Working out is one of the top ways to keep your cells fit and full of life as you get older. It makes mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) work better, raises energy levels, and stops age-linked drops in muscle and cell health. Here's what you need to know:
- Mitochondria are the energy centers of your cells, making power (ATP) by following mtDNA's lead.
- Not like nuclear DNA, mtDNA gets hurt easier by oxidative stress and aging.
- Working out fixes and boosts mtDNA, lifting energy creation and cell health.
- Various kinds of workouts help mitochondria in their own ways:
- Cardio ups the count of mitochondria.
- Strength training fixes and keeps mtDNA in muscles.
- HIIT mixes perks, bettering mitochondrial function in less time.
- Regular exercise can slow or turn back age-linked mitochondrial loss, bettering energy, muscle power, and overall health.
- Adding exercise with things like NMN and Resveratrol can help even more with mitochondrial health.
Main point: Being active - with cardio, lifting weights, or HIIT - is key to keeping up energy and cell health as you age. Use supplements for top results.
The Science of Exercise, Mitochondrial Health & Longevity | Kieran Rooney | The Proof EP222
What is Mitochondrial DNA and Why is it Key?
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a type of gene stuff found in the mitochondria, the parts of the cell that make energy. It sits outside the main cell's core. Even though the main cell DNA makes up about 99.75% of a cell's genes, mtDNA is just 0.25%. But, even as a tiny part, mtDNA is key as it helps make energy for cell jobs [1].
This tiny, round gene thing is made up of 16,569 base pairs and has 37 genes: 13 for making proteins, 22 for transfer RNAs, and 2 for ribosomal RNAs [1][2]. A big point is, unlike main cell DNA that comes from both mom and dad, mtDNA comes just from mom [1][2]. Also, mtDNA is round and not shielded like main cell DNA, which is long and covered. This lack of cover makes mtDNA change a lot faster - it changes 10–20 times more than cell DNA [1][3].
"As the primary cellular location for respiration and energy production, mitochondria serve in a critical capacity to the cell." - Priyanka Sharma, Author [3]
How Mitochondria Give Power to Your Cells
Mitochondria work as the cell's power spots, using tips from mtDNA to build the system that turns oxygen and food into energy. This system, called OXPHOS, makes a fuel called ATP, which powers most things cells do [3]. The proteins made by mtDNA are key for this job, making the mitochondria a must-have [3]. It's neat that mitochondrial mRNA can be 5% to 30% of all cell mRNA, with heart cells often having the most because they need lots of energy [3]. When mtDNA gets hurt, making ATP is not as good, leading to more bad oxygen types that can hurt cell tasks [3].
What Harms Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA can get damaged easily for a few reasons. It sits close to where cells make energy, which opens it up to damage from oxidative stress, a leftover from normal energy making. Not like nuclear DNA, mtDNA does not have protective coverings, making it easy to hurt [3]. Age is another big thing, as mtDNA picks up small changes over time, mostly in parts like the brain, heart, muscles, and liver [4]. These changes mostly show up in the D-Loop area - an important part for mtDNA copying and making mRNA - in old tissues like the brain, blood, skin, muscle, and heart [5].
Also, as we or animals get older, mtDNA often loses or gains bits of itself more often [4]. A well-known case is the "common deletion", a loss of 4,977 base pairs seen in various brain areas in folks from 39 to 82 years old [4].
"Damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and loss of mitochondrial genome integrity is increasingly understood to play a role in the development of both severe early-onset maladies and chronic age-related diseases." - Priyanka Sharma, Author [3]
Beside low energy, mtDNA changes and losses are tied to many ills, like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer, weak muscles, heart ills, and sugar sickness. When body mtDNA changes grow in group, they can make parts of the body with bad air system work. Even when mtDNA changes faster than core DNA, most changes stay under the 1% mark needed to show clear signs in well people.
These weak spots show why it is key to keep mtDNA safe - a point we will look into more in the next part.
How Working Out Can Change Mitochondrial DNA
Moving your body helps fix and make new mitochondrial DNA. Various workouts start paths that fix, replace, and boost the health of mitochondrial DNA. This makes the energy makers in your cells work better and last longer. Each type of workout does its own way to guard mtDNA.
