Aging causes many functions in our body to degrade. In my book, Longevity Secrets of Healthy Aging, I discuss two of the primary causes of aging – the reduction of human growth hormone (HGH) and increased rate of loss of telomere length. As HGH decreases, natural chemical production in the body also decreases. One such chemical that declines with age is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+).
NAD+ levels decrease by half by the time you reach fifty years of age and by eighty years of age those levels approach the one to ten percent level. NAD+ deficiency causes early and accelerated aging. It is found in every cell in our bodies. In our youth, it protects against inflammation, DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Restoring NAD+ promotes longevity. It provides the protection that it did earlier in your life. Tests on animals show that NAD+ supplementation increased the lifespan by five percent. In human terms, that would mean an extra four years. However, the critical thing to note is that those last four years would be significantly healthier compared to those not supplementing NAD+.
Sirtuin proteins help to maintain the length of our telomeres (the endcaps of our DNA). Every time a cell replicates, a little bit of the telomere is lost. Think of the telomere as a roll of pennies. There are fifty pennies in a roll. Each time the cell replicates, a penny is lost. NAD+ is required for sirtuin protein production. A loss in NAD+ due to aging means that sirtuin production is decreased and the rate of telomere loss increases.
Lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, and an unhealthy diet contribute to increased telomere attrition. An obese person who smokes might lose two or three pennies per cell replication according to my example above.
Our DNA is under attack every second of every day. Broken DNA strands and mutations accumulate. A robust immune system helps to correct DNA damage. As DNA damage accumulates, an enzyme known as PARP-1 (poly {ADP-ribose} polymerase 1) is created to repair the damage. PARP-1 requires massive amounts of NAD+. As NAD+ decreases, DNA repair is compromised.
Immunosenescence is the deterioration of the immune system usually associated with aging. As a result, our bodies (immune systems) can’t protect us. Immunosenescence is intertwined with our mitochondria function. NAD+ is used by our mitochondria to regulate power creation and distribution in our cells. Lower levels of NAD+ reduce cellular energy balance.
NAD+ levels have many other active mechanisms affecting our health and longevity. NAD+ cannot be taken directly as a supplement. Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is converted into NAD+ in our bodies. NR is a highly bioavailable oral supplement. It can easily be found quickly or ordered online.
NR not only boosts the levels of NAD+ but has shown promise in studies preventing diseases associated with abnormal energy utilization such as obesity and diabetes. Animal studies yielded positive results with glucose tolerance and preventing diabetic nerve damage. It is best known for its ability to combat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
