I am reading up on mitochondrial efficiency at the moment. That is where I found the vitamin C thing. However, this is a link to the full paper. It is from 2019, but it is really quite comprehensive.
Fig. 3 Overview of relevant nutrients in bioenergetic mitochondrial processes. Several nutrients are involved in the formation of acetyl CoA, which is essential in energy production as it is the starting point of the TCA cycle. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is essential for the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-coA. Furthermore, high levels of zinc were found to inhibit the glycolysis and TCA cycle. Carnitine is essential in βeta-oxidation of free fatty acids. In addition to the formation of acetyl CoA, several nutrients have an direct effect on the TCA cycle. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is the precursor of CoA. Vitamin B 12 is an essential cofactor in the formation of succinyl-CoA, an important metabolite of the TCA cycle. Besides, several nutrients influences the activity of the electron transport chain. Niacin (vitamin B3) is the precursor of NAD+, which has a crucial role in the formation of NADH, which on turn plays a crucial role in the electron transport chain. Complex I and IV activity is decreased during critical illness, but several nutrients positively affect complex I and IV performance. Complex I and IV may be stimulated by selenium, caffeine and melatonin. Complex I and II are also stimulated by CoQ10. Taurine depletion is associated with impaired activity of complexes I and III. Whether the effect of vitamin E on the complexes I and IV is stimulating or inhibiting has not yet been revealed. Nitrate probably inhibits complex IV activity. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is an important building block for complexes I and II and involved in fatty acid oxidation in the TCA cycle. α-KGDH: alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase; ATP: adenosine triphosphate; CoA: coenzyme A; CO2: carbon dioxide; CoQ: coenzyme Q; NAD(H): Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced); PDH: pyruvate dehydrogenase; Vit: vitamin.
In particular
Complex I and IV may be stimulated by selenium, caffeine and melatonin.
also don’t take too much zinc.
Furthermore, high levels of zinc were found to inhibit the glycolysis and TCA cycle.
I intend to take a selenium test. At the moment i take 2x25mcg a week in a multivitamin. However, i dont know what my balance is so i cannot say it is worthwhile.
In my reading i found this which is interesting even if not as directly relevant. The issue about mitochondria moving around the body is really interesting.
Most important for mitochondria has to be exercise that’s at exactly the limit for mitochondrial usage - maximum fat oxidation. That’s why people can run a marathon under 2 hours, because of more mitochondria and better function. More energy factories.
If you want to know how your mitochondria is doing, the best way is W/kg of exercise at 2 mmol/L lactate.
You shouldn’t need a Selenium supplement then.
Don’t overdo the Brazil nuts though as too much Selenium can become toxic.
Obviously all depends on the soil that the nut tree is in which determines the Selenium level - but if you eat a lot, again might be worth a single blood test just too make sure you are not over doing it.
I think what is becoming clear is that it is really worth knowing biomarkers like Selenium and Copper. These can vary on diet, supplementation may not be necessary, but only when you know how much you already have can you work out what to do.
I did a hair test a few years ago and I still think it was a great deal:
They send a little balance and you put a certain amount of hair cut a certain distance from the scalp. It’s not bad. They dissolve it and run it through a machine and give you the values. Not much different from all the other tests we do. You are either in the range or high or low. It’s a very cheap way to see if you have heavy metals and even sodium and magnesium and potassium. These things are hard to test in blood because it is a snapshot instead of an average. You have to be careful what products you use on your hair that might mess up the test. I use no product whatsoever so it works well for me. My hair is buzz cut.
Should also add in oxaloacetate to this discussion, a key step in the TCA/Krebs cycle. And zone 2 exercise can increase mitochondrial biomass, ie more mito that work better.
How much zinc is too much? I do take a zinc supplement on occasion so I am wondering if I should cut it. It is one of the supplements I am considering cutting.