The attachment of the high-energy phosphate to ADP to form ATP is a complex process -- not surprising, since energy is the basis for everything that happens in your body and is what drives life at its most basic level. Mitochondria are like cells within your cells; they have a membrane made of fats and proteins like your cell's membrane. In contrast to your cells' outer membrane, however, each mitochondrion has two membranes, an inner and an outer membrane. Its inner membrane is composed of up to 75% protein, much more than any other membrane in your cell. These proteins are part of the electron transport chain (ETC) and are the key players in generating ATP.

The food you eat must first be prepared for the ETC. To do that, your body takes the glucose or fat molecule and breaks it down to smaller units of two carbons. These two-carbon units are then stripped of some of the energy units, called electrons, and broken down to carbon dioxide, which is transported out of the mitochondria as a waste product. A small amount of energy is generated during this process, which is called the Kreb's cycle. The main role of the Kreb's cycle, however, is to strip electrons from the glucose and fats for energy production through the ETC, which will generate the most energy. The Kreb's cycle uses a multitude of vitamins and minerals, in particular the B-vitamins, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6; and, this is one reason the B-vitamins are considered the energy vitamins.

Your mitochondria uses molecules made from vitamins B2 and B3 to transfer the electrons from the Kreb's cycle to the ETC, since electrons left unprotected are damaging to your cell's components. The ETC moves, or passes these electrons down through a chain of proteins, almost like an electron river in which the proteins are the river banks. The electrons are deposited at the end of the protein chain on the inside of the double membrane in the mitochondria, which creates an electron gradient, like a dam reservoir at the end of a river. The ETC uses five enzyme complexes in its membrane to create this electron reservoir, and also burns oxygen as part of this process. At the end of the ETC is the energy dam, or gate that, when opened, allows the electrons to flow through and, like a dam, transfers the energy to create ATP. Included in the middle of the ETC is the nutrient Coenzyme Q10, which is extremely important in the electron transport and membrane protection. The ETC is also composed of proteins that require iron and sulfur, nutrients you must also obtain from the foods you eat. Iron is present in whole grains, and good food sources of sulfur are the cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli.

Maintaining the structural integrity of your mitochondria is inherently important to your overall health and well-being. If tissues and organs, especially those that have higher energy requirements like the muscle, heart and brain, do not receive adequate supplies of energy, they cannot function properly. Consequently, mitochondrial dysfunction is considered one of the major underlying factors in unhealthy aging and fatigue. Mitochondrial dysfunction is also a major factor in many chronic degenerative diseases, such as congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease. Along with the inability to produce energy, when damaged, mitochondria can also produce damaging by-products, such as reactive oxygen species, a type of free radical species that can destroy DNA, protein, and fats, promoting further damage.

Nutritional support for healthy energy production includes supporting healthy membranes. In addition, since B-vitamins are so important, adequate intake of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6 is extremely important to support energy metabolism. Good sources of these vitamins include whole grains, since the B vitamins are concentrated in the bran of grains. Whole grains are an excellent source of the entire complement of energy-related B-vitamins. Wheat germ is one of the highest sources of tocopherols, the family of vitamin E micronutrients, and brown rice contains oryzanol and ferulic acid, known to be effective antioxidants and health-promoting compounds.