Quick answer: Feeling energized depends on how well your cells make and recycle energy, and how well they recover from everyday stress. Cellular Energy & Recovery gathers the products I commonly use to support mitochondrial energy production and recovery after exertion.
Key takeaways
Mitochondria make ATP, the cell’s energy currency, through a chain of steps in which CoQ10 and NAD+ play key roles.
Creatine helps cells recycle energy quickly during demanding activity, which matters for both muscle and recovery.
Making energy also creates reactive molecules, so antioxidant defenses need to keep pace.
The mechanisms this protocol supports
Mitochondria make ATP, the cell’s energy currency, through a series of steps called the electron transport chain. CoQ10 is a key part of that chain, NAD+ carries energy between steps, and creatine helps cells recycle ATP quickly during demanding activity.
Energy production also creates reactive molecules that can damage cells when antioxidant defenses fall behind. PQQ is being studied for its role in mitochondrial biogenesis, which is the process of building new mitochondria.
Research has linked declining mitochondrial function with fatigue, slower recovery and age-related loss of muscle strength. This protocol supports the energy machinery itself, alongside the sleep, nutrition and movement that keep mitochondria healthy.
What is in the protocol
The exact products and directions are listed in the Fullscript plan, and here is what each one is commonly used to support.
- Clinical Antioxidant Complex is a broad antioxidant blend that supports the body’s defenses against everyday oxidative stress.
- Creatine supports the rapid recycling of ATP in muscle and brain cells and is one of the most researched supplements for strength and recovery.
- NiaCel from Thorne provides nicotinamide riboside, which the body uses to make NAD+, a molecule that cells rely on for energy production and DNA repair.
- Ubiquinol CoQ10 with PQQ provides the active form of CoQ10 for the electron transport chain along with PQQ, which is studied for mitochondrial biogenesis.
Related protocols you may find helpful include Longevity Foundation and Metabolic Flexibility.
How to use it thoughtfully
Please talk with your provider before starting, especially if you take medications, are pregnant or nursing, or have a health condition. This page does not list amounts, so follow the label or the specific guidance your provider gives you. When you can, add one product at a time so it is easier to notice how you feel.
Sleep, nourishing food, daily movement and stress care are the foundation, and supplements are meant to build on them. CoQ10 can interact with blood thinners such as warfarin, so check with your prescriber before starting.
Questions to bring to your clinician
These questions can help you get the most out of your next visit.
Do my energy and recovery concerns point toward mitochondrial support, or are other factors more likely?
Could anything in the Cellular Energy & Recovery protocol interact with my current medications or supplements?
Which labs or symptoms would be worth tracking while I follow the Cellular Energy & Recovery protocol?
How long would it make sense for me to follow the Cellular Energy & Recovery protocol before we review how it is going?
What the research shows
This protocol has not been tested as a whole in a clinical trial, so the studies below cover its main ingredients.
Nicotinamide riboside (NR) raises NAD+, a molecule cells use for energy. In a 2018 crossover trial by Martens and colleagues, healthy middle-aged and older adults took NR or a placebo for six weeks each. NR was well tolerated and raised NAD+ metabolism, but the study was too small to show effects on energy or fatigue.
Creatine is best known for muscle, but it is also studied for the brain. A 2018 review by Avgerinos and colleagues of six randomized trials with 281 healthy people found that creatine may improve short-term memory and reasoning, especially in older or stressed adults and vegetarians. Results for attention, reaction time and mental fatigue were mixed, and young adults showed no change.
Frequently asked questions
What does creatine do besides support muscle?
Creatine helps recycle ATP in many tissues, including the brain, and it is being studied for its role in cognitive energy as well as muscle strength.
What is the difference between ubiquinol and CoQ10?
Ubiquinol is the active, reduced form of CoQ10 that the body can use directly in the electron transport chain.
Sources
- Hernández-Camacho JD, et al. Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation in Aging and Disease. Front Physiol 2018. PMID: 29459830. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5807419/
- Wallimann T, Tokarska-Schlattner M, Schlattner U. The creatine kinase system and pleiotropic effects of creatine. Amino Acids 2011. PMID: 21448658. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3080659/
- Chowanadisai W, et al. Pyrroloquinoline quinone stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis through cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation and increased PGC-1alpha expression. J Biol Chem 2010. PMID: 19861415. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2804159/
- Filler K, et al. Association of Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Fatigue: A Review of the Literature. BBA Clin 2014. PMID: 25147756. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4136529/
- Gonzalez-Freire M, et al. Skeletal muscle ex vivo mitochondrial respiration parallels decline in vivo oxidative capacity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Aging Cell 2018. PMID: 29356348. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5847858/
Educational purposes only. This page shares general information and is not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and these products are not intended to replace care from your own healthcare provider. Please talk with your provider before starting any supplement, especially if you take medications, are pregnant or nursing, or have a health condition.
Sources
- Martens CR, Denman BA, Mazzo MR, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nat Commun 2018. PMID: 29599478. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29599478/
- Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol 2018. PMID: 29704637. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29704637/
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