Grounding for Anti-Aging - Proof Is In the Mitochondria

Just this June, a new grounding study was published with exciting results…The researchers found that grounding has a favorable impact on mitochondrial function!

“What exactly does that mean?” you might be wondering. Well, grounding, also known as Earthing, is directly connecting to a natural earth surface and absorbing the Earth’s natural electron flow. As for mitochondria, they are cellular VIPs (Very Important Producers).

Found in all our cells, mitochondria make the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules that power our bodies with energy. Bottom line on mitochondria is - when they are are healthy, so are we. And when they are compromised - through toxic exposures, genetic predisposition, poor eating habits, lack of sleep, etc., our health suffers.

Mitochondria within cross section of a cell

Cross-section of a cell

The scientific community is gradually recognizing that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role in numerous age-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s. Likewise, boosting mitochondrial health through supportive lifestyle practices is gaining momentum as a health strategy, especially among biohackers.

Our dad, Cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, was focused on optimizing mitochondrial energy production for decades. But we’ll get into that a bit later - back to the grounding and mitochondria study at hand…

Working with three groups of mice - grounded, ungrounded, and sham grounded- the researchers isolated mitochondrial liver cells to evaluate their bioenergetic health. What they found - although microscopic - was momentous.

half an apple with one side oxidized, the other not

Expose an apple slice to oxygen and watch it oxidize, as on the right side here.

In just one hour, mitochondria in the grounded mice produced more ATP and generated less ROS (reactive oxygen species, also known as free radicals) than ungrounded mitochondria!

Why is this important? While ROS are normal biproducts of metabolism (even mitochondria produce them when manufacturing ATP through a process called “oxidative phosphorylation”), too many free radicals in our bodies cause oxidative stress which damages our cells and the mitochondria, DNA, proteins, etc. within them.

Eventually, oxidative stress develops into chronic, systemic inflammation which underlies numerous degenerative diseases like diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline….same conditions implicated with mitochondrial dysfunction…Hmmm. Takeaway here is that you’ve got to minimize oxidative stress via less ROS if you want longevity and to maintain quality of life!

a group of women practicing grounded yoga on the beach in bare feet

Grounding on the beach while doing yoga for stress reduction

As for ATP, it’s CRUCIAL for health maintenance. We can’t function without it. Our dad used to characterize heart failure as “an energy-starved heart,” meaning that a failing heart was essentially worn out from years of expending more energy than its mitochondria could produce. This makes perfect sense…If most of your cardiac ATP is spent repairing a disease state, there won’t be enough energy left to effectively pump life-sustaining blood through the rest of your body.

One of Dr. Sinatra’s solutions was to help the heart make more ATP through targeted supplements which would provide substances necessary for oxidative phosphorylation. He also advocated for lifestyle practices to prevent or ameliorate oxidative stress, such as consuming anti-inflammatory foods and beverages, reducing emotional stress, engaging in regular, moderate exercise, detoxing, and -of course- grounding.

Needless to say, Dr. Sinatra would have been over the moon about this study!  For years, he hypothesized that grounding can optimize ATP production as well as decrease oxidative stress, and mentioned this in his last research paper co-authored with Step Sinatra, Drew Sinatra and Gaetan Chevalier. By providing experimental data on mitochondrial bioenergetics with and without grounding, these findings further support grounding's potential as an effective anti-aging therapy!

Noting that a “slight decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential” [accounted] for the reduction in ROS production and the increase in ATP production,” the researchers concluded:

“Our results support the hypothesis that grounding provides therapeutic potential across various contexts.…these findings underscore the significance of grounding in mitochondrial research and suggest potential therapeutic benefits of grounding for managing conditions related to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.”

adenosine triphosphate ATP molecule

Although the researchers emphasized the ROS reduction result in this study, we believe our dad would have been equally (if not more) thrilled about the increase in ATP after an hour of grounding.

His life work was centered on lifestyle practices that not only minimize oxidative stress in the body, but also support mitochondrial ATP production - a two-prong approach in the pursuit of optimal health. He was "bullish" (his words) on grounding's potential as an anti-aging strategy that encompassed this dual approach. Now this new research shows….the proof is in the mitochondria!

As if we needed another reason to get grounded.

REFERENCES: