Anthony Molina, PhD is a Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego and Research Chief in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care. In 2022 he was appointed Scientific Director of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging and the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging, where he oversees a broad portfolio of aging research.

Dr. Molina is principal investigator of the Successful AGing Evaluation (SAGE) study, a 15-year longitudinal cohort project with more than 2,000 participants, and leads a Wellcome Leap–funded initiative examining mitochondrial function's role in resilience and healthy aging. His work focuses on translating aging research into precision healthcare for older adults.

In this episode, Dr. Molina explains mitochondria's central role in producing cellular energy and driving the aging process, and describes his research into the "exposome" — how factors like stress, diet, and even childhood adversity can leave a lasting, measurable mark on mitochondrial health well into old age.

"The brain represents about 2% of your total body mass. However, it probably consumes about 20% of your total energy intake every day, and that's just at rest. Because of the incredibly high metabolic demand of neurons, when there are alterations in mitochondrial function, they can have outsized impacts on brain health."