Mitochondria are the dynamos, or the power generators, of the human body.

They are intracellular organelles found in most cells, oblong-shaped membrane bound structures resembling kidney beans. They have inner folds called cristae that transfer electric charges from one compound to another.

The main function of mitochondria is to create energy from broken down food residues. Ingested food is digested to smaller compounds that are absorbed across the gastrointestinal system into the blood stream. Those compounds are then absorbed into individual cells.

In a stepwise series of reactions involving enzymes, carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars. These sugars are further broken down into smaller carbon fragments that generate high energy electrons. The electrons enter the electron transport chain in the inner lining of the mitochondria.

Once there, the electrons are transferred from different molecule to different molecule. These biochemical reactions are also dependent on oxygen. This oxygen dependent chain reaction is also called aerobic respiration. At the end of the chain a high energy molecule of ATP or adenine triphosphate is created.

ATP is the main source of energy produced in mitochondria and used for many different reactions inside cells throughout the human body. ATP must be continually produced on a daily basis to sustain life. It has been estimated that the human body produces its entire weight in ATP........

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