Nad + is the acronym for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It is found virtually in all living cells. Nad+ is essential to sustaining life. As a co-factor in cell energy transfer, Nad+ plays a critical role in regulating aging process. A fascinating aspect of Nad+ is its dual role in protecting against factors that age us. This includes mitigating chemical stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and failing mitochondria. At the same time, Nad+ promotes longevity by facilitating DNA repair and providing cellular benefits associated with caloric restriction and exercice.
Nad+ levels markedly decline with age, creating an energy deficit that decreases the body’s ability to retain youthful function.
To give an idea how impactful Nad+ can be, by age of 50 a typical person may have only half of the Nad+ they did in youth. By age of 80, Nad+ levels drop to only 1% to 10% expressed in youth.
Deficiency of Nad+ predisposes us to accelerate aging and impedes our ability to fully benefit from reservatrol. Fortunately, it is easy to restore the patient’s cellular Nad+ to higher ranges.
In other words, while a decline in Nad+ levels may negatively influence lifespan, restoring Nad+ is increasingly being viewed as a cutting-edge tool to promote longevity.
Mechanisms of Nad+
- Nad+ may contribute to longer Telomeres
- Nad+ promotes DNA repair
- Nad+ modulates immune-cell signaling
- Nad+ induces energy-intensive enzymes
- Nad+ promotes chromosome stability
- Nad+ is a neurotransmitter
- Nad+ activates sirtuins
- Nad+ supports energy production
How to boost Nad+
Researchers discovered that the compound nicotinamide riboside is rapidly converted by natural cellular enzymes into active Nad+. Nicotinamide riboside boosts Nad+ and appears useful in preventing diseases associated with abnormal energy utilization. These include obesity, diabetes, and artherosclerosis, which are components of methabolic syndrome.
Regular exercise is a panacea to most of the age accelerating processes in our bodies. Recent studies are showing that nicotinamide riboside helps improve exercise performance by improving mitochondrial dynamics and muscle functions.
