All of the approximately 100 trillion cells that together make up the human body have their own “cellular furnaces” where fuel from food is burned to produce energy. These furnaces are subdivisions of the cell, “organelles” called mitochondria. Inside the mitochondria, with the assistance of enzymes from the Krebs cycle, carbohydrates and fatty acids are metabolised into adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
ATP is considered a cofactor and a modulator of activity of some enzymes and can be thought of as cellular currency. Bioenergetic nutrients are associated with improved mitochondrial function and energy production.
References
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Quinzii CM, López LC, Von-Moltke J, Naini A, Krishna S, Schuelke M, Salviati L,Navas P, DiMauro S, Hirano M. Respiratory chain dysfunction and oxidative stress correlate with severity of primary CoQ10 deficiency. FASEB J. 2008 Jun;22(6):1874-85. Epub 2008 Jan 29. View Abstract.
