What Is Mitochondrial Health & How to Maintain It

Think back to your grade school days, when you learned about the mitochondria in science class. That might seem like a distant memory, but mitochondria are essential to your overall health, and the choices you make every day can impact how they function.

Mitochondrial health describes how well mitochondria perform many core jobs, including producing cellular energy, maintaining cellular integrity, and protecting against cellular damage. Whole-body wellness depends on cellular health, along with everyday factors like exercise, nutrition, and stress management. Understanding the role of mitochondria and how to support cellular health is a foundational part of any long-term wellness plan.

Below are key insights into cellular health that can guide your wellness routine, from supporting mitochondrial health with a Kaneka Ubiquinol^® supplement to habits like regular movement and balanced nutrition.

What Are Mitochondria? (and What Do They Do?)

To truly unlock the secrets of your overall wellness, you first need to meet the mitochondria. Mitochondria are often remembered as the “powerhouse of the cell”, but there’s more to the story. Think of the mitochondria as the “CEO of the cell”: they don’t just generate energy, they also help direct the processes that keep cells running smoothly and efficiently.

But what exactly are mitochondria? Mitochondria are organized structures, or organelles, found in nearly every cell in the body. They perform a variety of functions that support the body’s systems and overall health.¹ Because mitochondria regulate so many complex cellular systems, mitochondrial health is foundational to the body’s overall well-being.

Understanding what mitochondria are is the first step in understanding what mitochondrial health means. Below, we break down how to protect the well-being of your cells and the “CEOs” that fuel them.

Mitochondrial Health, Explained

Cellular health isn’t about one element working alone. The body’s systems are connected, and research shows mitochondrial health is closely associated with overall health, especially as the body ages. Mitochondria’s role goes beyond just converting food into energy (ATP), though that remains an essential function. A full picture of mitochondrial health includes producing cellular energy, maintaining cellular integrity and homeostasis, and protecting against free radicals.

Producing Cellular Energy (ATP & the Electron Transport Chain)

Mitochondria play a foundational role in supporting the body’s cellular energy needs by generating the energy cells use. This process centers around the electron transport chain (ETC), a series of molecular events that occur inside the mitochondria. Here, energy extracted from food is transferred through a flow of electrons, producing ATP, the main energy source cells use.² Several steps and components are involved in making ATP within the ETC, including the conversion of ubiquinone to ubiquinol, covered in more detail in the cellular energy page. This process supports everyday wellness as well as healthy aging.

Read More: Learn More About Ubiquinol’s Cellular Energy Role With These 5 Facts

Maintaining Cellular Homeostasis

As the “CEO of the cell,” mitochondria can also be thought of as the “clean-up crew” for cells, helping keep them healthy, clean, and efficient. Mitochondria drive natural cellular maintenance processes such as dividing, merging, reusing materials, and removing unusable or damaged cells. This “clean-up crew” role helps maintain cells’ overall health and supports healthy bodily function and overall wellness, especially during periods of metabolic or environmental stress.^3,4

Defending Against Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress

Mitochondria don’t just support energy production and cellular maintenance: they also help protect cells from natural and environmental stressors. One key way they do this is by keeping the body’s antioxidants (molecules that can share electrons without being damaged) and free radicals (molecules seeking electrons) in balance. When these are imbalanced, oxidative stress can occur, which may contribute to premature aging.^5,6

Many factors can disrupt the balance between antioxidants and free radicals in the body, such as aging, menopause, intense exercise, pollution, and cigarette smoke. However, protecting mitochondria and cells from free radical damage is an important way to support their integrity and promote healthy aging.⁷ One way to do this is by ensuring your body has adequate levels of ubiquinol, which we’ll discuss in more detail later.

Read More: Learn More About Oxidative Stress

Factors That Impact Mitochondrial Health & How to Support It

Cellular aging is a normal part of getting older, but a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors can support cellular and overall health. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but the following are good starting points:

• Focus on what you eat: A nutritious, well-balanced diet supports the body’s cellular energy processes.
• Get more movement: Regular movement helps cells stay healthy, supports the function of muscles and joints, and promotes healthy aging and mobility.
• Recover after intense workouts: Rigorous exercise causes an increase in free radicals (oxidative stress), which is normal, but rest matters, too. To support healthy mitochondrial function, an antioxidant like ubiquinol can help the body maintain a healthy oxidative balance during rigorous exercise and during recovery.^8,9
• Get good quality sleep and manage stress: Don’t overlook the value of sleep hygiene and stress management, as both of these play an important role in helping your body function properly.
• Consider your environment: External factors like pollution and cigarette smoke can increase free radicals in the body. These factors aren’t always controllable, but awareness helps reduce unnecessary exposure. The CDC’s guidance on environmental health is a useful resource.
• Spend time outdoors: Fresh air and sunshine can support overall wellness.
• Connect with your community: Building social connections and relationships supports brain and body health and makes it easier to stay consistent with wellness goals.
• Consider adding a supplement to your routine: A Kaneka Ubiquinol^® supplement supports mitochondrial health by providing a nutrient the body can use to help maintain cellular wellness.

