# Mitochondrial dysfunction

Mitochondrial dysfunction means your cells' power plants are running poorly. (Mitochondria are those power plants.) It shows up in several ways. The cells make less ATP energy. The electron transport chain slows. Reactive oxygen species rise. And mitochondrial dynamics get disrupted. It is recognized as a hallmark of aging. It is implicated in muscle loss (sarcopenia), type 2 diabetes, neurodegeneration, and heart disease. Interventions being studied include exercise, NAD+ precursors, urolithin A, and senolytics. One thing that has not worked: megadoses of antioxidants show no longevity benefit.

## Sources

- López-Otín C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, Serrano M, Kroemer G. (2023). Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe. Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.001
- Bratic A, Larsson NG. (2013). The role of mitochondria in aging. Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI64125

---

_Canonical: https://longevity-switzerland.com/en/glossary/mitochondrial-dysfunction · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-22_