Scientists analyze: The maintenance of mitochondrial function may be the key secret to their health and longevity. The research results have been recently published in "Neurobiology of Aging," an important international journal in the field of aging.

Through two years of research, Chinese scientists have made important progress in the genetic research of long-lived elderly people and their descendants - their mitochondrial DNA copy number levels are significantly higher than those of the general elderly population. Scientists analyze: The maintenance of mitochondrial function may be the key secret to their health and longevity. The research results have been recently published in "Neurobiology of Aging," an important international journal in the field of aging.

According to He Yonghan, the first author of the paper and an associate researcher at the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, longevity old people, especially centenarians, can often escape or delay the troubles of common aging-related diseases, and their offspring are more likely to develop old-age diseases. It is also significantly lower than the general population. What exactly makes them live longer?

A preliminary collaborative study between the human evolution and disease genes research group led by researcher Kong Qingpeng of the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the laboratory of Hainan Medical College Professor Cai Wangwei found that: the energy metabolism of long-lived elderly people is important. Significantly better than the general elderly population. "Therefore, healthy and long-lived elderly people and their offspring are often regarded by the academic community as an ideal model of healthy aging. Based on this model, we want to deeply analyze the genetic mechanism of healthy and long-lived people, and provide a new perspective and opportunity for the prevention, treatment and intervention of elderly diseases."

He Yonghan explained that abnormal energy metabolism is closely related to organ aging and disease, and mitochondria are the core organelles that produce energy and energy metabolism and are called the "energy factory of human cells." The decline of mitochondrial function, mutations or damage of mitochondrial DNA are considered to be important foundations of aging and related diseases. "We have found through research that the mitochondrial DNA copy number level of healthy and long-lived people is significantly higher than that of the general elderly population. This reminds us that the maintenance of mitochondrial function may be the key to maintaining health and achieving longevity."

Scientists passed preliminary experiments A bold conjecture was made - given that mitochondrial DNA follows the maternal inheritance pattern, and the proportion of long-lived women is significantly higher than that of men, the offspring of long-lived old people are likely to inherit the mitochondrial DNA copy number pattern of their parents, allowing them to obtain longevity. Survival advantage. In order to test this conjecture, the researchers collected blood samples from more than 60 longevity families (206 family members) in Chengmai County, Hainan Province. Each family included the longevity elder, the elder's children, and the elder's children's spouse. They compared the indicators longitudinally and horizontally. A comparative analysis was conducted.

After analyzing the mitochondrial DNA of their blood white blood cells , the researchers found that the mitochondrial DNA copy number level of the offspring of the long-lived elderly was not only significantly higher than that of the control group of the same age, but was also highly correlated with the mitochondrial DNA copy number of the long-lived elderly.

He Yonghan said that when they got the interesting experimental result that "longevity-related mitochondrial DNA copy number patterns may be inherited", they were very excited and wrote and submitted a paper as soon as possible. As a result, the reviewer pointed out that the results of population studies are affected by many factors and may be accidental, and need to be verified in an independent population. In line with the rigor and reproducibility of scientific research, they went to Wanning City, another longevity area in Hainan Province, to conduct sampling.

"The same results were verified in 153 samples from Wanning 's longevity family population. This result further indicates that the maintenance of mitochondrial DNA copy number levels may be a key factor for the health and longevity of long-lived elderly people and their offspring." He Yonghan said.

Scientists obtained transcriptome sequencing information from these long-lived family groups and found that the SSBP4 gene may be involved in the replication of mitochondrial DNA and is highly expressed in long-lived elderly people and their offspring. Therefore, it was initially determined that the SSBP4 gene regulates the copy number of mitochondrial DNA in long-lived families. The key factor.

