Essentially there are two approaches to longevity and health, Rate-of-Living and Bioenergetics. Rate-of-living is the hypothesis that our bodies are machines with a finite amount of heartbeats and breaths. Increasing lifespan from this vantage becomes a matter of conservation and reducing wear & tear. Bioenergetics sees the body as machine-like, but with the innate capacity to regenerate (like soil). Regeneration requires energy and only when we lack energy does the body breakdown in the way Rate-of-living theorist see it.

TLDR:

Rate-of-living theory suggests that we should decrease wear and tear by any means necessary in order to extend life. This results in metabolic slowing.
Bioenergetics argues that increasing metabolic rate increases regenerative capacity. This paradigm focuses on creating an energy surplus and fast metabolism.
Metabolic rate has gone down over the last 80 years, exhibited by lower body temperature and fewer calories eaten, yet metabolic diseases have significantly increased over this same time period.
By removing metabolic inhibitors and increasing proper macro and micronutrients, you can restore energy production

The Rate-of-Living theory, proposed by Max Rubner in 1908, postulates that organisms with faster metabolisms have shorter lifespans. This theory evolved during an era when humans were viewed by scientists as machines whose lifespan was dictated by the amount of wear and tear they experienced. The original hypothesis arose from Rubner’s analysis of different species of animals’ metabolic rates. He argued that because rats don’t live as long as elephants, the cause must be that rats have a faster metabolic rate. The problem with this theory is when comparing only rats or elephants to themselves, the ones with the fastest metabolic rates on average lived longest. A better, but limited iteration on Rate-of-Living is the Free-Radical Theory of aging. Though more refined, doesn’t account for the ability of an organism to offset oxidative stress through regenerative means. The application of rate-of-living tends to focus on restriction, either calories and/or carbohydrates. This includes various types of fasting as well.

Bioenergetic theory of aging proposes that the deterioration of the mitochondria and cellular energy production is a key driver of the aging process. Key proponents of this theory include Albert Szent-Györgyi (nobel prize for discovery of vitamin c), Hans Krebs (nobel prize for discovery of Krebs/Citric Acid Cycle) and Peter Mitchell (nobel prize for discovery of how ADP converts to ATP). The general argument is that energy production is at the core of longevity (and healthspan). The greater the energy surplus, the more regenerative an organism and resilient to oxidative damage. Thus the focus becomes increasing energy production while balancing it against the cost of stressors.

These acclaimed scientist knew that the magic of life energy was derived from the mitochondria and how well they worked.

Much of the metabolic health discourse these days revolves around optimizing blood insulin and glucose (and HbA1c). Secondary to these are lipids. I also include body temperature, cortisol, glucagon and free fatty acids (NEFA) in my analysis.

These are important markers however its more important to put them into the proper context. As I have laid out before in this article, the terminal end of glucose shuttling is complex iv of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). Once glucose enters the cell, its processed through many enzymes that are essentially transferring the electrons from that glucose molecule all the way to the ETC. This turns oxygen into water and provides the electromagnetic energy to spin ATP synthase to make chemical energy in the form of ATP.

The whole point of eating carbs, either in the form of starches or sugars, is to drive the rotor that makes ATP.

Once the glucose makes it way into blood from the gut (or gluconeogenesis if low carb), it is half-way to the final destination. The markers glucose, insulin and the others I mentioned are reflections of the speed and efficiency of the electron transport chain.

This is the biggest point of confusion for most people in the metabolic health space.

Think of this process as an assembly line. If there’s a bottleneck at the end of the production line, everything before it gets backed up.

So, if someone has inefficient ETC function, aka slow metabolism, relative to the amount of carbs digested blood insulin and glucose will rise. If someone has efficient ETC function relative to their carb input, their markers will be ideal. If someone has efficient ETC function but low carb input, the glucose deficit will trigger stress hormones to induce gluconeogenesis to correct the low blood glucose (hypo-glycemia).

Make sense?

Body temperature is a by-product of energy production and is a cheap and accurate way to asses your metabolic rate. Also, if you don’t have enough energy to meet your demand, the backup power system will activate. This system is the stress response and why I include the measurement of cortisol, glucagon and NEFA in my assessment of someones metabolic function. Cortisol and glucagon are triggered in the stress response to make glucose from proteins and pull fat out of storage (NEFA). People with elevated cortisol and glucagon often have high blood glucose, insulin and NEFA. Elevated NEFA also causes insulin resistance.

Not only are these stress hormones catabolic, cortisol also decreases metabolic rate over the long-term. These stressors also further complicate things by decreasing testosterone and progesterone.

Virtually everyone now has some form of metabolic dysfunction, at varying degrees. The greater the metabolic dysfunction, the greater the state of dis-ease. Its an inevitable consequence of existing in an anti-metabolic environment.

Since the goal of bioenergetics is to create an energy surplus, if you remove the metabolic inhibitors/stressors you can restore sufficient energy production.

What are the metabolic stressors?

Calorie restriction
Carbohydrate restriction
Poor macronutrient splits
Erratic meal timing
Poor sleep
Excessive linoliec acid/PUFA
Excessive blue light
Lack of sunlight and grounding
Lack or imbalance of micronutrients - vitamins and minerals
Endocrine disrupting chemicals - Xenoestrogens/Plastics
Endotoxin - pathological gut microbial overgrowth
Improper movement - too much or too little
Heavy metals
Prolonged psychological stress

In my Energy Audit, we take a look at dietary & other environmental inputs, blood markers, body temp and your symptoms. From this I can triangulate the largest inhibitors of energy production and begin to craft a plan to reverse it.

If you’re interested in working with me to loose body fat, increase muscle mass, improve mood, increase cognition, improve gut health, optimize fertility or sex hormones for longevity, just email me to setup a discovery call.

To your health,

Jonathan

This is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Consult with your physician or other health care professional if you have any concerns or questions about your health.

Creating an Energy Surplus