The Benefits of NAD+
NAD+
We have been hearing a lot about NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinuclotide), and its health benefits in both traditional and functional medicine. NAD+ is a cellular coenzyme that plays an essential role in both metabolic and signaling reactions and has been identified as a key agent in the capacity for mitochondrial and cellular functions. It has also been linked to particular stages in the process of aging.
NAD+ plays a critical role in ‘redox reactions’ that lead to the formation of ATP (energy) within our cells. It is because of this that maintenance of adequate NAD+ levels are required to maintain tissue health and balance and stress response.
NAD+ serves as an exclusive co-substrate for two key groups of enzymes that affect cellular repair and longevity—the sirtuins (SIRTs) and the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs). These enzymes affect the signals associated with cellular restoration and longevity and are directly dependent on NAD+ availability to perform their functions.
Unfortunately, as we age we our levels of NAD+ decline to somewhere around 2% at the age of 70 than what we had as a young child. Age related declines of NAD+ have been observed in liver, skin, brain, plasma, skeletal muscle and the immune system. Chronically low levels have been correlated with degenerative disease conditions, and a steep, age‑related drop in NAD+ now ranks among the most reproducible molecular signatures of human aging, driving metabolic slowdown, mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA‑repair deficits, chronic inflammation, and stem‑cell fatigue.
BENEFITS OF NAD+ RESTORATION
Restoration of NAD+ in vivo has demonstrated whole-body benefits. In animal studies supplemental NAD+ has been shown to decrease cardiovascular inflammation, increase skeletal muscle, improve vision, provide liver, kidney and organ protection, increase the quality and number of stem cells and improve neurological functioning including Alzheimers disease.
In human studies NAD+ has shown notable observations that include a trend towards an improvement in cardiovascular functioning including lower systolic blood pressure and aortic stiffness, a reduction in circulating inflammatory cytokines and an increase in mitochondrial function. The diverse protective and regenerative capacity of NAD+ has been attributed to its involvement in the prevention of multiple hallmarks of cellular aging. Studies have also shown that NAD+ improves insulin sensitivity and enhances neurological performance.
The understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of aging has grown exponentially over recent years, and it is now accepted within the scientific community that aging is a ‘malleable’ process; just as it can be accelerated, it can also be slowed and even, on occasion reversed. This provides a new world of opportunities in new era of cellular regenerative medicine to not only manage the external signs of aging but also to develop therapies that support the body to repair and restore itself back to a state of internal, and external well-being.
At Willow Holsitic Health we offer both IV and IM NAD+ supplementation, which is the most efficient way of delivering this vital molecule to our cells.
See the study: “Boost NAD+ for Anti‑Aging: A Multidimensional Review of Molecular, Lifestyle and Therapeutic Interventions”.