I recently came across an article about nurturing your mitochondria. One of the benefits to doing this relates to aging — apparently looking after your mitochondria will help counteract much of what we associate with aging, such as declining energy levels.
What I also found fascinating — their suggestions fit very well with many of the methods I’ve been using to fight cancer.
For example:
- Getting plenty of Omega-3s; I focus more on DHA but I make sure I also get plenty of the other ones. Not only does this help your body fight cancer, it apparently features in many Blue Zone diets. (Blue Zones are areas of the world that have large numbers of centarians.)
- Incorporate intermittent fasting into your lifestyle. I practice this to some degree, as well as doing extended (48 hour) fasts prior to cancer treatments such as chemo. Studies have shown that calorie restriction can play a role in extending lifespans as well.
- Get rid of unhealthy calories. I avoid processed foods and try to stick to whole foods and meals I cook myself.
- I eat only small amounts of animal protein, but when I do, I make sure it is pastured and humanely treated or wild-caught using lines, not nets.
- Eat nutrient dense foods loaded with antioxidants. This means mostly vegetables.
- Get a half hour or more of exercise daily. Due to how fragile I’ve been while going through chemo, I stick to walking at whatever pace I can manage. I try to walk outside when I can because I also get vitamin D.
- Heat therapy helps. I guess that means everyone needs to get closer to the equator? Nope. But spending some time in a sauna might be a good idea. It also helps people relax, which is beneficial for both fighting cancer and healthy aging.
- Get enough sleep.
- Stress reduction. Learn to let things slide off your back. I pray more and fret less, but use whatever technique works for you, whether it’s meditation, hot yoga, or squeezing a rubber ball.
Because the tactics to boost mitochondria share a lot with what research has shown can help your body better fight cancer, it made sense to me that there is a connection between mitochondria and cancer. And it seemed obvious to me that anything that reduces your risk of dying from cancer would help you live longer as well.
And, sure enough, doing a search, I found research on the connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer. This relates to the Warburg effect, which I have been reading about for over a decade at this point.
In the 1920s, Otto Heinrich Warburg (who won a Nobel Prize in 1931) and his group concluded that depriving tumor cells of glucose and oxygen lead to their death.
The Warburg effect is the science behind the PET scan.
However, it turns out that healthy mitochondria can be a double-edged sword, as the functional mitochondria in cancer cells can also help them grow. There is a question about whether or not these mitochondria are mutated, however.
Given that most of the methods that aid your mitochondria also fight cancer, though, I think following protocols that do both makes sense, at least until further research proves otherwise.
The problem with trying to find an absolute solution when it comes to science — our knowledge constantly evolves as new discoveries are made. Flexible thinking and openness are valuable qualities not just in artists, but also in scientists.
I am fighting stage IV cancer. If you can help with medical bills, I would really appreciate it. Or if you enjoy my writing and would like to buy me a cup of coffee, that’s great too. Maybe someday I can return the favor.
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This post was previously published on Shefali O’Hara’s blog.
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