The Science of “Eating Electrons” to Reverse Chronic Inflammation

By Cyrus Khambatta, PhD

If you scroll through TikTok or Instagram today, you’ll likely be overwhelmed by "health experts" telling you exactly how to fix your liver, reduce your risk for heart disease, reverse diabetes, and lose weight.

It’s a confusing quagmire of opinions, reactions, and pseudoscience, and it seems to get more confusing with every passing day.

I’ve seen the internet evolve for the past 20 years, and I’ve come to learn that opinions are helpful, but not when it comes to communicating real science.

I choose to insert my opinions when necessary, but mainly use the language of biochemistry.

I recently sat down with Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room podcast to cut through the noise and talk about one of the most important factors in long-term health: mitochondria.

Mitochondria are incredibly important biochemical energy factories, and play a central role in lowering blood pressure, reversing insulin resistance, lowering cholesterol, and losing weight permanently.

In this video, I dive into some "super nerd" science on how the human body produces energy, why inflammation happens, and the 7 specific foods that have immense inflammation-quenching power.

What Are Mitochondria?

Think of mitochondria as microscopic power plants inside cells. Each cell in your body contains between 400 and 2,500 copies of mitochondria (with the exception of red blood cells).

Mitochondria are responsible for manufacturing ATP – the energy that keeps you alive.

When mitochondria operate efficiently, they utilize glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids to generate ATP efficiently. But when mitochondria become dysfunctional over time, cells enter an inflammatory state.

The Villain: Free Radicals, the "Angry" Molecules

Inside mitochondria is an assembly line called the electron transport chain. The electron transport chain is the location in mitochondria in which glucose and fatty acids are finally converted into ATP.

But this assembly line isn't perfect. It makes mistakes.

Mitochondria produce inflammatory molecules known as free radicals, and these free radicals cause extensive cellular damage to DNA, lipids, and proteins within the cellular environment.

Simply stated, free radicals are molecules that have lost an electron.

Electrons like to travel in pairs, so when a molecule loses one, it becomes "angry" and unstable.

This process of theft is what we call oxidative stress, which is the biological root of inflammation.

Mitochondria can begin to die rapidly, reducing the total number of functional mitochondria significantly. Even small reductions in mitochondrial mass can trigger the process of cell suicide, known as apoptosis.

Enter Polyphenols to the Rescue

So, how do we stop these angry free radicals? We feed them the exact thing they’re missing: electrons. And the simplest places to find electrons are in polyphenol-rich foods.

Polyphenols are a class of antioxidants found in plants. Think of antioxidants as the "Mother Teresa" of the cellular world that are incredibly electron-rich.

When you eat antioxidant-rich food, electron dense polyphenol molecules enter cells and say, "Here, take my electrons. I have plenty to spare."

Polyphenols donate electrons to the free radicals, neutralizing them instantly.

The free radical calms down, the inflammation stops, and mitochondria are protected.

The 7 Most Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Polyphenol-Rich Foods

We measure the antioxidant power of food using the ORAC Scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Scale). Think of this like the Scoville scale for hot peppers, but for fighting inflammation. The higher the number, the more "electron-dense" a food is.

Here are the top 7 foods to quench inflammation in mitochondria and build new mitochondria in the process:

1. Turmeric (Curcumin): Down-regulates inflammatory pathways and scavenges free radicals in mitochondria. Pair with black pepper for absorption. ORAC ~127,000 – high electron density for free radical quenching.

2. Amla (Indian Gooseberry): Highest ORAC value of any whole food (~261,500) with polyphenols and vitamin C that neutralize free radicals, reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, and enhance vascular and mitochondrial function.

3. Soybeans (Genistein): Increases insulin sensitivity and reduces mitochondrial inflammation simultaneously. Sources: edamame, tofu, tempeh.

4. Cacao (Flavanols): ORAC ~55,000 – boosts nitric oxide for better blood flow, protects brain mitochondria, and improves insulin sensitivity. Choose raw, cold pressed cacao for maximum benefits.

5. Açaí Berries (Anthocyanins): ORAC ~102,000; reduces mitochondrial dysfunction and reduces DNA damage. Great in smoothies for high antioxidant delivery.

6. Red Grapes (Resveratrol Supplement Recommended): Activates mitochondrial biogenesis, reduces insulin resistance and reduces cholesterol. Supplements needed for effective doses (grapes and wine alone are insufficient).

7. Beets (Nitrates): Beets contain nitrates, which are converted into nitric oxide in your blood, which dilate blood vessels and increase oxygen delivery. Nitric oxide stimulates mitochondrial growth, lowers blood pressure, and makes exercise feel easier.

The Evolution Health Approach

You don't need a PhD to get healthy, but you do need to follow the science.

By incorporating these polyphenol-rich foods, you aren't just eating healthy – you’re neutralizing inflammation and altering the biochemistry of all cells in your body to eliminate inflammation at the source.

If you’re ready to neutralize inflammation using your food, movement, mindset, and daily habits, you’re in the right place. Click here to schedule a time to speak with us about our proven approach that has helped thousands of people neutralize inflammation, lose weight permanently, decrease pharmaceutical medication dependence, increase their energy levels, and lower blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Permanently.