{"id":79357,"date":"2026-02-20T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T07:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/?p=79357"},"modified":"2026-02-19T23:45:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T06:45:40","slug":"the-key-to-longevity-may-be-found-inside-our-cells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/the-key-to-longevity-may-be-found-inside-our-cells\/","title":{"rendered":"The key to longevity may be found inside our cells"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Last summer, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he could tell that someone was having \u201cmitochondrial challenges\u201d just by looking at them. The nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, features mitochondria prominently in her book on metabolism and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And several trendy supplements marketed for longevity, such as coenzyme Q10, urolithin A and those that boost N.A.D.+, purportedly work by enhancing mitochondrial functioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists who study mitochondria are somewhat baffled by the newfound attention. But they\u2019re also excited to see their favorite organelle in the spotlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to complain about mitochondria being at the forefront of the discussion right now because I think it is important,\u201d said Dr. Pinchas Cohen, the dean of the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. \u201cBut I can\u2019t really explain how it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exactly are mitochondria, and is it really possible to make yours healthier \u2014 and increase your life span in the process?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitochondria 101<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with a quick biology refresher: Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. They convert the food we eat into adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is the primary form of cellular energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More and more, scientists are learning that mitochondria are involved in other fundamental bodily processes, too. Mitochondria support immune functioning, produce peptides that relay messages between organs and are integral to general cellular housekeeping. In other words, they\u2019re really, seriously crucial for health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of mitochondria in our cells and their functionality both decline as we age. That\u2019s thought to be partly because, during the energy production process, mitochondria create a toxic byproduct called reactive oxygen species, or ROS, which can injure the mitochondria and other parts of the cell. As we get older, the energy production process starts to malfunction, and more ROS are produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the cell\u2019s recycling system, which tidies up and disposes of damage caused by ROS, becomes less efficient. Broken parts pile up, resulting in more damage and potentially leading to cell death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitochondria and Aging<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some experts believe that this decline in mitochondrial health drives some of the symptoms and diseases of aging, including Alzheimer\u2019s and cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mitochondria just give up earlier than other parts of the cell because of the wear and tear that they\u2019re subjected to,\u201d Dr. Cohen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re the canary in the coal mine of cellular dysfunction,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others point out that mitochondrial dysfunction may be the consequence of aging and disease, not the cause of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe billion dollar question in the mitochondria aging field, in my opinion, is cause and effect,\u201d said Dr. Vamsi Mootha, a professor of systems biology at Harvard Medical School. Is the decline precipitating aging, he continued, \u201cor do you just have old tissue that\u2019s sick, so you have sick mitochondria?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caring for Your Mitochondria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s an open question whether mitochondria are the key drivers of aging, it\u2019s well-established that your behaviors affect their health, the experts said. And what\u2019s good for some of the smallest parts of your cells is also good for the rest of your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise has been consistently shown to improve mitochondrial function. In one of the most compelling studies, researchers took biopsies of people\u2019s thigh muscles and found more, healthier mitochondria in the muscle cells after an eight-week training program. Both endurance and resistance training were effective, but doing the two in combination offered the biggest benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExercise causes a little bit of use and tear of the mitochondria,\u201d said Daria Mochly-Rosen, a professor of chemical and systems biology at Stanford University and an author of \u201cThe Life Machines: How Taking Care of Your Mitochondria Can Transform Your Health.\u201d She added, \u201cAnd so by exercising, you\u2019re actually telling the whole body, OK, time to replenish your mitochondria and make them more pristine by making new parts for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diet likely also plays a role, since the food you eat gets turned into ATP. Mitochondria switch back and forth between metabolizing glucose (from carbohydrates) and fatty acids (from fat), so prioritize eating a mix of fiber-rich carbs and fat from high-quality sources. Those include foods like legumes, whole grains, avocados and fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain micronutrients, particularly B vitamins and antioxidants, are also important for mitochondrial health. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean that you should take dietary supplements, but it means that you should have a balanced diet,\u201d Dr. Mochly-Rosen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sleep \u2014 ideally seven to eight hours a night \u2014 is vital for the mitochondrial cleanup process. It\u2019s while you sleep that your mitochondria are able to dispose of any parts that were damaged during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flashier interventions being studied (and sold) are less solid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, research in mice suggests that supplements that increase levels of N.A.D.+, a molecule critical for cellular metabolism, could improve mitochondrial health. But most of the trials in people haven\u2019t shown a clear clinical benefit. And some human studies testing whether antioxidant supplements like vitamins C and E could be beneficial actually resulted in worse outcomes for the participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cold and heat exposure (primarily from ice baths and saunas) and red light therapy are also sometimes promoted as being good for your mitochondria. But the research supporting these claims has primarily been conducted on animals and cells in a petri dish, so whether they\u2019d meaningfully improve people\u2019s health is largely unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n