Life Extension Magazine®

Mitochondria

The reason you are alive and reading this sentence today is because of the ability of your cells to produce sustainable energy. About 95% of this energy is generated by cellular power plants called mitochondria. Instead we are referring to startling scientific findings proving that fasting glucose levels above 80-85 mg/dL create many of the same problems suffered by diabetics, only at a slower rate.

Scientifically reviewed by Dr. Gary Gonzalez, MD, in October 2024. Written by: William Faloon.

William Faloon

The reason you are alive and reading this sentence today is because of the ability of your cells to produce sustainable energy.

About 95% of this energy is generated by cellular power plants called mitochondria.

Mitochondria are also involved in the discarding of damaged cells through healthy apoptotic pathways. When mutated cells are not removed, they can evolve into cancer or give off defective signals that create systemic inflammation.

In the absence of healthy mitochondria, the body deteriorates into a state of senescence that culminates in death.

A fascinating discovery uncovers how our mitochondria evolved and why damaged cells that leak mitochondrial energy outside the cell induce chronic inflammation.

You may have noticed in cellular graphics that mitochondria appear similar to bacteria. That’s because, as many evolutionary biologists believe, our mitochondria were originally bacteria that primitive cells incorporated into themselves to generate energy!

Why did this happen? The ingested bacterium received nutrients from the host cell, while the host cell received energy from the oxygen-producing activity of the bacterium. Mitochondria are the only cell organelle (other than the nucleus) to possess functional DNA—a critical piece of evolutionary machinery from its long-ago bacterial ancestor.

What does this have to do with inflammation? Cutting-edge science reveals that when cells are damaged by trauma or aging pathologies, the mitochondria released from dying tissues are recognized by our immune system as foreign bacteria. The result can be an acute inflammatory response that can quickly kill us (as seen in sepsis), or chronic inflammation that slowly attacks every living tissue.

Mitochondria encased in healthy cells do not trigger an inflammatory response because the cell membrane is intact, shielding it from immune surveillance.

Once we understand the cozy relationship we have with our symbiotic energy-producing intracellular bacteria (i.e. the mitochondria that exist within our cells), it becomes all the more apparent why these vital cellular powerhouses need to be well nourished if we are to continue to exist as a living organism. Unhealthy mitochondria lead to dysfunctional cells and mitochondrial leakage, a lethal combination that aging humans must guard against.

Diseases of aging are strongly associated with both dysfunctional mitochondria and the loss of healthy mitochondria. Fortunately, Life Extension® members have been taking mitochondrial-protecting nutrients like CoQ10 and L-carnitine for the past four decades.

In this special edition, you’ll learn about a remarkable compound that has been shown to induce the generation of healthy new mitochondria. This powerful new mechanism (growing fresh mitochondria) provides us with unprecedented control over destructive aging processes.

For longer life,

For Longer Life