HOLISTIC HEALTH NOTEBOOK
Energy on a cellular level
carolSIMONTACCHI csimontacchi@earthlink.net
OK, buckle your seatbelts because we are diving into the field of biochemistry today and we have important things to learn about energy. Not OPEC type energy but cellular energy. How your body makes it, what happens when it doesn't make enough, and how to make more of it. This is important because fatigue is one of the main reasons that people visit their doctor. They have "iron poor blood," or so they think.

Actually, iron deficiency is one of the more common nutrient deficiencies, especially in the elderly. Since iron is an oxygen shuttle, bringing energy-essential oxygen to the far reaches to the body, it makes sense that iron deficiency makes one tired.

But it may be more complicated than just popping an iron pill or indulging in a meal of liver and onions occasionally. (Am I the only person in Florida who actually likes liver?)

Cells use, store and transport energy in chemical form called adenosine triphosphate or ATP. The structure of ATP consists of a purine base (adenine) attached to a pentose sugar called ribose. Ribose is a natural sugar found in all living cells, and is present in several molecules that are essential to many biological processes. There is no food source of ribose; it must be created in the body from other dietary nutrients, namely glucose.

Here is where it gets really complicated: Hypoxia (shortage of oxygen in the tissues) has a direct impact on cellular energy reserves. Depriving cells of oxygen causes energy to be used faster than it can be supplied. ATP depletion has a significant impact on metabolism in the heart, and many functions of the heart can be compromised.

Purine nucleotides (ATP and its precurors) lost due to ischemia (blood restriction), low levels of oxygen, or genetic predisposition are replaced via the purine nucleotide pathway, a pathway that is rate limited by the availability of ribose in tissues.

Human trials using supplemental ribose show promise in patients with coronary artery disease, angina, congestive heart failure, and recovery from cardiovascular surgery. In a pilot study involving 41 people diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, approximately 66 percent of patients reported significant improvement, with an average increase in energy of 45 percent and an average improvement in overall well-being of 30 percent. Those are pretty good numbers.

I also suggest switching to a real food-based diet, and who knows what benefits would ensue? ¦

- Carol Simontacchi is the owner of

the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel.

She can be reached at 472-4499 or

on the Web at www.islandnutritioncenter.

meta-ehealth.com.