Biology of Aging by National Institute of Aging - HTML preview

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Take breathing—obviously, we could not survive

without oxygen, but oxygen is a catalyst for

much of the damage associated with aging

because of the way it is metabolized inside our

cells. Tiny parts of the cell, called mitochondria,

use oxygen to convert food into energy. While

mitochondria are extremely efficient in doing

this, they produce potentially harmful by-

products called oxygen free radicals. A variety

of environmental factors, including tobacco

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