Why mitochondria are essential for longevity

How mitochondria work

Mitochondria are intracellular elements specialized in the production of energy, notably adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy molecule essential for the survival of the organism [1].

🔬 Did you know?
Each human cell can contain from 100 to 2500 mitochondria .
Their density is particularly high in cells requiring high energy production, such as those of the heart , brain and muscles [1].

Beyond energy production, mitochondria play a central role in several vital processes:

- Regulation of apoptosis , or programmed cell death, essential for eliminating damaged cells [2].

- Control of cell signaling (communication mechanism between cells), influencing inflammation, metabolism and stress response [3].

- Mitophagy , a process of recycling defective mitochondria, crucial for maintaining a healthy and functional mitochondrial population [3].

Cellular aging is intimately linked to mitochondrial health.
Over time, mitochondria accumulate damage to their specific DNA (mitochondrial DNA), which impairs their ability to produce ATP efficiently and increases the production of free radicals [4].

This vicious cycle of cellular oxidation contributes to cellular senescence , metabolic decline , chronic fatigue , cognitive impairment , and the progressive decline of physical vitality [2][4].

---

Scientific references

1. Lopez-Otin C. et al., The Hallmarks of Aging , Cell, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.039

2. Sun N., Youle RJ, Finkel T., The Mitochondrial Basis of Aging , Molecular Cell, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2016.03.034

3. Green DR, Galluzzi L., Kroemer G., Mitochondria and the autophagy–inflammation–cell death axis in organismal aging , Science, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1201940

4. Bratic A., Larsson NG, The role of mitochondria in aging , Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI64125