How Mitochondria Control Your Metabolism | Dr. Jared Rutter
Huberman talks with mitochondrial biologist Jared Rutter about how each of the body's 30 trillion cells independently decides whether to burn fuel for energy or use it to build tissue, and why getting that balance wrong drives disease.
The gist
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Rutter says metabolism is not one system but the sum of 30 trillion individual cellular decisions about how to use available nutrients.
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A gatekeeper protein called the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier controls whether fuel gets burned for energy or redirected to build new tissue.
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Cancer cells exploit this system by prioritizing growth over energy production, which is why they behave so differently from healthy cells.
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Hormones like insulin and glucagon signal the fed or fasted state, prompting each cell type to rewire its entire metabolic program accordingly.
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