How do NAD+ Supplements Work?
Within the field of longevity and anti-aging ‘NAD and NAD supplements’ are a huge area of research. As someone familiar with the variety of health benefits NAD+ promotes, you may be wondering how NAD+ supplementation can meet the many claims that are promoted. If you want to understand the differences between NAD+ supplements and how they can benefit your health and wellbeing, then continue reading this article to get all the scientific detail.
Why should I boost NAD+ levels?
To appreciate why NAD+ supplementation is an integral part of any anti-aging regime, we must understand how important NAD+ is to cellular health.
This is highlighted by the fact that if all the NAD+ left our cells we would be dead within 30 seconds!
NAD+ is a cofactor for several reactions within our cells, mainly those involved in energy metabolism. Beyond energy production NAD+ is involved in multiple cells signaling pathways linked with aging. Subsequently, declining levels of NAD+ in aging cells is associated with several hallmarks of aging.
In older cells restoring levels of NAD+ can aid in energy production, muscle function, DNA repair, decreasing inflammation, and activating longevity genes (sirtuins).
NAD+ Synthesis
As NAD+ is so important for efficient cellular function there are several pathways that manufacture NAD+ from a variety of precursors and all of these, therefore, become important considerations when choosing an NAD supplement. The main pathways for NAD+ synthesis, shown in the diagram below are:
1. The de novo pathway
2. The Preiss-Hander pathway
3. The salvage pathway
When it comes to NAD supplementation, it’s important to note that the salvage pathway is responsible for the majority of NAD+ production and represents the cell’s youthful ability to maintain high levels of NAD+. The salvage pathway is so important it utilizes a range of precursors to ensure it is activated; nicotinamide riboside (NR), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide (NAM).
NAD+ levels decline with age
However, as our cells age their ability to manufacture NAD+ declines. Specifically, the levels of the enzymes which powers the cell’s youthful ability to recycle NAD via the salvage pathway (NAMPT) decreases.
The cells also waste more NAD+. NAD+ is used up by the cells to repair DNA and control inflammation. DNA is constantly damaged by various factors such as radiation, alcohol, free radicals. As we get older the levels of DNA damage increase and, as a result, the cell becomes overwhelmed.
Energy levels fall and the cell is unable to keep up with fixing DNA damage. This can cause a variety of problems – the physical symptoms and long term conditions we associate with aging.
Supplements can replenish NAD+ levels
NAD+ supplements aim to solve this issue by replenishing levels of NAD+ within the cells. The problem is that NAD+ itself is a very large molecule which and cannot cross the cell membrane of most cells. That is why the cell has several pathways to make NAD+ inside the cell and it’s these pathways that are targeted for supplementation.
Reversing the aging process is a challenging task; it is a very complex process involving lots of different proteins and networks within the cell. Therefore, targeting one specific protein or malfunctioning pathway will not be enough to repair the damage.
Several supplements contain NAD+ precursors, the raw materials that are needed to synthesize NAD+. The most popular being NR and NMN. This method has shown to modestly increase levels of NAD+ within cells but this single-targeted approach doesn’t address the fundamental NAD pathways within the cell.
A more recent, multi-targeted approach has been developed and researched. This whole-system approach to supplementation has been designed to replenish NAD+ levels within the cell. Specifically, it does this by fundamentally repairing the cell’s ability to manufacture NAD+. This includes restoring the essential, youthful salvage pathway by increasing levels of NAMPT.
Furthermore, the whole system approach takes into account the causes of NAD+ wastage. To decrease waste of NAD+ the CD38 inflammation marker is inhibited. Only after all these cellular issues are fixed should a NAD+ precursor be added to the cells.
NAD+ supplementation is a credible and proven anti-aging strategy. NAD+ is involved in so many aspects of health that tackling the age associated decline has great benefits. However, as aging is such a complex problem only a multitarget approach tackling the cause of the decline will give the desired results.