Cardio and Growing Mitochondria
Aerobic workouts are key for making more mitochondria. This is mostly due to proteins like PGC-1α, also known as the "top boss" of this work. For example, in heart cells, mitochondria take up about 30% of the space. Studies on mice show that TAZ, a key protein for mitochondrial health, is really important. If TAZ is taken out from muscle, the mice have fewer and weaker mitochondria mainly because of a drop in TFAM, a must-have for making mitochondrial DNA.
Cardio is good for making new mitochondria, while other exercises help keep mtDNA healthy and well.
Lifting Weights and Mitochondrial Health
Lifting does a different job in keeping mitochondria healthy. It turns on satellite cells, which fix and refill mtDNA in muscle strands. This lowers oxidative stress and stops muscle loss. Lifting also boosts how much work mitochondria can do. For instance, people with chronic kidney issues saw more mitochondria and less broken mtDNA after lifting workouts.
Both cardio and lifting have their own perks, but HIIT offers a unique way to refresh mtDNA.
HIIT and Making New Mitochondria
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) - where you mix short, intense periods at 80%-95% of your top heart rate with breaks - fires up cell cleaning, wakes up enzymes like AMPK and CaMKII, and drives mitochondria to come together. This connection lets mitochondria form networks that work better. A 2023 study showed HIIT fixed mitochondrial function in mice with muscle problems by better removing damaged mitochondria and making more mitochondria. This helped the mice be less tired and have less muscle harm. Another study showed that quick interval workouts raised the highest mitochondrial breathing in muscle strands. This was linked to higher levels of PGC-1α and p53 proteins. One big plus of HIIT is that it gives better mitochondrial perks with less overall energy use than normal steady workouts.
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Working Out Stops Old-Age mtDNA Drop
As we get old, our body's mtDNA and muscle power tend to drop. Studies show that from ages 30 to 70, many folks see a 25-30% dip in their body's work power[6]. Add to this, many who are over 60 sit still for 8 to 12 hours a day, speeding up this loss[6]. But, good news: regular work outs can slow - and might even partly fix - this drop due to age.
Studies on Working Out and Growing Old
Work after work has shown that moving often helps keep mitochondrial health up. For example, a work from Cell Reports Medicine in February 2025 looked at 139 men from 20–93. It found that being active not only keeps up good body work but boosts power at the cell level, with old age not doing much to mess with cell air use[9].
In the same way, a work noted in Nature Communications hinted that steady gym time really helps fight old age effects on cell power. Older folks who kept at their workouts showed greater cell power than those who didn't move much, meaning they had better health results[10]. Along these lines, Melov and his team saw that six months of muscle work in old folks turned back time on changes in genes tied to cell power. Their cell bits and work both went up to match those seen in younger people[6][7].
"Exercise induces beneficial adaptations for metabolic homeostasis. This could lead to significant changes in lifestyle, which could slow down the progression of age-related muscle functional decline and could also allow us to identify molecular responses that may be useful as both therapeutic targets and for exercise prescription." [6] - Elena Barbieri, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo
These points make clear that working out does more than stop mitochondria from getting worse; it helps cells fix themselves.
How Working Out Helps Mitochondria Stay Healthy
Working out helps by making cells change in good ways. The light stress from moving your body helps fix cells and makes more mitochondria. Doing it a lot stops too much reactive oxygen species (ROS) and slows down apoptosis, the thing that makes muscles waste away[6]. It also brings back levels of PGC-1α, a big part that makes mitochondria, to what young people have[7].
Different kinds of working out are good in their ways. Running or biking a lot brings up the proteins that make energy, which usually drop as you get old[7]. But lifting weights not only makes muscles bigger but also wakes up special cells that don't have bad mtDNA mutations[7].
A study that went on for four years showed that moving more and keeping a good weight can stop sarcopenia - a muscle loss thing linked with getting old[6]. Sometimes, being active can turn back some parts of this problem.
It's clear: being active all your life is a top way to keep mitochondria healthy as you age[7].
"Exercise is the only known strategy to combat sarcopenia and this is largely mediated through improvements in mitochondrial plasticity." [8] - Anna‐Maria Joseph, Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Division of Biology of Aging, University of Florida
Adding daily strength work not only boosts how well you work, but also cuts down the chance of falls in older people. The main thing? Keep at it. Being active all the time is key to keep your cells' powerhouses healthy and keep your whole energy up.
More Ways to Help Mitochondrial Health
Taking extra stuff can help make your mitochondria work better. Studies show that some stuff, when used with doing things like exercise, can boost how your mitochondria work and help stop some of the bad things that happen as you get older.
