Cellular health has a profound effect on performance and health
BY STEVE BORN
Maintaining the health of your mitochondria—your cells' energy-producing "furnaces"—is one of the most important keys to achieving your best athletic performance. Many athletes understand the importance of proper fueling, but often fail to realize the key role of mitochondria in athletic performance and overall health. As the mitochondria age, deteriorate, and/or become dysfunctional, athletic performance declines and the risk for age-related diseases, such as cancer, increases.
That's why I consider Mito Caps an essential daily supplement for athletes and non-athletes alike. The Mito Caps formula powerfully addresses the vitally important issue of mitochondrial health. Here's what you can expect from regular use of this critical supplement:
1. Greater energy and endurance because of improved cell energy metabolism. Two nutrients in the Mito Caps formula—acetyl l-carnitine (ALC) and r-alpha lipoic acid (R-ALA)—are responsible for this benefit.
- ALC, like all forms of l-carnitine, is the nutrient the body requires for efficient utilization of fatty acids for fuel. Additionally, ALC appears to reduce the depletion of ATP by forming acetyl-CoA, which one nutritional expert states "[is] the most important intermediary in the generation of energy from amino acids, fats, and carbohydrates."
- R-ALA is an essential cofactor for several multi-enzyme complexes (primarily the dehydrogenase complexes) that catalyze (increase the speed of a chemical reaction) critical energy metabolism reactions inside the mitochondria.
2. Improved use of fatty acids as fuel. The ALC component in Mito Caps is the key nutrient your body needs to utilize "fats for fuel." Mito Caps also contains ascorbyl palmitate, the fat-soluble form of vitamin C, which enhances the bioavailability of carnitine, resulting in greater fat utilization capabilities. Ascorbyl palmitate also has antioxidant properties.
3. Brain protection, enhanced cognitive function. Only the ALC form of l-carnitine is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, where it provides antioxidant support for the brain and protects its cells from toxic chemicals. ALC also provides acetyl groups, which may be used in the formation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is involved in cognitive function. DMAE (dimethylaminoethynol), a nutrient found in fish, stimulates the production of choline, which in turn allows the brain to optimize production of acetylcholine.
4. Superior recovery and immune system support. Nearly every nutrient in the Mito Caps formula—ALC, R-ALA, ascorbyl palmitate, vitamin E, DMAE, PABA (Para Amino Benzoic Acid)—has powerful antioxidant properties. R-ALA is particularly impressive, as it is believed to be the only nutrient that functions as both a water- and fat-soluble antioxidant, with the ability to quench several different types of free radicals. Additionally, R-ALA enhances glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is one of the primary antioxidants produced directly by the body, and it plays a key role in immune system health. R-ALA can also revitalize and extend the "lifespan" and potency of nutrients such as CoQ10, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Summary
No question about it, the unique Mito Caps formula helps mitochondria work more efficiently and stay healthier. As Bill Misner, Ph.D., summarizes, "The longer you can stimulate the lifespan or health of the mitochondria, the longer you will live and the better you will perform in endurance events. The athlete who has the most healthy/efficient mitochondria is the athlete who performs at their best."
Want yet another reason to take Mito Caps daily? Check out this article!
4 comments
Could not agree more. Especially if you are taking a statin to lower cholesterol. I believe Race Caps supplemented with Mito Caps, complements the benefits of Race Caps and is essential to the ‘new cell development process’ which statins can interfere with. I would enjoy hearing a response from Hammer as to their more knowledge-based experience regarding this topic.
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Hammer Nutrition replied:
Thank you for your positive feedback and comments, William. You are spot on in saying that Race Caps Supreme and Mito Caps complement each other. In my article about both products at https://hammernutrition.com/blogs/endurance-news-weekly/race-caps-supreme-and-mito-caps-1, I discuss in more detail why they are (among other things) intimately involved in supporting clean, efficient, and consistent energy production. In the article “Lower Cholesterol Levels By Up To 30%” I list several products—including Race Caps Supreme and Mito Caps—that contain nutrients/substances that are reported to help lower elevated cholesterol levels. Some of these nutrients are also involved in new cell development—the coenzyme Q10 in Race Caps Supreme and the r-alpha lipoic acid in Mito Caps are the first to come to mind. Two other nutrients that I think are at the forefront are the vitamin B12 and folate found in Xobaline ( https://hammernutrition.com/collections/supplements/products/xobaline). Vitamin B12 helps with the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates, and is necessary for new cell production, especially in the gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow, and nervous tissue. Folate helps with cell growth and division. SB.
Thank you for the detailed information. Been taking it daily for years and still going strong at 80.
I really appreciate all the detail behind each supplement. I always am curious about the “release” benefits about taking so many products at one time. Would it be better to stratify intake throughout the day?
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Hammer Nutrition replied:
Thank you for your comment and question, Daron. The nutrients in each of the Hammer Nutrition products—such as the 8 components in Mito Caps—work in complementary fashion with each other. Additionally, there is very little nutrient “crossover” with the various Hammer Nutrition supplements, so taking them together is completely fine and, in my opinion, highly beneficial. That said, I do believe in spreading out the dosage of most of the products so that there is better nutrient “coverage” in the body throughout the day. For example, on most every day I will take 2 Mito Caps in the morning, along with 2 Race Caps Supreme, and 2-3 Premium Insurance Caps (I take other supplements as well), and I’ll take 1 Mito Caps, 1 Race Caps Supreme, and 2-3 Premium Insurance Caps at lunchtime/early afternoon. For these particular products, though they can be taken later in the day (no problem with that), I personally like to take them when my body is most active (morning to early afternoon), as I feel that this is when they will provide their best benefits. For other supplements, such as Essential Mg (magnesium) and EndurOmega (omega-3 fatty acids), I take 2 capsules of each 3 times daily. SB.
Great analysis, a daliy supplement for years! Helps immensely during marathons and day to day living as we get older. Thank you Hammer!