The American Federation for Aging Research

Does injury to mitochondria - the cell's powerhouse - cause aging?

What do mitochondria do?

Mitochondria are the cell's energy factories. They oxidize - in essence they "burn" - biological fuels such as lipids, proteins and fats. They then harvest the energy stored in such fuels and eventually convert it to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the substance needed to power many cellular processes.

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