NAD+ Boosters and Power for Mitochondria
NAD⁺ is a key part to making energy in mitochondria. Sadly, as we get older, the amount of NAD⁺ goes down, which can mess up how cells work. For example, research shows that people with weak muscles have about 32% less NAD⁺ than those who are stronger. Also, old mice have more than one-third less NAD⁺ in their muscles, which may lead them to act like they don't have enough air, making mitochondria less active and speeding up muscle loss as they age.
A good fix for this is using NMN, which makes NAD⁺. Tests on people have good results: women who are almost diabetic and took 250 mg/day of NMN for 10 weeks got better at using insulin. Also, tests on animals show that taking NMN for a long time (100–300 mg/kg/day for 12 months) made them more active.
Resveratrol is another thing that helps mitochondria. It turns on NMNAT1, an enzyme that helps make more NAD⁺.
It's good to know that things like NMN work best in people who don't have a lot of NAD⁺, something that happens more as we get older. As Andrew Philp from the Biologist of Ageing Lab at the Centenary Institute says:
"NAD+ therapeutics represent a novel nutritional approach to potentially manipulate skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and metabolic adaptation to endurance exercise." [11]
When you mix these add-ons with moving your body, you get a good way to keep the cells' power houses, called mitochondria, in shape.
MASI Longevity Science: A Full Care for Cell Help
MASI Longevity Science gives a full fix to keep mitochondria and cells strong. Their top-tier add-ons have NMN, Resveratrol, Fisetin, and Spermidine, each tackling parts of getting old and how cells work:
- NMN: Boosts NAD⁺ making.
- Resveratrol: Turns on paths tied to living long.
- Fisetin: Clears out old cells.
- Spermidine: Helps with new cell growth.
Made in Germany with top-quality parts, these items go through checks for purity and safety in Switzerland. With over 352,000 folks around the world trusting their products, MASI also gives you plans that change, making it easy to keep taking them.
Adding these add-ons to your daily moves can make the mitochondria stronger. Starting this habit in your 30s or 40s might help put off the drop in how well mitochondria work as you age.
Wrap-Up: Exercise Plus Good Food Boosts Cell Health
Working out is key to keeping cells healthy as we get older. Studies show that long workouts can raise cell power by 40–50%, and short, sharp workouts can up it by 25–35% after just 6–7 go-arounds. These workouts make new cells, get rid of bad ones, and cut down on bad byproducts, supporting what we talked about before.
Each type of workout - like running, lifting, or fast exercises - has its own perks for cell health. By working out often, you give your cells what they need to stay strong and bounce back.
Mixing good food and workouts make the perks even bigger. As we get older, our cell power drops. Stuff like NMN and Resveratrol can slow that drop, and when paired with exercise, help keep cells fit.
New studies back up that this strong mix helps a lot:
"True and lasting advancements in health are built upon meticulous research and the careful interpretation of data...the evidence overwhelmingly points to the profound and synergistic impact of lifestyle interventions, particularly exercise and nutrition, in optimizing mitochondrial function – a cornerstone of both healthy aging and disease prevention." - Mapmygenome [12]
FAQs
How does working out help the tiny bits in our cells work better and keep cells healthy?
Working out does a lot to make the tiny bits of DNA in our cells (mtDNA) work well and keep all cells healthy. When you keep moving often, your body makes new tiny energy parts called mitochondria. This helps our cells make energy better and work stronger at their small tasks. If you run or cycle a lot, it even boosts proteins needed for energy and other important cell jobs.
Also, working out makes sure that your body is great at fixing or making new mitochondria when the old ones get hurt. This cuts down on harm from cell stress, keeps cells working right, and puts off the aging effects on mitochondria. All these good things from working out make you have more zip, feel better, and be healthier overall.
Can NMN and Resveratrol make working out better for cell health, and how should you use them?
Studies show that NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) and Resveratrol can help when you work out, mainly for the cell's energy parts. NMN raises NAD+ levels, a must for making energy, fixing cells, and managing how we burn food. On the other hand, Resveratrol fires up SIRT1, a body part that helps cells get better and work well after exercise, boosting workout gains.
For the best effect, these helpers are often had in the morning with a meal full of good fats, which aid in taking them in. The amount to take each day is about 250–1,000 mg of NMN and 500–1,000 mg of Resveratrol. Having them before a workout might also lift your stamina, energy, and cell health.
As always, it's key to talk with a doctor before you start any new helpers to make sure they are right for your health needs.
