Ok, I’ll be honest. The first time I heard about Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) was about 25 years ago in a college biochemistry class during undergrad. Do I remember much about the Krebs Cycle? Or where NAD+ fits into it? Ummmm, no.
More recently, however, I heard about NAD+ and it’s building block Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) while at a doctor visit with a friend. My friend has ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and someday you may learn more about his story. But today I’m sharing what I learned about NAD+ and how it keeps our bodies running optimally. Studies have shown that NAD+ levels decrease as we get older which can impact our skin, memory and muscle tone. Consequently, our scientific community has been studying whether NAD+ supplementation can help restore (or maintain!) our youth. Guess what? Studies show that it can...especially if you are a worm, fly or a rodent! Well, research has to start somewhere, right? ;) So, even though the information I’ve gleaned was based on animal research models, I still believe we have a reason to be encouraged!
Energy. Within all of our cells we have structures (organelles) called mitochondria. You may even have heard of them described as the “powerhouses” of our cells. NAD+ is involved in 2 processes within the mitochondria that make the energy that our muscles, nerves and organs need to work properly. The first process is called the Krebs Cycle, which is where NADH is produced. The second process is called the Electron Transport Chain, where ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate - the energy for our cells) is produced. A fun chemistry video depicted NADH as a carrier bus that travels from the Krebs Cycle to the Electron Transport Chain and drops off its passengers: 2 electrons and H (hydrogen). This “empty” carrier bus (NAD+) then travels back to the Krebs Cycle to get more passengers and continues this shuttling back and forth. However you want to remember it, NAD+ is important for energy production.
Skin. When the sun’s UV rays react with our skin, free radicals are produced. Oxidative stress occurs when these free radical molecules build up in our bodies and damage cells, proteins and DNA. Cumulative oxidative stress in our skin cells is the ‘hallmark’ of ageing...fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots. In extreme cases, oxidative stress can lead to forms of skin cancer. Fortunately, our bodies contain special proteins called sirtuins that help repair damaged DNA. [3] In order for these proteins to function properly, they require a coenzyme...you guessed it...NAD+. Supplementing the body with NAD+ can activate more sirtuins, repair more damaged skin cells and reduce the signs of skin ageing. It was done in mice! [5]
Memory. Many of us can probably name one family member who has been affected by some kind of memory impairment, whether dementia, Alzheimer’s or another neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s. Nerve cells (neurons) have a very high energy demand, so it makes sense that they would not function well if our bodies were energy depleted. Like our skin cells, neurons need NAD+ for energy production, DNA repair and cell signaling. In a study with “Alzheimer’s”mice, supplementation with NR (the NAD+ precursor) not only resulted in normalized nerve transmission, reduced inflammation and decreased DNA damage but also showed improvement in learning, memory and motor function! [2] That’s amazing to me since it is not just preventing memory loss, but actually restoring memory function!
Muscle Function. Remember the friend I mentioned? Well, I often find myself searching for answers to solve his ALS condition. ALS is a motor neuron disease which affects both nerves and muscles, causing muscle atrophy. DNA damaged by oxidative stress can interfere with genes needed to repair DNA and make new cells.[3] Yet with adequate NAD+ levels, sirtuins (the DNA repairing protein) can signal a delay in cellular death (cellular death = apoptosis) and provide damaged and vulnerable cells with extra time to repair, even after repeated oxidative stress insults. [3] Extra time for your cells to heal is always a good thing, especially if you can’t readily make new ones! In separate studies, NR supplementation also improved muscle and cardiac function in mice,[4] and improved motor function, mitochondrial function and protected against neuronal cell death. [1] The most impressive response I read about however, was that NR supplementation actually reversed progressive muscle wasting in mice that were used as a model for humans with muscular dystrophy. [1]
So, why do I share all of this with you? It seems that whenever research uncovers a naturally occurring substance that does amazing things in the body, someone manufactures it into a supplement to make money. Well, it turns out that only a small amount of supplemental NAD actually makes it into the cells where it is needed. As a result, more focus has been on creating supplements that contain the building blocks for NAD+, like NR. And yes, there are NR supplements on the market. I know this because my friend is taking one.
Ironically, however, NR is also naturally abundant in milk.
Since I have A2 cows, raw milk is readily available on my farm. But if you can’t do dairy, don’t worry...there are other foods which are also high in NAD and NR! My point here is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on fancy supplements if you want to boost your NAD! Instead, find locally grown quality foods. Let’s eat ourselves healthy! Here are a few of your options if you would like to give your mitochondria a boost:
Milk : Contains some NAD but it’s much higher in NR
Fatty Fish : Tuna, salmon and sardines are rich in NAD
Mushrooms : Especially crimini mushrooms. I had to look them up. They look like mushrooms.
Yeast : The ingredient that makes homemade bread smell so wonderful is high in NR. Want to avoid the carbs? Try nutritional yeast. It adds a wonderful savory flavor to soups and other dishes.
Green vegetables : Mom always said to eat them. Peas and asparagus are a particularly good source of NAD.
Have a NAD, NR or food struggle or success? Please share your wisdom with us all!
1. Translational Medicine of Aging 2 (2018) 30-37
2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America February 5 2018 (www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1718819115)
3. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0042357