During two in-depth sampling visits to longevity areas, the research team also discovered the secrets of some centenarians’ longevity. "Longevity is the result of a variety of factors, and genetic factors only account for about 30%." He Yonghan said that long-lived elderly people have an optimistic and cheerful mentality, eat a light and non-greasy diet, like to drink tea, and pay attention to maintaining appropriate exercise. . These are very consistent with the healthy lifestyle advocated by society and are important influencing factors for longevity.

In addition, He Yonghan also mentioned that academic research on nematode , fruit fly , mice and other organisms has found that "energy restriction" can significantly extend lifespan. "The popular explanation is that on the premise of ensuring human nutrition, eating an eight-point full diet will help promote longevity and improve health."

Live longer with your family

A Canadian study shows that factors that have a greater impact on life span It's family, not a circle of friends. A research team led by James Eveniuk, a professor at the University of Toronto, asked a group of people aged 57 to 85 to name up to five close relationships and found that people who have "extremely close" relationships with family members have a risk of death in the next five years of approximately 6%, compared with 14% for people with "less close" relationships with family members. In addition, those with "close ties" who have more family members have a lower risk of death than those who have fewer family members. Evenniuk told the British " Daily Mail " that people might think that allowing you to freely choose friends according to your needs would have a greater impact on life expectancy, "but the data does not support this idea. It is those who are in a certain situation." To the extent that you have to choose the person, and they have to choose you, the person who brings the greatest benefit to longevity."

Read more and live longer

A study by American scientists shows that people who read more live longer. Yale University A 12-year study found that people who love reading live nearly two years longer on average than those who don’t read at all. If you read 3.5 hours a week, your risk of death drops by 23%. Reading newspapers, magazines and journals can also extend your life, but the effect is not significant. Yale University recruited 3,635 volunteers over the age of 50 and divided them into three categories: never read, read 3.5 hours a week, and read more. After 12 years, researchers found that people who love reading live 23 months longer than those who never read. They also found that active "bookworms" tend to be women with advanced degrees and high incomes. However, this study doesn't explain why. The British "Daily Mail" quoted the research leader and Yale University professor Becca Levy on the 4th as saying: "Even if other factors such as wealth, education level and cognitive ability are taken into account, people who read books still have a significant survival advantage."

Mitochondria are the important "energy factories" of our body.

Almost every cell in the human body contains hundreds to thousands of mitochondria. They are responsible for converting the energy in food molecules into ATP energy, which powers most cellular functions.

Mitochondria can produce 90% of the energy required for human body functioning.

It is the small "power station" of the human body. Most of the energy required for cell survival is produced in mitochondria, which are the source of life.

In the process of anti-aging in the human body, mitochondria are also very important: the secret of anti-aging, optimizing the energy powerhouse mitochondria...)

However, there is such a mitochondria-related disease that will seriously affect human health.

Mitochondrial Diseases are long-term, hereditary diseases caused by mitochondrial dysfunction.

This disease occurs when mitochondria cannot produce enough energy for the body to function properly.

Research shows that one in 5,000 people suffers from inherited mitochondrial diseases.

So, what is mitochondrial disease ?

Mitochondrial Diseases

→What are mitochondrial diseases

Mitochondrial Diseases (Mitochondrial Diseases) are a group of diseases caused by mitochondrial dysfunction.

When the number or function of mitochondria in cells is disrupted, it results in the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is implicated in the cause of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes , neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer .

Healthy mitochondria, which produce less ROS, may prevent chronic disease by inducing upregulation of mitochondrial capacity and endogenous antioxidant defense.

Mitochondrial disorders will also cause the production of ATP energy to decrease, leading to human organ dysfunction.

In addition, mitochondrial diseases may also be caused by mutations (acquired or inherited) in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial components; or acquired mitochondrial dysfunction due to drugs, infections, or other environmental causes.

Mitochondrial disease can affect almost any part of the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, ears, etc.

This disease can cause a large number of human health problems, including fatigue, weakness, metabolism, etc. Stroke, epileptic seizures , cardiomyopathy , arrhythmia , development, Parkinson's, dementia and other cognitive disorders , diabetes, hearing, vision, growth, liver, gastrointestinal or renal dysfunction. Loss and so on.

