Scienze dell'Alimentazione e della Nutrizione Umana
Relatore: Douglas C. Wallace, Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Abstract
Life in the interplay between structure (anatomy), energy (vital force) and information. In animals and thus humans most of the energy is generated via the mitochondria and the most important mitochondrial energy genes are coded by the thousands of copies of the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). All biological processes are limited by energy, yet Western Medicine has focused on anatomy and the Mendelian-inherited nuclear DNA (nDNA) genes. Consequently, the role of bioenergetics in human health and disease has been largely overlooked. Once the importance of energy is recognized, all of the common metabolic and degenerative diseases as well as aging can be seen has having a common etiology, declining energy output resulting in the progressive failure of the highest energy demand tissues, the brain, heart, muscle, renal, and endocrine systems.
