It’s so easy!
Reprogramming the genes that revitalize sluggish mitochondria (the energy engines within cells) fires up fat burn to speed weight loss and supercharge energy. The key, says Sara Gottfried, M.D., author of Younger (HarperOne, 2017; Hardcover $28, Kindle $15, Nook $15), is to pair a gene-nourishing food formula with strategies designed to flip the genetic switches that power up mitochondria.
To start, Dr. Gottfried suggests filling your plate at each meal with foods that guard against mitochondria-slowing free radicals. Best options: 1 cup of leafy greens; 1 cup of other fruit or veggies; healthy fats like
2 Tbs. of coconut oil or grass-fed butter, 1⁄4 cup of nuts and seeds or half an avocado; and clean protein like 2 whole eggs, 4 oz. of pasture-raised poultry or beef (a serving the size of a smartphone) or 6 oz. of fatty fish (a serving the size of two decks of cards).
For best results, limit your intake of processed foods, including industrial oils (like soybean, canola and peanut) and artificially sweetened beverages, which both create gene-damaging free radicals. Instead, try stevia-sweetened beverages, like SweatLeaf Water Drops ($5 for 32 servings, ShopSweetLeaf.com). You’ll also want to cut back on dairy products, adds Dr. Gottfried, explaining, “Dairy is one of the top foods that contribute to mitochondria-slowing cellular inflammation.”
Adding easy practices that fire up key slimming genes also helps boost metabolism. “Turning on these genes will rev up the mitochondria,” says Dr. Gottfried. Try these strategies to start seeing changes in as little as two weeks:
Unwind with a glass of wine. Resveratrol—the plant pigment that gives red grapes their rich color— activates SIRT1, a gene that increases mitochondrial activity to boost fat burning by 25 percent and reduce the formation of new fat tissue by 80 percent. To get the benefits, sip
7 oz. of red wine twice a week, selecting resveratrol-rich picks like Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Burgundy and Shiraz. And since some brands contain mitochondria-damaging toxins, Dr. Gottfried suggests organic options like Frey Organic Cabernet
Sauvignon ($16) or
Bonterra Cabernet ($14), wherever wine is sold.
If you don’t like red wine, she recommends a supplement. One we like:
Reserveage Nutrition
Resveratrol 250 mg ($34 for 60 capsules, The Vitamin Shoppe stores).
Try a micro fast. Each night, most of us go without food for at least six hours while we’re sleeping, but
Dr. Gottfried says there are big benefits to occasionally extending that time. “Try to lengthen your overnight fast to 14 or even 18 hours—for instance, finish dinner by 6 pm and fast until 8 am or even noon the next day,” she says. “This turns on SIRT1.” This strategy also triggers the body to replace sluggish mitochondria with healthy new ones. For best results, Dr. Gottfried suggests eating an early dinner and skipping breakfast twice per week until you’ve hit your goal weight. If you feel hungry during a mini fast, enjoy unsweetened coffee or tea. For a more filling sip, she suggests adding 1 Tbs. of collagen powder (like Reserveage Nutrition Collagen Replenish Powder, $16 for 30 servings, The Vitamin Shoppe stores) to your brew. This will boost satiety without breaking the fast.
Favor flash fitness. Intermittently increasing the intensity of your workout has been shown to boost the activity of the SIRT1 gene by as much as 58 percent, resulting in a 36 percent increase in mitochondrial function, report Canadian researchers. And additional research from Australia has shown that women who follow this strategy lose nine times more fat than those who exercise at a steady pace. To get the benefits, Dr. Gottfried suggests walking at a high intensity (so you’re slightly winded) for 3 minutes, then slowing to a gentle pace for 3 minutes, alternating for a total of 21 minutes. You can also apply this approach to other workouts like riding a bike or dancing. Repeat four times a week.
“Saunas are like a bench press for your genes,” says Dr. Gottfried, who advises spending 20 minutes four times each week in a sauna, hot tub or steam room (available at spas and some gyms). Researchers from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana report high heat activates the
FOXO3 gene to increase mitochondrial activity by 33 percent. And according to a Japanese study, spending 15 minutes in a sauna daily helped adults lose 11 percent of their body fat in 10 weeks.
Supplement with this. “There are a lot of antioxidants on the market, but I favor mitochondria-loving alpha-lipoic acid,” says Dr. Gottfried. Italian researchers found the supplement activates SOD2, a mitochondria-protecting gene. In one study, this effect helped women lose three times more weight than those taking a placebo. One we like:
Life Extension Super
R-Lipoic Acid ($37 for
60 capsules, lef.com/ffw).