Lipofuscin: Cellular Kryptonite That Nobody Talks About

There is a lot of talk about autophagy, or cellular recycling, and apoptosis, programmed cell death, in relationship to circadian rhythm entrainment, ketogenic diets, and intermittent fasting. What I never hear is people talking about lipofuscin, the intracellular kryptonite and shuts down both of those processes by gumming up the lysosomes of our cells. When the garbage recycling center of our cells gets up to 75% full of this nearly non-degradable material, our mitochondria, cell, and tissue function fails.

In this episode I focus on the exact biochemical mechanisms of how lipofuscin causes harm, not just being an inert substance but one that generates inflammation itself, keeping our requirements for antioxidants chronically elevated. I break down its relationship to redox active metals and the fascinating light connection with photo-induced free radical generation.

I talk about why I believe vitamin E to be the best solution. I explain how oxidized vitamin A plays a role in lipofuscin formation, but why we shouldn't join the "vitamin A is a toxin" camp and instead prioritize keeping our vitamin E status up which protects A from oxidation. While there aren't human studies on red light therapy or photobiomodulation for lipofuscin, I share why I bathe myself in front of a red light panel everyday and how I think it works for mitigating lipofuscin. I did not have time for listener questions for this episode but i'll break down the nuances of each part of my CLF protocol (calcification, lipofuscin, and fibrosis) in future episodes. 

My website: www.matt-blackburn.com

The CLF Protocol: https://www.matt-blackburn.com/blogs/news/the-clf-protocol-lipofuscin

Mitolife products: www.mitolife.co

Music by Nicholas Jimenez: https://spoti.fi/4cte2nD