Contributed by Dr. Byron Fergerson, Freak Shake Endurance Chief Scientist

Key Takeaway:

Two weeks of Freak Shake GRIT FUEL supplementation improved mitochondrial energy production by up to 50 percent in older adults preparing for surgery. The same mitochondrial pathways that enhanced resilience in surgical patients may also improve endurance, recovery, and performance in athletes.

Study Overview:

Principal Investigator: Byron Fergerson, MD

Co-Investigator: Anthony Molina, PhD

Affiliation: UC San Diego School of Medicine

This clinical study evaluated whether Freak Shake GRIT FUEL, a nutritional supplement containing edible plant-derived bio-nutrient flavonoids, could enhance mitochondrial function and physical readiness in adults over age 50 preparing for elective joint replacement surgery.

Mitochondria power every cell in the body. Their efficiency declines with age, diminishing stamina, muscle strength, and resilience. For a patient heading into surgery, just like an endurance athlete preparing for a highly strenuous workout or competition, cellular resilience is a crucial predictor of performance. More resilient cells can more effectively endure extreme stressors—whether caused by a scalpel or by running a marathon. And with improved cellular resilience, surgical patients as well as athletes may require less recovery time.

This study was designed to look for maximum measurable changes in mitochondrial performance by studying an older population with limited ability to exercise. If supplementation can restore mitochondrial performance in this setting, it provides strong evidence that it can enhance cellular efficiency in other high-demand conditions such as training, competition, or recovery from physical stress.

Twenty-four participants took Grit Fuel daily for 14 days. Blood samples were collected before and after supplementation to measure mitochondrial energy output. Participants also completed adherence and satisfaction surveys, and grip strength was measured as a simple indicator of physical performance.

Results: Mitochondrial Function

After two weeks of supplementation, participants’ circulating cells demonstrated clear and measurable improvements in mitochondrial bioenergetics:

• Basal respiration increased by 23% on average across all participants, indicating higher resting energy production.
• ATP production, the cell’s usable energy source, was an average 24% after 2 weeks of Grit Fuel use.
• Reserve capacity, the mitochondria’s ability to generate energy under stress, increased by 65% among responders who represented about 2/3 of study participants.
  

These improvements were statistically significant and especially notable given the small sample size. The data suggest that short-term GRIT FUEL supplementation can effectively recharge mitochondrial energy systems, improving both baseline and stress-related energy capacity.

Functional Outcomes and Adherence:

Participants were satisfied with the supplement, adherence exceeded 90 percent, with no reported side effects. Grip strength testing showed a strong trend toward improvement in male participants, consistent with enhanced mitochondrial energy availability and better muscular performance.

Why It Matters – The Science of Endurance & Mitochondrial Function:

Mitochondria sit at the center of both surgical recovery and athletic performance. They convert nutrients—carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—into ATP, the body’s universal energy currency. When mitochondria function efficiently, the body can sustain higher workloads, utilize oxygen more effectively, and recover faster from exertion or injury. This is the primary objective of progressive workload endurance or strength training, as well as prehab before surgery.

Each mitochondrial measure in this study connects directly to familiar performance and recovery concepts:

Basal respiration reflects how much oxygen the cell consumes at rest to maintain its essential functions. Higher basal respiration translates to greater aerobic efficiency and improved baseline energy turnover—similar to how endurance athletes maintain elevated metabolic activity between bouts of training. For athletes basal respiration also translates to glycogen sparing, which means more efficient carbohydrate energy utilization. During lower intensity aerobic exercise, muscle cells rely primarily on fat reserves. But as duration & effort increase, fast-acting carbohydrates stored as glycogen are called on to supplement energy demands and those reserves deplete quickly. "Sparing glycogen" means the body becomes more efficient at utilizing oxygen and fat to sustain aerobic exercise before depleting more limited carbohydrate resources.

ATP production represents the mitochondria’s direct output of usable energy. In practical terms, this correlates with power and stamina. Cells that generate more ATP recover muscle contractility faster and maintain energy stability during stress, which can mean improved performance for both surgical patients and endurance athletes alike.

Reserve capacity measures the ability of mitochondria to ramp up energy output under stress. A nearly 50 percent increase in reserve capacity means cells were significantly better prepared to handle oxidative or metabolic stress—conditions that mirror the physiological demands of VO₂ max training, high-intensity intervals, or recovery from exertion as well as post-operative recovery.

Implications of This Research:

In athletes, more resilient cells are more effective at utilizing energy resources, and meeting the energetic demands of strenuous activity or other environmental stressors. For an endurance athlete these processes boil down to greater oxygen utilization, fat oxidation, and glycogen sparing during sustained activity. Improved mitochondrial reserve allows tissues to buffer oxidative stress and delay fatigue, enabling longer, higher-quality efforts and faster adaptation to training loads.

For older adults, these changes represent more than energy—they translate to resilience. Enhanced mitochondrial function supports muscle preservation, immune regulation, and cognitive clarity during the stress of surgery or illness.

In both populations, boosting mitochondrial performance improves the body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently, manage oxidative stress, and recover from metabolic strain. These are the same adaptive pathways that Freak Shake and Grit Fuel were designed to support through a combination of plant-based flavanols and metabolic cofactors.