The TL;DR
ATP is the battery of the cell. Every thought you think, every muscle you twitch, and every beat of your heart is powered by the breaking of an ATP molecule. You recycle your own body weight in ATP every single day. Aging is effectively a decline in ATP production efficiency.
The Science
ATP is produced in the mitochondria via the Electron Transport Chain (ETC).
- Food enters: Glucose or Fatty Acids.
- Krebs Cycle: Extracts electrons.
- ETC: Uses electrons to pump protons, turning a molecular turbine (ATP Synthase) to make ATP.
Why it matters for longevity: When this process gets inefficient (mitochondrial dysfunction), you get less ATP and more toxic exhaust (ROS). This is the energetic basis of aging.
Connected Concepts
- Mitochondria
- Metabolism
- VO2 Max (A measure of your ATP generation capacity)