaling, and it all starts in the mitochondria. Without the proper resources and mitochondrial environment, our hormone balance and overall health can be significantly affected. 

The body’s goal is to maintain balance, or what is called homeostasis. Our hormones are key regulators of homeostasis, as they are responsible for communication throughout the body. If the function of our mitochondria is impaired, and hormone production is decreased, our body will adjust our metabolism in order to maintain homeostasis. 

The Mitochondria-Thyroid Connection

The thyroid gland is known to control our metabolic rate, or the speed of metabolism in the body. Given the body’s goal to maintain homeostasis, if our thyroid hormones are low, the mitochondria will respond by downregulating their own function. 

As mentioned, slower mitochondrial function leads to decreased sex hormone production. This can lead to hormone imbalance and further exacerbate thyroid hormone production and conversion issues.

It can also occur the other way around, in which mitochondrial function is first impaired, affecting our rate of sex hormone production. Downregulated sex hormone production, particularly progesterone, inhibits thyroid hormone conversion, and hypothyroidism can either develop or be exacerbated.

Factors that Impact Mitochondrial Function 

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported in many cases of PCOS, with PCOS being shown to affect both the quantity and quality of mitochondria in the cells, especially in the cells of the ovary. More research is needed to better understand the direct effects of PCOS on mitochondrial dysfunction and vice versa, especially as it relates to insulin resistance and oxidative stress.

What we understand quite well is that toxins have a direct effect on both the endocrine system and the health of our mitochondria. This includes mycotoxins from mold exposure, heavy metals, and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs harm the endocrine system by interfering with the receiving and signaling of the hormones that our body is producing itself.

It’s important to eliminate as many of these insults to the mitochondria as possible, both by decreasing further exposure and by addressing any buildup of these toxins in the body. We can do so through diet, lifestyle, and targeted treatment strategies through our functional nutrition programs.

Supporting Mitochondrial Health to Alleviate Inflammation

While eliminating exposure and burden of these toxins in the body, we can also implement supportive practices to nourish our mitochondrial health. 

Practices that have been shown to support mitochondrial function include sauna, cold exposure, red light therapy, and ozone therapy. Optimizing liver detoxification is also a crucial step to optimizing mitochondrial function, since the liver is responsible for clearing toxins from the body. 

The function of the mitochondria is supported through these practices by way of reducing inflammation. Inflammation has been shown to alter mitochondrial function by increasing something called oxidative stress. This kicks off a vicious cycle because damaged mitochondria themselves can go on to proliferate inflammation.

By implementing mitochondrial support, we can effectively alleviate inflammation. And with nutrition and lifestyle support targeted at decreasing inflammation, we can work to improve the function of our mitochondria!

Using a systematic approach, we can support mitochondrial health by cleaning up toxins and harmful compounds that can build up in the body. We then restore energy levels and repair damaged mitochondria using targeted nutrient support, for example B vitamins, carnitine, lipoic acid, and curcumin. 

Start Restoring Your Mitochondrial Function!

We could not be more excited to introduce you to Energy Nutrients, our very own formula packed with all of these mitochondrial specific nutrients – coming June 2024. Each ingredient inside Energy Nutrients is targeted to support improved mitochondrial function thereby leading to reduced symptoms and better hormone balance.

The health of our mitochondria affects the health of every cell in our bodies, and has a profound impact on our hormone balance. If you’re interested in getting nutrition tools and support to help you on this journey, be sure to check out Inflammation Hormony, our group program tailored to fight inflammation from mitochondrial dysfunction, with food-as-medicine. Join us for our next live program, beginning in August!

Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RD