Looking at aging and cancer from the perspective of mitochondria

Mitochondrial gene aging

Aging (MIM502000) is a comprehensive manifestation of the decline and disorder of physiological functions of the body during the degeneration period. It is an irreversible life process and is affected by various internal and external factors. The delayed onset and progressive course of mitochondrial disease suggests that mitochondrial function deteriorates with age. Under normal physiological conditions, the body's own defense system can promptly remove oxygen free radicals generated during energy metabolism.

In the process of individual aging, the role of the antioxidant defense system weakens, and free radicals in mitochondria cannot be effectively cleared and accumulate, resulting in oxidative damage to mitochondria, including biofilm damage, mtDNA damage, etc. A large number of studies have confirmed that aging is closely related to the decrease in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylase activity and the accumulation of mutant mtDNA in terminally dividing tissues. The types of mutations associated with aging are mainly deletions and are associated with oxidative damage. mtDNA mutations in somatic cells increase with age and are positively correlated with the degree of aging. The accumulation of mtDNA mutations can induce a variety of age-related diseases.

Mitochondria regulate the development of tumors

Decades ago, Otto Warburg observed that cancers undergo glycolysis under aerobic conditions. For some time, researchers have speculated that defects in mitochondrial function are the root cause of cancer.

However, the latest research now confirms that there are no defects in mitochondria in tumor cells. Metabolic changes in cancer cells are driven by some cancer-related gene mutations and protein expression. Researchers believe that cancer cells can obtain more raw materials for biomacromolecule synthesis through aerobic glycolysis. These biological molecules provide the material basis (proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and carbohydrates ) for the rapid division and proliferation of cancer cells. The proteins expressed by these cancer-related gene mutations also regulate the function of mitochondria, control the energy production and redox balance of cells, and then affect the body's innate immune system and cell apoptosis .

In fact, mitochondrial biogenesis and quality control are generally upregulated in cancer cells. Some cancer cells harbor genetic mutations in enzymes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle in the mitochondria, thereby promoting cancer-related metabolic changes.

The study also found that the mutation of DNA in mitochondria has a negative selection effect on mitochondrial pathogenesis (including cancer development). Then, by targeting mitochondrial DNA, it may provide some help in inhibiting the occurrence of cancer. Some data show that some rare cancers with mitochondrial gene mutations are benign tumors .

Therefore, mitochondria play an important regulatory role in the progression of tumors to malignancy. This will also be a future opportunity for us to control cancer by targeting mitochondria.

So how to detect mitochondrial problems?

There are many ways to check for mitochondrial disease: including genetic diagnostic testing, genetic or biochemical testing of affected tissue (such as muscle or liver), and other blood or urine-based biochemical markers, among others.

Mitochondrial diseases generally cannot be cured, but treatments can be used to help reduce and relieve symptoms.

Mitochondrial disease relief treatments generally include:

→ Vitamin supplements, intake of supplements

including, for example, coenzyme Q10, B complex vitamins, especially thiamine (B1) and riboflavin (B2), sulfur Caprylic acid , L-carnitine (Carnitor), creatine , and L-arginine , etc.

→Endurance exercises and resistance training

are designed to increase muscle size and muscle strength. (Among them, endurance exercises include walking, running, swimming, dancing, cycling, etc.; resistance/strength training includes sit-ups, pull-ups, weightlifting, etc.)

→ Avoid stress sources

such as Long-term lack of sleep, excessive stress, smoking and drinking, etc.

In addition, there are generally many factors that affect mitochondrial function, such as excessive oxidative stress , tobacco and alcohol, etc.

On August 3, 2021, a research paper was published in the Cell sub-journal and found that too many carbohydrates will affect the integrity of mitochondrial function, damage mitochondria, and affect human metabolism.