Improve Your Energy & ATP With Super Greens
By James Brown
Today we are going to take a look at improving ATP production, which will go a long way to improving your performance. Worryingly 50% of you reading this will be deficient in Magnesium, without even knowing it. Magnesium is required for over 300 enzyme and metabolic reactions in your body. From using and producing ATP, forming the connections between neurons and repairing your DNA.
So if you aren’t receiving enough magnesium then you will be impairing a whole host of metabolic pathways. Magnesium is found at the centre of a chlorophyll molecule, which gives plants their green colour. So green plants will obviously be high in magnesium, such as spinach, kale and broccoli. Making sure that you have adequate levels of magnesium will have a massive effect on your performance, as ATP is the energetic currency of the cell.
The gene responsible for transporting magnesium from our diet to inside our cells is named TRPM6, individuals with a certain variant of this gene have a reduced capability, and thus magnesium does not get inside the cell as effectively as others.
Why do we having differing gene variants?
The theory as to why we have these variants has arisen from where our ancestors lived in the world, and were exposed to different food sources that were available to them. An example of this would be, if you were living somewhere in the world that had an abundance of vitamin C available in the food, you may have built up a genetic variation that doesn’t allow you to absorb too much because you are consuming it in high amounts every day.
Where as, another population in another part of the world where vitamin C isn’t so readily available may have a variant that makes them absorb more. Hence why if these 2 groups switched places as has happened and is still happening today, would be more likely to become ill from deficiency or over exposure.
So nutrition and our environment may have actually shaped and allowed us these differing genetic variations. That has changed the function in a gene that helps us adapt to our environment.
Folic Acid v Folate
You have probably heard that you will get your folic acid from the green vegetables that you eat….Right!?…Wrong.
Folate (vitamin B9) is a natural nutrient found in food and is used for methylation, which is a mechanism that is used by our cells to regulate gene expression and function. As well as in the synthesis of brain neurotransmitters, dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Folic acid on the other hand is a synthetic version and since basically they aren’t the same, their impact are quite different as well, especially for improve your performance and recovery.
Folate is needed for:
· Making proteins
· Creating Methyl groups
· Improving the nervous system
When we eat food that’s high in folate it is converted into the active form (L-methylfolate or 5-MTHF) as this happens a methyl group will be added to ensure the methylation cycle happens. This process doesn’t happen with folic acid, and thus correct methylation is hampered.
5 Food’s naturally rich in folate:
• Spinach: 263 mcg/cup
• Collard greens: 177 mcg/cup
• Turnip greens: 170 mcg/cup
• Asparagus: 262 mcg/cup
• Beets: 148 mcg/cup
Another issue that seems to be overlooked is that of “ Carb Loading “ leading up to your next event. Now as much as fully glycogeneating the body before hand will optimise your performance, the danger we have is that having a high carbohydrate diet that is relatively low in micronutrients is a recipe for disaster.
Sugar and wheat products (which are the mainstay of most athletes’ carbohydrates) are classified as anti-nutrients, as they are virtually void of any nutrition and will deplete the body of nutrients, in particular zinc. So, if athletes don’t consume a combination of “Nutrient Rich” and micro supplements, it is not if but when they will be injured.
If you aren’t raising the ceiling of your micronutrients per carbohydrate calorie, then not only will your performance be vastly reduced, your recovery will be hampered and chances of injury skyrocket.
We’ve only touched upon magnesium and folate in this article, and the importance of them for ATP production and correct methylation and gene health. There are well over 90 essential nutrients that the body requires from vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids and many more.
This is one of the major issues that athletes over look, which can have devastating consequences. We all remember Jim Fixx the author of “ The complete book of running “, well Jim used to say that “ You don’t need vitamins and minerals, all you need to do is run “… not great advice as he died from a heart attack at 52.
Your genes are as only as effective as the nutrients they are given. So before your next race, instead of reaching blindly for the pasta, have a good think to yourself as to whether your carbohydrate load is accompanied but the same level of micronutrients that your body crucially requires. Think of the micronutrients as the spark plug in your car engine? If its not maintained and in good health, then its not if but when your engine will fail.
