Dr. Jeffrey GladdenFounder & CEO of Gladden Longevity

Mitochondria: Unlock Energy & Youth 💪

12 Apr 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:15

In this YouTube monologue, Dr. Jeffrey Gladden explains that mitochondria are far more than cellular power plants—they regulate calcium balance, energy homeostasis, and hormone synthesis, making them essential to life. He describes how mitochondrial function deteriorates with age, leading to reduced energy in older adults. Exercise is highlighted as a key intervention that supports mitochondrial health. Gladden corrects the common misconception that mitochondria are created anew through biogenesis; instead, healthy mitochondria multiply by fission, a process that fails when mitochondria are already dysfunctional. He also notes that many disease and aging states involve disruption of the mitochondrial inner membrane, which impairs the electron gradient and the proton‑motive force that drives ATP production. The talk emphasizes the centrality of membrane integrity and the proton‑motive force in generating cellular energy.

Chapters

Mitochondria are really my favorite thing. I love talking about mitochondria because people sort of think of mitochondria as just our energy source, but it's not, right? It's calcium balance. It's energy balance. Our hormones are made in mitochondria. Mitochondria are kind of everything. They really are our life. And the function of mitochondria decline as we age. And, and, you know, the best way to help them is things like exercise, right? Exercise really helps with mitochondrial function. But when we have people now who, you know, just, it's, it's why, you know, you, I look at myself in my 60s and go, why, why don't I have the energy I had when I was 18? A lot of that does have to do with just more and more dysfunction. Functional mitochondria. We just don't have as healthy mitochondria. Um, so when you look at mitochondria, the whole mitochondria biogenesis is a little bit of myth. We don't actually make new mitochondria. What we do is we take healthy mitochondria and they undergo fission, so they actually make— one goes into two, two goes into four. So we can actually make, make by division, make more mitochondria. But if we don't have functional mitochondria, I don't have healthy mitochondria, that can't happen. So one of the first things when you look at a lot of disease states or even aging states, one of the things that happens inside the mitochondria is the whole membrane of the mitochondria is disrupted. So mitochondria is this very cool structure inside. It looks like a little flower. You guys have seen pictures of it, and that allows these electron gradient to occur. So we basically get these electrons that collect in these little folds, and then we create what's great, what's called proton motive force, and that's what makes energy.