Mitochondria And Metabolic Water (Part 2)
The Ultimate Guide To The Health Benefits Of Water - Part 2
We will be taking a deep dive into the health benefits of water (pun intended). The quantum water wizard, Carrie Bennett, created this content to explain everything you ever wanted to know about water, which we’ve broken into 3 parts for you.
Mitochondria And Metabolic Water
Water that we consume is only one facet of being fully hydrated. There are three other topics I am going to dive into in order to explain hydration on a deeper level. These topics are mitochondria, exclusion zone (EZ) water, and fascia.
Is all water equal in the universe?
Mitochondria: The Water We Make From Metabolism
As a general rule of thumb, the water we drink and absorb in our GI tract ultimately becomes fluid in the blood. This is one way in which we can make sure our tissues receive appropriate fluid content.
I would argue, however, that it is even more important to focus on the water that our mitochondria make for us. After all, every cell in the body (with the exception of red blood cells) contains thousands of mitochondria per cell. The egg cell can actually contain up to one million of them. Other tissues also have a very high concentration of mitochondria including the brain, the heart, immune cells and the musculoskeletal system.
I’m sure you remember the word mitochondria from high school biology. Some of you may even remember them as being called “the powerhouse of the cell” because they are responsible for making ATP - considered by most to be the energy currency of the body.
I could probably bore you with 10 more pages on mitochondria alone as I believe their health and function pretty much determine the health and function of the cell. But instead of potentially bombarding you with excessive details, I want to really highlight one main process found in the mitochondria: The electron transport chain.
This is a process embedded in the folds of the inner mitochondrial membrane that take electrons from various sources, such as the food we eat, and pass those electrons from step to step with the end result being the production of ATP.
Picture a group of firefighters passing buckets of water from person to person in order to put out a fire. Instead of firefighters, we have proteins in our mitochondrial electron transport chain that “pass” electrons from one step to the next. Once an electron makes it to the 4th protein of this electron transport chain, water is made. The 5th and final step of this process makes ATP.
Geek out with me:
Step 4 of the electron transport chain is called cytochrome c oxidase - CCO for short. It is called a "cytochrome" because it absorbs light frequencies. In particular, CCO absorbs red light and near infrared frequencies to help electrons flow to their ultimate acceptor, oxygen, and produce water.
It has been shown that nitric oxide (NO) made in the mitochondria inhibits CCO activity and thus water production.
NO is made by an enzyme called mtNOS. MtNOS makes NO in response to a certain calcium threshold in the cell. Once enough intracellular calcium is sensed, NO is made and binds to CCO which inhibits water production and ultimately ATP synthesis.
Guess what causes increased intracellular calcium?
Chronic infections (Lyme, mould, etc), chronic toxin exposure (heavy metals, mycotoxins, etc), being surrounded by nnEMFs (Wi-Fi and cell phone radiation), and anything that triggers the cell danger response think NRF-2 activation.
These effects are exacerbated by a lack of sunlight.
The above situation leads to chronic intracellular dehydration because of NO inhibition of CCO.
What reverses this inhibition?
Sunlight - specifically the red and NIR-A portion of the spectrum (which is always present in sunlight, so get outside any time you can). These frequencies displace the NO from CCO, allowing electron flow to be restored.
When we are exposed to too many things that drive up intracellular calcium, a vicious cycle is created: Cell stressor = increased calcium = NO production = inhibition of CCO = less water/ATP.
That also includes working out - muscle is a big influencer of calcium physiology and explains the connection between chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia and the inability to produce energy or an appropriate free radical signal.
This is why I firmly believe that sunlight is an essential part of our intracellular hydration strategy.
For the longest time, I was taught that the only important part of the electron transport chain was the production of ATP. I was taught that water was a “byproduct” of this series of reactions and never gave the water another thought.
Until I began my obsession with studying all things water. It turns out that the water made in our mitochondria from the electron transport chain is water that can hydrate us intracellularly (inside the cells). This water is great because it is biologically pure. It is free from toxins, deuterium-depleted, and readily becomes structured into something called exclusion zone (EZ) water, which I will dive into in a bit.
I am a firm believer that mitochondrial water production is essential to optimum intracellular hydration. I am not alone. Well-renowned deuterium researcher Laslo Boros has gone so far as to say that he really does not drink very much water at all because he has taken such good care to make sure his mitochondria are making most of the hydration his body needs. While I do not personally recommend this approach, let’s take a look at some strategies that optimise mitochondrial water production.
Mitochondria can take electrons from either carbohydrates or fats and turn them into water and ATP. Per molecule, fat electrons become four times as much water and ATP as electrons from carbohydrates.
That means that if we eat mostly processed carbohydrates we are potentially reducing the amount of water our mitochondria are making. Dr. Boros is a proponent of a ketogenic diet. This is a very high-fat diet that transforms fat electrons into water and ATP. Because of the high energy yield potential from a fat molecule, burning fat/ketones makes more water in the mitochondria.
