In every single cells (with the exception of red blood cells) of both human and animals, there lie several tiny little organs that generate energy to power up the cell. These little power generators that are embedded in the cell are called Mitochondria and they are usually rod-shaped. Each single cell may contain some 20 to 2500 Mitochondria in it. As they are the powerhouses of a cell, acting like tiny furnaces; they convert substances like carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy whenever oxygen is present. However, each time the mitochondria converts the substances into energy, a harmful by-product is created along the process. This by-product is known as free radicals. It is hard to believe the fact that the most essential thing that we need to live, the oxygen, is killing us. Free radicals, if not neutralized, can cause significant damages to the entire structure of the Mitochondria including its membranes and DNA.

One unique feature of mitochondria is that it has its own DNA, the Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The DNA of a cell on the other hand, is found in the nucleus (nDNA) of the cell. The mitochondrial membranes play a very important part in energy production. If these membranes are damaged, less energy will be produced and subsequently, toxin starts building up. The cell will be damaged when sufficient amount of these toxins builds up. When enough cells are damaged, the functioning of the organ will then be affected.

As such, anti-oxidant is required to neutralize these free radicals before they do much damage to the cells. There are many diseases associated with the mitochondrial function, including the many common diseases of aging such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart diseases, diabetes and cancer.

Research has found that as we age, not only the efficiency of the mitochondria decreases, their quantity per cell decreases too. Hence, it is like our bodies are operating at one-half to one-fourth the energy we had at youth.

As our brain is the most important organ in our body consuming about 20% of the total energy used in the entire body while we are at rest. Our brain will be the most prone to aging. Our hearts on the other hand, will not be as severely affected as our brain when we age although hearts are more metabolically more active compared to the brain tissues because our hearts are very much smaller than our brains and thereby requires less energy to function. As such, a brain and central nervous system that is deprived of energy could ultimately affect the activities of all the other organs in the body.

All in all, mitochondrion play an important role in safeguarding the health of our body. It is the deficiency of mitochondrion that lead us to many diseases and even cancers as we age.