Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a molecule derived, among others, from vitamin B3.
Recent studies have highlighted the role it plays in maintaining body systems ‘youthful’, which has led to the suggestion that NAD supplementation could help slow down aging and boost longevity.
But how much truth is there behind these claims? Longevity expert Şebnem Ünlüişler weighs in.
What is NAD?
“Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a central cellular coenzyme required for mitochondrial energy production, DNA repair, and regulation of stress response pathways including sirtuins and PARPs,” Ünlüişler told us.
This makes it extremely important for cellular health, given that mitochondria, commonly referred to as “the powerhouses of the cell,” are what provides each cell with energy, and are also crucially involved in cell signalling — the communication between them — and eventually cellular death.
Furthermore, sirtuins are proteins that play key roles in inflammation and DNA repair, and PARPs, which is short for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases, are similarly involved in the regulation of immune responses and maintaining cellular health.
What role does NAD play in aging processes?
Given that NAD is so intricately involved in cellular processes and cellular health, it follows that it is also a key factor in the most basic aspects of aging processes.
In the body, “NAD+ levels decline with age, and this reduction is associated with impaired mitochondrial function, reduced genomic stability, and increased cellular stress, all of which are linked to biological aging processes,” explained Ünlüişler.
But what does this mean in terms of replenishing NAD stores? Is it possible to easily reverse this natural process?
Can we derive NAD from dietary sources?
The longevity expert noted that this molecule is not one that we can easily obtain from food, which complicates matters.
“NAD+ itself is not significantly absorbed from food, but the body synthesizes it from dietary precursors such as tryptophan and vitamin B3 forms including niacin, nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside,” she explained.