Each of the billions of cells in your body is home to microscopic organelles known as mitochondria.
These tiny heroes produce your body’s energy supply and determine how long your cells – and you – will live. As a matter of fact, as much as 95 percent of your energy comes from the mitochondria.
Lifestyle issues – food and drink, exercise, sleep, supplements, pollution, and toxins – all affect the mitochondria.
But aging takes the biggest toll. By age 70, more than 50 percent of your mitochondria are not working properly.
Maybe you’ve noticed yourself tiring more easily, for example – that’s one sign your mitochondria could be malfunctioning. So are heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes, and neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Research has shown it’s possible to create brand new mitochondria, something no one thought possible just a few years ago. But that requires serious calorie restriction (permanently reducing food intake by about one-third) or committing to an intense exercise regimen.
Those are not realistic options for most people. But I have found something that can really level the playing field in your battle against Father Time.
What Is Pyrroloquinoline Quinone
The game-changer you need to know about is called PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone). I’m excited about it because it’s the only natural substance that has been proven to help generate healthy new mitochondria! And that, my friends, is truly groundbreaking.
PQQ, which was discovered in the 1960s, has been widely studied. In addition to generating new mitochondria, it acts as an antioxidant and it combats the rogue molecules known as free radicals that can damage your cells and age you prematurely.
Organs that use the most energy – the heart and brain in particular – gain the most from PQQ, because they contain the largest numbers of mitochondria per cell.
Animal studies show that supplementing with PQQ helps remove fat from the bloodstream and protects the heart during a heart attack.
Health Benefits Of Pyrroloquinoline Quinone
In a study with human subjects, PQQ supplements decreased blood markers for inflammation significantly, while improving mitochondrial functions.
And a very intriguing clinical trial found that when PQQ was removed from lab animals’ diet, they tired more easily and had fewer healthy substances in their blood – even though they were eating a nutritious diet!
But you can get even more benefits from PQQ by combining it with another hard-working supplement.
Clinical trials show that taking PQQ with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) protects mitochondrial DNA from damage. And that can prevent you from being diagnosed with a long list of diseases, including memory failure due to aging.
In other words, when taken together PQQ and CoQ10 can reduce the number of those embarrassing “senior moments” – you know, the ones when you can’t for the life of you remember a friend’s name or recall where you parked your car.
A patient I’ll call Lisa came to me in tears because she was having serious memory gaps. “For the past year or so, I lose just about everything,” she explained. “House keys, my cell phone, glasses – all gone! Last month, I put my wedding ring somewhere to “keep it safe” and now I can’t find it. I’m afraid I’m losing my mind, and I’m not even 60 yet!”
Lisa also complained of having very little energy. Even the smallest chore seemed to require super-human effort. Afterward, she was too tired to keep up with housework or join family and friends on outings. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a rocker, but it looks like that’s where I’m headed,” she told me.
I told Lisa to take at least 10 mg of PQQ daily, along with 200 mg of CoQ10. A few months later, she reported major improvements, in both memory and energy levels.
“I feel like my old self again,”
she told me. “And I haven’t noticed any side effects at all. Why don’t more people know about PQQ? It could change lives!”
PQQ is found in foods — green tea, egg yolks, a few types of meat, green peppers, papaya, a form of fermented soy known as natto, and citrus fruit. But in my opinion, the best way for most people to get PQQ is in a supplement.
Experts predict that PQQ could become even more popular than resveratrol for anti-aging. I’m not surprised! I’ve seen plenty of studies showing that healthy mitochondria are the foundation of good health. And there are plenty of other clinical trials demonstrating that PQQ and CoQ10 are the anti-aging supplement version of Batman and Robin — an unbeatable combination!
Last Updated: June 19, 2021
Originally Published: June 5, 2014
