“The heart never stops. It beats roughly 100,000 times a day, every day of your life and the energy to do that has to come from somewhere. That somewhere is the mitochondria,” he said.
Citing existing research, he highlighted that each cardiac muscle cell contains between 5,000 and 8,000 mitochondria.
“That’s not a coincidence - it reflects just how extraordinary the heart’s energy demands are and how central mitochondrial function is to keeping it working...Mitochondria account for roughly 10% of total body weight - they are not peripheral players,” said Dr Walker, who was also awarded the Nutrachampion at the NutraIngredients Asia Awards 2025.
However, mitochondrial efficiency declines with age, which could affect energy production, oxidative balance and cardiovascular function over time.
Understanding the connection between heart health and mitochondria has also changed the way he approaches patient care.
“When I trained, cardiology was almost entirely focused on the macroscopic - the vessels, the valves, the electrical system. And those things matter enormously. But the more we learn, the clearer it becomes that downstream cardiovascular dysfunction often has upstream cellular origins,” he said.
This has changed how I think about preventative cardiology. The question isn’t just ‘what are the patient’s risk factors?’ It’s ‘what is happening at a cellular level, and what can we do about it early?’
Dr Ross Walker
Ubiquinol and mitochondrial function
According to Dr Walker, ubiquinol - the active and reduced form of co-enzyme Q10 - is one of the compounds where there is growing evidence showing its benefits for mitochondrial function.
“It plays a direct role in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, the process by which cells generate ATP. It also acts as a lipid-soluble antioxidant. What makes it clinically relevant is that the body’s own production declines with age,” he said.
Ubiquinol may also influence mitochondrial quantity and quality directly, such as increasing mitochondrial size and volume density, he added, citing a 2017 study by Pérez-Sánchez C et al.
The use of ubiquinol in heart health supplements has been evident in China and Australia in recent years. In China, uptake was driven by consumers seeking supplements to support cardiovascular health post-COVID infection. In Australia, the ingredient gained traction due to endorsement from major pharmacy chain Chemist Warehouse.
Activated B vitamins, such as nicotinamide riboside, have also received attention for their role in mitochondrial energy pathways, based on a 2016 study by Trammell, S. A. J., et al.
Inaugural mitochondrial health summit
Dr Walker will present insights on mitochondrial health in the context of cardiovascular care at the inaugural Global Mitochondrial Health Summit set to take place at the Hilton Sydney on June 26.
Designed exclusively for health professionals, the one-day in-person summit is not open to the general public.
A satellite event will also be held in Malaysia at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya.
Titled ‘Integrative Cardiology in Practice: Protecting the Mitochondria in Modern Cardiovascular Care’, Dr Walker will discuss cardiovascular care beyond managing traditional risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure, with a closer look at how changes at the cellular level could affect heart health.
“I’ll be focusing on how integrative, preventative approaches can support long-term cardiovascular health, and what that looks like in practical clinical terms,” he said.
The summit is sponsored by the Japanese company Kaneka Ubiquinol to drive education on mitochondrial research. The company has been researching the mechanisms of mitochondrial health for over 45 years.
“The growing global focus on mitochondrial health reflects a deeper understanding of its role at the foundation of cellular and systemic wellbeing, which we are seeing through the global education initiatives we support,” said Tsuyoshi Takakuwa, head of Marketing and Sales Team (APAC), Supplemental Nutrition Business Division, Kaneka Ubiquinol.
Gabrielle Covino, program director of the summit, added that mitochondrial health is no longer an emerging concept, with evidence showing its role across energy and male and female fertility as well.
“Mitochondrial health is a clinical imperative influencing the direction of integrative and preventative healthcare. As the science advances, both clinicians and industry leaders require clarity and practical translation to confidently integrate this rapidly evolving field into practice and inform innovation,” she said.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Keynote Speaker: Dr Olivia Lesslar MBBS BIR – Functional Medicine Practitioner
- Dr Ross Walker MBBS (Hons) FRACP FCSANZ – Integrative Cardiologist
- Dr Christabelle Yeoh MBBS, MRCP (UK), MSc (Nutrition), FACNEM – Integrative Medicine Physician
- Dr Denise Furness PhD BSc (Hons) RNutr – Geneticist & Epigenetics Researcher
- Dr Leah Hechtman PhD MSciMed (RHHG), BHSc (Naturopathy), ND, LNHAA – Fertility and Reproductive Medicine – Fertility and Women’s Health Specialist and Educator
- Rhiannon Hardingham BHSc (Nat) – Fertility Naturopath & Nutritionist, Practitioner Mentor & Educator
- Gerald Quigley BPharm – Pharmacist and Master Herbalist
- Bobby Mehta BPharm MRPharmS IPresc – Pharmacist and Educator
Direction for future research
As a cardiologist, Dr Walker said that future research could explore the impact of medications on mitochondrial health, an area which he said was “under-researched” but “clinically important”.
“I’d particularly like to see more investigation into how mitochondrial function changes across the lifespan, and what interventions - whether nutritional, pharmacological or lifestyle-based - are most effective at different life stages. The interaction between mitochondrial health and commonly used medications is also under-researched and clinically important.”
He also urged for greater cross-disciplinary collaboration among cardiologists, molecular biologists, nutritional scientists and integrative practitioners.
