Mitohormesis - Small stimuli with a big effect

What exactly is mitohormesis?

There is one area of hormesis research that is particularly exciting: mitohormesis. This involves hormetic effects that target our cellular power plants, the mitochondria. The citrate cycle takes place in the mitochondria to generate our universal energy carrier ATP. During the cycle, not only ATP is produced, but also the so-called ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species). As a free radical, this can cause damage to the mitochondria. In the past, it was assumed that ROS, as a by-product of the citrate cycle, only has a damaging effect on our mitochondria and contributes to the development of chronic diseases ^[1]. Today, ROS is understood more as a kind of signal transmitter that has different effects depending on the dose. ^{[2] [3]} How exactly this works is explained below.

Sport is healthy! Then let's run a marathon?

ROS mainly occurs when mitochondria have to produce more energy, such as during sport. This results in dose-dependent effects:

Hormesis tells us: „Sport is healthy, let's start slowly and increase the training intensity gradually and in an adapted way&“.

What exactly happens in the body?

Due to the increased production of ROS, our cells are forced to produce more of the body's own antioxidants (GPx and SOD1). ^[2] These protect us from increased ROS production when we are next under stress and therefore make us more resilient. In addition, certain genes (e.g. SIRT1 or HSP) are stimulated, which also make us more resilient. ^[3][4] The number of mitochondria also increases, which is why the cells are subsequently able to produce more energy. Another effect is the so-called autophagy, which, like a „housecleaning“ in the cell, really puts things in order again. All these effects together lead to lasting protection against obesity, depression, chronic diseases, cancer and even act as an anti-ageing agent. ^[2][3][5]

Many ways lead to your goal: The benefits of „toxic“ foods

Of course, the effects of mitohormesis can also be stimulated in other ways. The correct diet is one of them. Numerous studies have shown that secondary plant substances are also able to activate certain genes in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the cell's own digestion mechanisms (autophagy) and antioxidant production are triggered ^[4]. Secondary plant substances often serve as a defense for plants against external stimuli, such as insect infestation, heat or cold. This is why they can be toxic to us humans in excessive doses ^[6]. This is also one of the reasons why many „superfoods“ grow in a very unfriendly environment. It therefore makes perfect sense to resort to organically produced food: This is because no pesticides are used in organic farming and the plants have to produce more defense substances themselves ^[4].

The most well-known secondary plant substances are caffeine from coffee, resveratrol from grapes, sulfarophane from broccoli, EGCG from green tea and curcumin from turmeric, but there are countless more. In addition, there are not only effects on our cells, but also on our intestinal flora. Secondary plant substances help to regulate the intestinal flora and often have an anti-inflammatory^[4] effect.

Which „pathogens“ are good for the body in small doses?

Since there is a variety of active substances in the most diverse plants and often even small doses are sufficient to show a positive effect, it is therefore advisable to ensure a diverse, species-appropriate diet. In particular, the regular consumption of secondary plant substances in combination with exercise and intermittent fasting has synergistic effects. ^[4]

Hormesis can be seen as a lifestyle vaccination for our health. Practiced regularly and to the right extent, it makes us more resistant to life's daily challenges and thus has a preventive effect on our health.