The cell membrane.

The protective outer layer of every cell: as thin as a hair, yet more powerful than any organ.

It is the gatekeeper that decides:

• Which nutrients enter the cell.

• How well insulin, thyroid hormone, neurotransmitters and other hormones are produced.

• The cell's communication with other cells.

• How efficiently your energy factories (the mitochondria) work.

• How quickly damaged cells can repair or regenerate.

• How resilient your cells are against oxidative stress and environmental toxins.

In short: if your cell membranes do not work well, the whole cell — and therefore you — does not function well.

A few interesting facts about the cell membrane.

1) A healthy membrane = emotional stability.

Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and GABA work through membranes.

Stiff membranes = reduced absorption = mood swings, anxiety, cravings.

That is why fats influence your emotions just as strongly as your thoughts.

2) Your hormone sensitivity depends on membranes.

Estrogen, progesterone and thyroid receptors sit inside the cell membrane. If the structure is damaged by the wrong fats, hormones cannot bind properly → complaints, even though you have enough hormones in your blood.

3) Your mitochondria (energy plants) sit in membranes.

Each mitochondrion has its own double-layer membrane. If it is stiff or damaged, energy (ATP) production stalls. The result: fatigue, brain fog, less recovery.

4) Inflammation often begins in the membrane.

A stiff membrane tears more easily and releases inflammatory signals (cytokines). So it is not always "an organ that is ill"; sometimes it is the cell membrane itself that lies at the root of inflammation.

5) Cell communication = health.

Every second your cells communicate through electrical signals and hormones. Those messages have to pass through the membrane. A flexible, healthy membrane = clear communication. A stiffened or damaged membrane = "noise on the line" → hormonal chaos, slow recovery, immune problems.

Did you know that cell membranes are sometimes called the brain of a cell because they have so many functions?

In the image below, for example, you can see that the cell membrane contains many receptors and transport proteins. The receptors ensure, for instance, that your hormones work properly, and the proteins transport nutrients into the cell.

How do you keep your cell membranes healthy?

The cell membrane consists largely of fatty substances (think of phospholipids, cholesterol, etc.) and proteins. If you zoom in further, you discover two important players: choline and omega-3 fatty acids.

Choline is an incredibly important substance that many people are not familiar with. It forms the backbone of phosphatidylcholine, the most important building block of cell membranes. Without enough choline, your body literally cannot produce healthy cell membranes. Many people get too little choline, so make sure you get enough of it. Choline is found abundantly in eggs, liver, and also in salmon, cod, pistachios and, to a lesser extent, cauliflower. Some time ago I wrote an in-depth article about choline.

Omega-3 fatty acids also have an important function in the cell membrane.

They keep the membrane fluid. A flexible membrane means:

• better absorption of nutrients

• better functioning of receptors (hormones, insulin, neurotransmitters)

• fewer inflammatory signals

• better cell communication

Too little omega-3 = stiff, "hard" membranes → faster hormonal complaints, insulin resistance, fatigue and inflammation.

In other words:

Choline builds the wall, omega-3 determines how flexibly that wall can move.

The importance of vitamin E for cell membranes.

Fats are vulnerable to damage by free radicals. This process is known as lipid peroxidation. When the cell membrane is damaged, the cell loses its functions and dies.

The wrong oils literally build the wrong membranes. Do you eat a lot of sunflower oil, soybean oil or margarines? Then those unstable fats are built into your cell wall. That makes the membranes brittle, as if you were building a house of wet cardboard instead of brick.

Fortunately, nature offers a number of fat-soluble antioxidants that can help with this. One very important fat-soluble antioxidant is vitamin E. Vitamin E prevents oxidative damage, so that these cells stay healthy. Make sure you get enough vitamin E and therefore eat avocados, almonds, spinach and kiwi more often.

Do not forget magnesium and zinc.

Minerals remain important here too. Magnesium activates enzymes that repair membranes. Zinc, in turn, is important for the production of the body's own antioxidants and for the production of phospholipids.

Bron:

PowerAcademy - Ir. ing. Mohammed Boulahrir

Orthomoleculair therapeut & Klinisch psycho neuro-immunoloog