Longevity & AgingWhy Mitochondrial Resilience — Not Just Function — Determines How You Age
This review introduces 'mitochondrial homeodynamics' — a systems-level framework proposing that how well mitochondria maintain, adapt, and recover determines aging trajectories more than any single pathway. Rather than treating mitochondrial dysfunction as a vague category, the author defines it as a measurable loss of three linked capacities: maintenance of genome and membrane integrity, metabolic adaptation to changing demands, and recovery of function after stress. Aging erodes all three in tissue-specific ways, reducing physiological reserve and amplifying chronic inflammation. Among all proposed interventions, exercise holds the strongest human evidence. NAD+ precursors, caloric restriction, mitophagy-supporting compounds, and mitochondria-targeted agents show heterogeneous, endpoint-specific results. Critically, no mitochondrial intervention has proven to slow aging or extend lifespan in healthy humans, and improving a biomarker toward a younger reference value does not equal rejuvenation.
