Mitochondria Decline With Age, Reducing Cellular Energy

Full analysis

Dr. Jared Rutter, a biochemist and mitochondria researcher at the University of Utah, explains that mitochondria — the structures inside cells that convert food into usable energy (ATP) — become less effective as we age, and this is likely a central reason why energy declines in older adults. The accumulation of cellular damage over decades is strongly correlated with aging, and animal genetics research suggests this damage isn't just a side effect of aging but an actual driver of it. Rutter notes that the tools to understand exactly what goes wrong, and potentially how to reverse it, are only now becoming available.