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Why does the heart muscle have so many mitochondria?


Why do heart cells have a high amount of mitochondria?

Mitochondria are the organelles in the cell that produce energy in the form of ATP. When cells complete the process of cellular respiration they produce oxygen, glucose (C6H12O6), and this form of energy. The heart muscle is truly amazing in that it is constantly contracting and relaxing, and never tires. Mitochondria are the means of providing energy for this constant activity, and a lot are needed for this. As the heart is constantly pumping blood around the body, it needs a rich supply of oxygen and glucose. There are more mitochondria found in heart cells because this means we are able to produce enough energy to keep it functioning efficiently. This is a trait we humans have evolved in order to increase our chances of survival.

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Heart muscle is truly amazing in that it is constantly contracting and relaxing, and never tires. Mitochondria are the means of providing energy for this constant activity, and a lot are needed for this.
Ruth W.
03 March 2017
Mitochondria are renowned as being 'the powerhouse of the cell' because they produce energy. The heart requires a lot of energy to function and so to ensure it has a constant source of energy, the number of mitochondria per cell is increased.
Saran D.
03 March 2017
The heart is constantly working. Mitochondria provide energy to all the cells in the body. The cells in the heart are working all the time and working hard. As a result the cells need a lot of energy and therefore a lot of mitochondria to produce the energy. As a result the cells of the heart have a large number of mitochondria. :)
Lucy F.
04 March 2017
Mitochondria are the organelles in the cell that produce energy in the form of ATP. When cells complete the process of cellular respiration they produce oxygen, glucose (C6H12O6) and this form of energy. As the heart is constantly pumping blood around the body, it needs a rich supply of oxygen and glucose. There are more mitochondria found in heart cells because this means we are able to produce enough energy to keep it functioning efficiently. This is a trait we humans have evolved in order to increase our chances of survival. 
fara_akhtar
04 March 2017
Our heart muscles contain so much mitochondria because those muscles are very active in our body and require lots of energy to constantly pump blood through our circulatory system.  Mitochondria produce energy in the form of ATP from glucose (sugar) in our cells.  ATP is produced by ATP synthase that is coupled to the Electron Transport Chain in aerobic respiration, which involves producing energy with oxygen.
krista
09 March 2017
Mitochondria supply the cell with ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which is the energy the cell needs.  A heart cell is a type of muscle cell which needs plenty of energy to contract and keep functioning. This is why a heart cell needs more mitochondria than other cells- because they need more energy. 
Fredrick O.
09 March 2017
Heart muscle cells have to convert chemical energy to kinetic energy at a high rate as they contract around 60 times a minute. Mitochondria are the site of ATP production (through the process of respiration- Oxidative phosphorylation and Kreb's cycle). ATP provides energy for the cell to contract. The more energy any cell needs to generate the more mitochondria it has.
Roderick J.
05 April 2017
they contract often due to the pumping action of the heart, when a muscle contracts ATP is required therefor many mitochondria are required for aerobic respiration to produce this ATP
madi.c
16 July 2018
a lot of mitochondria present in the cardiac cells make heart to work continuously with no tire.
alhajiro
20 June 2022
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