Aging is a process that is determined by the accumulation of different kinds of cell damage that impair the bodily organs from functioning properly and it has many causes. One particularly important effect of the aging process is the damage that occurs to the mitochondrion of cells. The mitochondrion take nutrients, break them down and convert them into energy for cells.

“The mitochondrion contains its own DNA, which changes more than the DNA in the nucleus, and this has a significant impact on the ageing process,” says Nils-Goran Larsson, Professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and principal investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Biology and Aging in Germany.

These researchers have shown that the aging process is attributed to a person’s maternally inherited DNA in addition to mitochondrial DNA damage that occurs throughout a person’s lifetime. DNA mutations inherited from the mother can result in a more rapid aging process.

Both normal and damaged DNA is passed from generation to generation. The question remains, however, of what the possible affect the degree of mDNA damage has. Things like lifestyle intervention have not been investigated yet to determine if they can affect the amount of damage done to DNA. All that researchers know right now is that mild DNA damage can be passed down from the mother and that it does contribute to the aging process.

According to Professor Olson, low levels of damaged mDNA can have developmental effects and might assist in the development of deformities in the brain.

“Our findings can shed more light on the ageing process and prove that the mitochondria play a key part in ageing; they also show that it’s important to reduce the number of mutations,” he notes.

The data published in regards to this study was taken from experiments performed on mice. It was discovered that the mice who inherited damaged cells from their mothers ended up dying earlier and showed signs of aging, such as decreased body mass and loss of male fertility, more rapidly. Severe damage resulted in some mice developing heart muscle disease and showed an impact on brain development as well.

Research is intended to continue on mice, as well as fruit flies, to determine if the reduction of the number of mutations might be able to extend lifespans in both species.

Professor Doug Turnbull of Newcastle University, an expert on mitochondria, told the Daily Mail that your lifestyle choices still play a significant role in tempering the aging process.

“The genes you inherit can have some effect on the aging process, but the most important factor still remains your lifestyle,” he said.