The miracle cure

Look after your mitochondria - walk, keep cool and eat less. The mitochondria of the human body, when resting convert 10,000 times more energy than the Sun in every second. The mitochondria link energy to all metabolic processes and lack of exercise, too much food and lack of thermal stress reduces the efficiency of many of the bodies' mitochondria and of their metabolically linked functions.

Manuel Franco, associate professor, adjunct associate professor, School of Medicine, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid
BMJ 2013;346:f1515
"Population-wide weight loss and regain in relation to diabetes burden and cardiovascular mortality in Cuba 1980-2010: repeated cross sectional surveys and ecological comparison of secular trends"

This study "evaluated the associations between population-wide loss and gain in weight with diabetes prevalence, incidence, and mortality, as well as cardiovascular and cancer mortality trends, in Cuba over a 30 year interval."

It found: "Rapid declines in diabetes and heart disease accompanied an average population-wide loss of 5.5 kg in weight, driven by an economic crisis in the mid-1990s. A rebound in population weight followed in 1995 (33.5% prevalence of overweight and obesity) and exceeded pre-crisis levels by 2010 (52.9% prevalence). The population-wide increase in weight was immediately followed by a 116% increase in diabetes prevalence and 140% increase in diabetes incidence."

Transport was restricted during the economic crisis and Cubans were perhaps acustomed again to walk.

It seems possible that modern lifestyle diseases are caused by sick mitichondria which become inefficient when not stressed by exercise, cold or hunger.

Another paper by Ren et al on mitochondrial biogenesis in the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in the Journal of Molecular Medicine (Volume 88, Issue 10, pp 993–1001) states,

"Pathophysiological abnormalities that contribute to the development of the metabolic syndrome include impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial biogenesis, dampened insulin metabolic signaling, endothelial dysfunction, and associated myocardial functional abnormalities.

"In addition, enhanced activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and associated increases in oxidative stress can lead to mitochondrial apoptosis and degradation, altered bioenergetics, and accumulation of lipids in the heart. In addition to impairments in metabolic signaling and oxidative stress, genetic and environmental factors, aging, and hyperglycemia all contribute to reduced mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial dysfunction.

"Mitochondrial dysfunction and resulting lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle, liver, and pancreas also impede insulin metabolic signaling and glucose metabolism, ultimately leading to a further increase in mitochondrial dysfunction. Interventions to improve mitochondrial function have been shown to correct insulin metabolic signaling and other metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities."

Just as Sir Ralph Bloomfield Bonington said "stimulate the Phagocytes" in "Doctor's dilemma" by George Bernard Shaw, perhaps we should start saying "stimulate and stress the mitochondria, our symbiotic and sometimes forgotten partners since 2 billion yeas ago.".