NAD+ Revealed as the Fountain of Youth
NAD+ Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is an essential coenzyme that plays an important role in the ageing of human beings. Human beings get to age as the amount of NAD+ decreases in our body and before we get into more explanation, we can start off by answering the question what is NAD+?
What is NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide)?
NAD+, a crucial coenzyme, holds immense importance in energy metabolism. It plays a vital role in redox reactions and serves as a necessary cofactor for enzymes like Sirtuins and PARPs (Sirtuins regulate cell processes and PARPs aid DNA repair, both need NAD+). Initially recognized for its impact on metabolic rates in yeast, NAD+ is now understood as the primary player in ageing processes in humans.
Why does NAD+ have this Importance?
NAD+ is crucial for reactions that break down food for energy. It transforms into NADH, aiding processes like glycolysis and fatty acid breakdown. Electrons from these reactions produce ATP in eukaryotes. NAD+ can also turn into NADP+, which helps manage stress and provides support for building molecules, especially in making fats. As organisms age, NAD+ levels drop, contributing to diseases, Replenishing NAD+ can alleviate ageing-related conditions, offering hope for healthier ageing.
Body Functioning and NAD+
NAD+, a crucial molecule in our bodies, ensures proper cell function and protection. It powers energy production in mitochondria, safeguards DNA, and supports overall cell health. NAD+, directly and indirectly, influences key processes like metabolism, DNA repair, and immune function, promoting healthy ageing and maintaining balance in our bodies. Its absence could lead to severe consequences, highlighting the significance of this essential molecule.
Food to Include to Increase NAD+
NAD+ is crucial for our bodies and comes from everyday foods like fruits, vegetables, milk, and meat. Initially, it was thought all dietary sources directly made NAD+. A recent study found a specific transporter, SLC12A8, in the small intestine that directly contributes to NAD+ production, challenging previous beliefs. While more research is needed to understand its role in diseases and how other NAD+ sources work, this discovery advances our understanding of NAD+.
You can meet your daily NAD+ needs by eating foods with tryptophan or taking about 15 mg of niacin per day. Niacin includes nicotinic acid (NA) and nicotinamide (NAM), which are found in meat, fish, and dairy products (National Library of Medicine, 2020).
The recommended amount of niacin that is to be consumed is as per the information provided in the table below.
Non Vegetarian Food
Information regarding each non-vegetarian food and how much niacin is in daily value is provided below.
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Vegetarian Food.
Information regarding each vegetarian food and how much niacin is in daily value is provided below.
By including the mentioned food ingredients in our food diet we would be able to keep on the recommended amount of niacin in our body which will then lead to the maintenance of NAD+ resulting in ageing slowly and maintaining a very good mental and physical health.
The information about NAD+ has been derived from the National Library of Medicine and for a better understanding of NAD+ it would be useful to visit the National Library of Medicine (Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 2020), Information regarding Niacin has been derived from National Library of Medicine (National Institutes of Health, 2022) and information about how much Niacin per serving is in each food has been derived from National Institutes of Health.
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Referencing
National Institutes of Health, 2022. Niacin. [Online] Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Niacin-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=Niacin%20is%20naturally%20present%20in,nicotinamide%20adenine%20dinucleotide%20(NAD).
National Library of Medicine, 2020. Healthy Lifestyle Recommendations: Do the Beneficial Effects Originate from NAD+ Amount at the Cellular Level?. [Online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7752291/
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 2020. NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing. [Online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7963035/