How To Increase ATP

As every process in the body is dependent on ATP for activity, increasing it can benefit and enhance nearly every process, function, pathway, and aspect in the body. Anything we want to do physically or mentally, like exercise or train and focus or study, takes energy. This is why we innately say things like ‘I wish I had more energy’ or ‘I’m tired’ quite literally recognizing a physical deficiency of energy or how increased ATP would benefit us actively. Understanding this fundamental effect clarifies endless implications and applications to us.

Physical Energy = Bodily Energy

Physical Energy = Mental Energy

ATP stands for Adenosine-Triphosphate, which is the principle energy currency of the body. Essentially, ATP is broken down through a process called hydrolysis, which causes it to release energy that powers cells and chemical reactions. This is why ATP is synonymous with energy, and why you will often see it referred to as an energy currency than energy itself.

Calories are broken down and metabolized into ATP, primarily through the Krebs cycle or citric acid cycle. This is also what metabolism primarily refers to; The biological production of energy in the body or cells as a whole.

Increasing ATP is an endless and fundamental aspect or pathway for self improvement, optimization, and increasing various factors, without a cap on its benefits.

How To Increase ATP Naturally

Thiamine (B1)

Thiamine is the most principle B vitamin or nutrient involved in ATP production with the Krebs cycle. It is also arguably a very common deficiency, which would cause low energy or ATP, fatigue, brain fog, and more detractions.

Supplementing thiamine can powerfully stimulate metabolism and ATP production, making sure to combine it with magnesium to avoid deficiency.

Magnesium

Magnesium works in unison with thiamine to produce ATP, as magnesium is an essential cofactor for ATP to be active and utilized. Essentially, ‘true’ ATP is bound with magnesium and without it is very ineffective and unstable, unusable by most cells. This means just supplementing magnesium or eating magnesium rich foods like cacao and dark chocolate, can passively increase our energy levels and power our various activities and aspects.

Shilajit

Shilajit has been shown to increase ATP production, through its trace nutrients, antioxidants and acids (i.e. fulvic and humic acid), and its effects on stimulating and protecting mitochondria. This is likely a contributing factor for its Sanskrit name of ‘Destroyer of Weakness’ and ‘Conqueror of Mountains’. It provides an immediate energizing feeling, with potent effects on endurance, stamina, strength, and focus which makes it a fundamental broad-spectrum supplement or tonic for me.

Sunlight

Sunlight, which contains red light and near-infrared light, directly stimulates cellular respiration and ATP production. This partly mediates the immediate warming, calming, and energizing effects of basking in direct sunlight. By getting more sun exposure each day, or by using a red light device, you can increase ATP production significantly. Additionally, the longer you bask in sunlight the more you increase ATP, effectively charging up like a battery.

Sleep

Sleep is important for cellular function and metabolism. We naturally feel tired and foggy when we don’t sleep well because of this. Improving sleep quality and quantity can thus increase ATP production.

Sleep is also important for mitochondria and thyroid function, as well as reducing oxidative stress which is naturally antithesis to antioxidants.

Mitochondria

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. The mitochondria are where ATP is produced, and thus improving or increasing mitochondria will susbequently increase ATP production. A variety of ways that increase ATP also increase mitochondria, including:

  • Sunlight
  • Sleep
  • Magnesium
  • Cordyceps
  • Exercise
  • Red Light Therapy
  • B Vitamins

Thyroid

Thyroid hormone, or T4 and T3, regulate metabolism and ATP production. This is why it or they are so important. Increasing thyroid hormone means increasing ATP, and thus nutrients like zinc and iodine are more important than an essential number on a label.

B Vitamins

The other B vitamins, or namely Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), and Biotin (B7) also of course play a fundamental role in energy production and metabolism. Ensuring adequate intakes or reversing deficiencies, eating foods rich in these vitamins like nutritional yeast or liver, and indeed supplementing them can have powerful effects on ATP production. Additionally, if you struggle with low energy (ATP) or poor metabolism, you might have deficiencies of these nutrients which can cause this fundamentally, and which are much more common than considered.

Other Ways To Increase ATP Production

All in all, increasing ATP is synonymous with improving metabolism and increasing thyroid, which all overlap and carry many of the same benefits like weight loss, energy, focus, strength, happiness or mood, and more. I hope to see you all on the precipice of ‘high energy’.