Supporting cellular health doesn’t require major life changes. It can be as simple as balancing the factors above, day by day, to support cellular wellness and full-body health.

Read More: Want to Browse Supplement Options? Start Shopping

Ubiquinol and Mitochondrial Health

Your mitochondria are impressive at what they do, but they need support from cells and nutrients, including ubiquinol. Ubiquinol is a naturally occurring nutrient in the body and is the active antioxidant form of CoQ10. During the creation of ATP, the oxidized form of CoQ10 (ubiquinone) is converted into ubiquinol, which helps support cellular energy production. Ubiquinol and mitochondria work together to support overall wellness in a few key ways:

Ubiquinol as an Antioxidant in the Mitochondria

Mitochondria are the body’s greatest source of free radicals, which is why ubiquinol’s antioxidant properties make it a key part of maintaining a healthy balance of antioxidants to free radicals and protecting against oxidative stress.^10,11 Many clinical studies explore the ways ubiquinol’s antioxidant properties protect cells from damage.

Supporting Cellular Homeostasis

Mitochondria regulate complex metabolic networks and cellular processes that support whole-body health. Ubiquinol supports cellular maintenance, including processes like fission and fusion, cell senescence, and protecting the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane.¹ You can learn more about these processes in Mitochondria Explained: Definitions to Know About the CEO of the Cell.

Why Ubiquinol Matters More as You Age

The conversion of ubiquinone to ubiquinol becomes less efficient with age, and levels of ubiquinol in the blood also decrease as the body gets older. A Kaneka Ubiquinol^® supplement can help replenish levels of this nutrient.

A Form Ready for Absorption

Naturally occurring ubiquinol is already concentrated in the mitochondria, and its lipid-soluble form helps Kaneka Ubiquinol^®, bioidentical to the natural ubiquinol the body creates, get through the blood and into the mitochondria. There, it acts as an antioxidant to help neutralize free radicals created by the ETC.¹²

Mitochondria play a number of roles in supporting overall health, and ubiquinol supports many of these functions. A Kaneka Ubiquinol^® supplement helps support mitochondrial health and the healthy functioning of the body’s biological systems and organs, including the heart and muscles.

Your Health Starts at the Cellular Level

Mitochondria are more than the “powerhouse of the cell”: they’re the CEO, managing and maintaining critical functions so the body’s systems can operate efficiently. Prioritizing mitochondrial health through healthy lifestyle choices is a great way to support overall wellness. Pairing those habits with a Kaneka Ubiquinol^® supplement is an additional step toward supporting mitochondrial health and protecting cells from within.

Ready to add a mitochondrial health supplement to a daily routine? Shop Kaneka Ubiquinol^®.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is mitochondrial health?

Mitochondrial health refers to how well the body’s mitochondria, often called the “CEO of the cell,” carry out their core roles: generating cellular energy, supporting cellular integrity, and protecting against oxidative stress. It’s a foundational part of the body’s overall systems and wellness.

What do mitochondria do?

Mitochondria generate ATP (cellular energy) through the electron transport chain, maintain cellular homeostasis through natural maintenance processes, and help protect cells against free radicals and oxidative stress.

How does ubiquinol support mitochondrial function?

Ubiquinol is the active antioxidant form of CoQ10, and the body converts ubiquinone into ubiquinol during ATP production. Its antioxidant properties also help maintain a balance of antioxidants to free radicals in the mitochondria, protecting against oxidative stress.

Can mitochondrial health be supported as the body ages?

Yes. Balanced eating, regular movement, quality sleep, and stress management remain the foundation at any age. Because the body’s natural ubiquinol production tends to slow as the body ages, a Kaneka Ubiquinol^® supplement is one additional way to help support healthy levels over time.

What foods or habits support mitochondria?

A well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet, regular movement, good sleep, and stress management all play a role. While some foods contain small amounts of ubiquinol, they typically don’t provide enough to maintain adequate levels of ubiquinol, so a Kaneka Ubiquinol^® supplement is a smart decision to replenish ubiquinol levels.

Is ubiquinol the same as CoQ10?

CoQ10 exists in the body in two forms: ubiquinone (the fully oxidized form) and ubiquinol, the active antioxidant form of CoQ10. The body converts between the two, and both play a role in supporting cellular energy production. Learn more in the Ubiquinol vs. CoQ10 guide.