How to Boost Your Mitochondria Naturally

Your mitochondria are the microscopic power plants inside nearly every cell, and how well they work shapes your energy, endurance and how you age. The good news is that they are remarkably responsive to how you live. This guide ranks the levers by how strong the evidence is, so you spend effort where it actually pays off.

How mitochondria respond to what you do

Mitochondria are not fixed in number or quality. Your cells can build new ones, a process called biogenesis, and they can recycle worn-out ones, a process called mitophagy. Both keep the working pool efficient. A well-studied signaling protein nicknamed PGC-1-alpha acts as a master switch for building new mitochondria, and certain stresses — especially exercise — turn that switch on. Understanding this makes the priorities obvious: the biggest wins come from behaviors your biology is built to respond to. Our explainer on what mitophagy is and our mitochondrial health overview cover the biology in more depth.

Lever 1: Exercise (the strongest, by a wide margin)

If you do only one thing, move. Exercise is the most powerful, best-documented way to improve mitochondrial quantity and quality in humans, and no supplement comes close to matching it.

Endurance training

Sustained aerobic work — brisk walking, cycling, jogging, swimming — is the classic driver of mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle. Over weeks, it increases the density and capacity of mitochondria, which is a large part of why cardio makes everyday effort feel easier.

High-intensity intervals

Short, hard bursts followed by recovery are a potent, time-efficient stimulus. Human research shows a single session of high-intensity interval training can acutely increase the nuclear activity of PGC-1-alpha, the biogenesis switch. A couple of well-placed interval sessions per week can go a long way.

Resistance training

Lifting builds and maintains muscle, and muscle is where a large share of your mitochondria live. Preserving muscle as you age protects your metabolic engine. This is also the outcome most connected to the urolithin A research discussed below.

Lever 2: Sleep and recovery

Mitochondrial repair and quality control lean heavily on rest. Chronically short or fragmented sleep is associated with worse metabolic and cellular function, while consistent, sufficient sleep supports the housekeeping that keeps mitochondria efficient. Recovery is not the absence of training; it is when much of the adaptation actually happens. Protecting seven to nine hours, keeping a steady schedule, and managing chronic stress are unglamorous but genuinely high-value levers.

Lever 3: Nutrition that supports the engine

You do not need an exotic diet to support mitochondria, but a few principles help.

Whole foods and polyphenols

Colorful plants supply polyphenols and antioxidants that support cellular resilience. Notably, ellagitannins in pomegranate, walnuts and certain berries are the dietary precursors your gut bacteria convert into urolithin A. Our foods guide lists the best sources.

Protein for muscle

Adequate protein supports the muscle that houses your mitochondria, which matters more with each decade of age.

Not constantly overfed

Giving your body time between meals, rather than grazing continuously, is thought to support mitochondrial quality control. This does not require extreme fasting; simply not eating around the clock is a reasonable, sustainable version.

Lever 4: Temperature stress (cold and heat)

Deliberate cold exposure and heat exposure, such as sauna use, are studied as mild stressors that may nudge mitochondrial adaptation and the same PGC-1-alpha pathway that exercise engages. The human evidence here is younger and less conclusive than the evidence for exercise, so treat these as promising, optional extras rather than essentials. They are additions on top of the basics, not replacements for them, and they are not appropriate for everyone — if you have a heart condition or are pregnant, check with your doctor first.

Lever 5: Targeted supplements, including urolithin A

Supplements sit below lifestyle for a reason: the effect sizes are smaller and the evidence is thinner. But one compound is directly tied to mitophagy, the recycling of worn-out mitochondria, and has real human data behind it.

Urolithin A is a gut postbiotic made from the ellagitannins in pomegranate, walnuts and berries. The catch is that only some people's microbiomes convert those precursors into useful amounts, which is why supplementing the finished molecule is of interest.

Proven in humans. Andreux and colleagues (2019, Nature Metabolism) ran the first-in-human study and found urolithin A safe and well tolerated up to 1,000 mg per day, with a favorable mitochondrial gene-expression signature. Liu, D'Amico and colleagues (2022, JAMA Network Open) reported support for muscle endurance, measured as contractions before fatigue, in older adults over about four months. Singh and colleagues (2022, Cell Reports Medicine) tested 500 mg and 1,000 mg over four months in middle-aged adults and reported support for muscle strength and exercise performance.

Newer human research. A 2025 Nature Aging trial (about 28 days) reported support for immune-cell mitochondrial health in midlife adults, and a 2024 trial in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition looked at endurance and recovery in resistance-trained men over eight weeks.

Preclinical foundation (not human proof). Ryu and colleagues (2016, Nature Medicine) first showed urolithin A drives mitophagy, extends lifespan in the worm C. elegans and improves muscle function in rodents. A 2024 systematic review in Ageing Research Reviews rightly frames the human evidence as promising but still emerging from short, modestly sized trials. In other words, urolithin A pairs well with exercise, but it complements the training — it does not replace it.

A realistic weekly rhythm

You do not need to do everything. A sustainable pattern beats a heroic one you abandon. A sensible template looks like this: move most days, including two to three sessions that raise your heart rate meaningfully and two resistance sessions; protect seven to nine hours of sleep on a consistent schedule; build meals around whole foods, colorful plants and enough protein; and optionally add sauna or cold exposure if you enjoy them. If you want a supplement that targets mitophagy, a studied dose of urolithin A fits neatly on top. Consistency over months, not intensity over days, is what changes cellular fitness.

An important health note

Mitochondrial function overlaps with energy, metabolic, heart and immune topics, but the levers here are for general support, not treatment. Persistent fatigue, unexplained weakness or suspected metabolic or mitochondrial disease deserve a proper medical evaluation. If you are managing a health condition, are pregnant or nursing, or take medication, treat supplements and intense temperature or exercise protocols as things to clear with your doctor first. Urolithin A is not a treatment for any disease and is not a substitute for medical care.

Where SOMA HEALTH fits

SOMA HEALTH exists to make the supplement part simple and evidence-based. Each 4-gummy daily serving provides 1,000 mg of urolithin A, the top of the clinically studied range, in a sugar-free raspberry gummy that is third-party tested. It is built to sit on top of good habits, not to stand in for them. To understand the compound before you start, read our urolithin A guide, compare formats in our best urolithin A gummies roundup, and check timing tips in how to take urolithin A.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This guide is educational and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare provider.