Why You Want More Carbon Dioxide
Understanding the importance of CO2 to human physiology was one of the things that made me realize that being a good carb burner is necessary to achieve optimal health. CO2 is health supporting.
And the proper oxidation of carbohydrates produces 50% more carbon dioxide than fat oxidation (in other words, you produce 50% more CO2 when you properly burn carbs).
Many understand how important oxygen is — we have to breathe, right? Oxygen is vital for energy metabolism. It is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain. And when O2 isn’t available in the cell, our cells then use the inefficient glycolytic pathway (fermentation) for energy production more than necessary.
What is not commonly understood is HOW oxygen gets to our cells, and that process relies on CO2! CO2 is often labeled a “byproduct” of energy metabolism, but it is not given the credit it deserves. More CO2 means more oxygen is delivered to our cells, improving our energy production. It is a feedforward cycle since we are able to produce more energy and thus more CO2.
This is because the delivery of O2 requires an exchange of gases (CO2 and O2) at the cellular level. Hemoglobin, a protein in our blood responsible for carrying CO2 and oxygen, releases the oxygen bound to it in the presence of higher CO2 concentrations. And releases CO2 in the presence of higher O2 concentrations. The relationship between O2 and CO2 in the body is explained by the Bohr and Haldane effect:1
- Bohr — High concentration of CO2 in the cells causes a low pH (acidic environment), causing hemoglobin to unload more O2 in the cells and take up CO2
- Haldane — High concentration of O2 in the lungs means hemoglobin will unload CO2 and take up oxygen
The higher the concentration of CO2, the more effectively oxygen can be utilized and the better we will make energy. But improving oxygen delivery is just one benefit of CO2. Here are eight more.
Eight Benefits of CO2
1.CO2 increases the metabolic rate — Since CO2 promotes delivery of O to cells, we can produce more energy per molecule of glucose (~36 ATP relative to 2 ATP) using full oxidative phosphorylation (proper carb burning).
“The presence of carbon dioxide is an indicator of proper mitochondrial respiratory functioning.” ~ Ray Peat, Ph.D.
2.CO2 improves function of Vitamin K since CO2 concentrations determine the rate of Vit K dependent carboxylation reactions2 — CO2 activates the Vit K dependent proteins & thus assists fat soluble vitamins in fulfilling their physiological functions.
“The greater the supply of carbon dioxide, the better vitamin K can do its job.” ~ Chris Masterjohn, Ph.D.
“[V]itamin K uses [CO2] to activate proteins that protect our heart valves and blood vessels from calcification.” ~ Chris Masterjohn, Ph.D.
CO2 is thus important for the following Vit K functions: blood clotting, preventing soft tissue calcification, mineralizing bones and teeth, utilizing energy, and hormonal health.
3.CO2 improves vasodilation by relaxing smooth muscles around blood vessels3,4 — A vasodilator is a substance that causes smooth muscle to relax thus dilating the tubular passages it lines.
4.CO2 improves gut health — You want HIGH CO2 levels in your gut, and many people, unfortunately, have LOW CO2 levels and HIGH O2 levels (not what we want!)
The colonic microflora is extremely complex. And while it is near impossible to define what the ideal microbiome should look like (resident microbes are highly diverse, vary between individuals, and change with diet), recent evidence supports that colonic bacteria should be dominated by obligate anaerobic bacteria (meaning they cannot survive in high oxygen environments) that are able to benefit us by breaking down non-usable fibers.5
Balanced gut microbiomes are characterized by the dominance of obligate organisms, while an expansion of facultative organisms (bacteria that can survive in high O2 environments) is a common marker of gut dysbiosis.
Thus, the inside of the colon should be a low oxygen and high CO2 environment to ensure we have dominance of obligate anaerobes that can breakdown complex carbs and provide our cells with short chain fatty acids, and lower levels of facultative organisms since these facultative anaerobic bacteria do not specialize in consuming fiber and might even interfere with host nutrition.
Image from Current Opinion in Microbiology October 2017; 39: 1-6
So, maintaining a low oxygen and high CO2 environment helps keep the microbiome in check. The internal environment of our body impacts how our body functions.
5.CO2 improves calcium utilization6 — When CO2 exits the cell, it brings with it free water and calcium,7 lowering cellular bulk water. It is toxic to have persistent intracellular calcium, and you want as little free water as possible inside cells. In fact, some machines use the intracellular water level when looking for cancer.8
“The carbon dioxide can be changed into carbonic acid, by chemically combining with water. Carbonic acid is hydrophilic, and so it quickly leaves the cell, taking with it some of the oppositely charged ions, such as calcium and sodium.”9
6.CO2 protects the cell and mitochondria structure from damage, acting like an antioxidant and cell stabilizer — Since it improves oxygen delivery, it reduces free radical damage.10,11,12,13,14 It also protects against hypoxia and the negative effects of intracellular calcium and inflammation.15,16,17,18,19,20 Abundant CO2 inside and outside the cell
Article from LewRockwell
LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.