There is a caveat - to burn fat efficiently we do need nutritional cofactors to help the process. We also need other appropriate, hormonal signals to induce ketosis which is stimulated via the environment.
Side note:
I have found clinically that those who are in ketosis/fat burning, who have well-aligned circadian rhythms, get plenty of sunlight, eat seasonally/locally, and take care to not surround themselves constantly with dehydrating non-native EMFs or blue light require less drinking water to stay hydrated than clients who work under fluorescent lighting all day, never see the sunrise, and eat a high amount of processed carbs.
We can clinically test this on a blood panel if you know what you are looking for and work with someone like Ryan who gets the bigger picture of how health and mitochondria work.
Mitochondria Produce Metabolic Water
If mitochondria make water for us, it means that several strategies that are being promoted as making healthier “fitter” mitochondria may also mean better intracellular hydration. Remember, mitochondrial ETC proteins need to “pass” electrons from step to step. In the world of quantum mechanics (which looks at the behaviour of subatomic particles like electrons, protons, and photons), it is well-established that electrons only like to be “passed” so far. If the distance they need to get passed from one step to the next is too far, electrons are likely to “get lost.” This means they do not complete their trip down the ETC to become water and ATP. Picture those firefighters passing buckets full of water down the line. If they are spaced 2 feet apart, water could easily stay in the bucket as it gets passed. But move those firefighters 6 feet apart and you will start to lose a LOT of water. Very little water might make the entire journey to put out the fire.
When electrons that are passed down the ETC are lost, they become free radicals. This typically occurs at cytochrome 1 and thus why carbohydrate consumption creates more potential free radicals than fat-based electrons, which enter at cytochrome 2. In addition to cytochrome, the NADH dehydrogenase enzyme is closely located by the mitochondria nucleus.
Free radicals are a normal part of metabolism up to a point. But when lots of electrons are lost, the free radical output starts to grow. Excessive free radicals are highly damaging to cells and can drive up inflammation and tissue damage. Losing electrons from the ETC also means way less water and ATP. Remember, less water can lead to reduced intracellular hydration. We naturally produce free radicals, they have a unique intracellular signalling mechanism to the nucleus. However, when distorted with too little or too much, then this is where reactive oxygen species begin leading to organelle dysfunction and then to metabolic chaos and DNA breaks and lipid peroxidation.
Again, we can measure this in blood chemistry panels with certain metals, and other markers. A good practitioner like Ryan can connect the dots to your obstacles and goals.
Mitochondria And Free Radicals
Geek out with me:
Elevated concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can influence the shape of the mitochondria. Normally mitochondria take on a tubular shape. When in their native shape and size, energy production in the mitochondria is stable. However, mitochondria can take on alternative shapes such as a donut or a drop shape. Both shapes occur during stress responses to the cell. Mitochondria under stress produce more ROS. These ROS can cause mitochondria to leak electrons, leading to the production of more ROS, which ultimately damages the lipid mitochondrial membranes and alters the shape of the mitochondria. This causes catabolic events thermodynamically inside the cell, we start to lose energy. Yes, LOSE. When we lose energy and are unable to store it in our water, we become less efficient.
So how do the electron transport chain proteins spread out far enough to make it hard for electrons to pass from one step to the next? The function of the ETC is very much determined by how nicely close together these ETC steps are. When they are in their appropriate spacing, all is well. However, for every 1 angstrom that they spread apart, there is a 10% reduction in energy production in the mitochondria. One of the leading researchers on mitochondrial inheritance and mitochondrial disease is Dr. Doug Wallace at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. He has found that damage to the mitochondria causes them to increase in size. When mitochondria increase in size, the steps of the electron transport chain begin to spread. Even one angstrom of separation is detrimental to energy and water production.
So a change in shape changes the amount of energy and water the ETC can produce. That means holding mitochondria in their native tubular shape is an essential part of having healthy mitochondria that both give us ATP and also hydrate the cell.
You may be asking what helps keep a mitochondrion in its native shape. One of the most important things for this, in my opinion, is maximising the production of exclusion zone water (EZ water) inside the mitochondria not just producing ATP production.
A lot of these hypotheses and models around mitochondria and health have come from the dedication and wisdom of Dr. Jack Kruse. It is from Dr. Jack Kruse’s work and understanding of various theories and putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I highly recommend you go to his website - to read his blogs or listen to him featured on podcasts.
We hope you enjoyed the second part of this water series. Next up is EZ Water: The Fourth Phase of Water - Part 3
Sign up for the Live Vitae newsletter here to be kept informed about future articles.
Please leave us any comments or questions regarding this article in the comment section below.
The content of this article was written by Carrie Bennett - Founder of 2% Better Health Podcast and the Quantum Health Course.
Carrie has a Master's Degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition and has been seeing clients in private practice for over 10 years. Her 2% strategies stem from extensive clinical experience.
