As you get older, the cells in your body change dramatically.
Sure enough, age itself prevents them from functioning efficiently, but there are also negative effects that occur as a consequence of certain factors such as the environment, stress and disease.
The purpose of cutting-edge anti-ageing medicine is to slow, stop or even reverse the process of ageing, in addition to actively repairing any cell damage.
The result? A body that’s healthier — and younger — for longer.
How Does NAD Help the Body?
As time goes on, several chemical processes of ageing happen in your cells, including oxidation, glycation and methylation.
And it’s because of glycation that new DNA linked to other chemicals isn’t able to be produced for future cells, causing cell regeneration to cease.
What does this mean, you ask? Well, when your body can no longer create new, healthy cells to maintain its functions and tissues, it will age and eventually die.
That said, anti-ageing supplements aim to restore functional proteins and DNA in your cells. They can also utilise antioxidants to prevent the oxidation that begins the entire process.
Different Forms of NAD
One of the most effective anti-ageing molecules that have been discovered is called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, also known as NAD.
This is a coenzyme present in all cells and linked to cell metabolism, and it has two major forms:
- NAD+, which serves all of NAD’s functions
- NADH, which is occupied by electrons and therefore unable to be utilised
NAD+, in particular, turns the nutrients we eat into adenosine triphosphate (or ATP) to aid the cells in exchanging and producing energy. This then has long-lasting effects.
The Anti-Ageing Benefits of NAD+
Research suggests that taking NAD+ as an oral supplement has several health benefits for people of any age.
Why? Well, often referred to as the “Golden Nucleotide,” NAD+ has an instrumental role in all essential biological processes. By increasing DNA damage repair, NAD+ helps to:
- Boost cognitive function, which will improve your memory and focus
- Increase energy levels, so that you feel more alert
- Boost metabolism, which can result in weight loss
- Restore youthfulness, so that you look and feel younger
- Reduce inflammation, which can eliminate redness and puffiness in your skin
NAD+ has also recently been proven to play a role in human sleep cycles and feelings of hunger. It aids your circadian rhythm, which ultimately determines when you feel tired, awake, hungry or active.
(If you’d like to try it for yourself, read more about the THEAGEHACK supplement here, which has been clinically formulated to provide you with a high-quality source of NAD+. Note that adults should take one capsule twice daily, in the morning or at night, with or without food.)
What is NMN?
Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), on the other hand, is a precursor to NAD+.
How does this work, you ask? Well, NMN becomes NAD+ through a sequence of chemical transformations.
This means that because levels of NAD+ are found in every cell of your body and decline naturally with age, so does NMN.
Having said that, NMN doesn’t enter the cell easily. It needs to chemically transform into another molecule called nicotinamide riboside (or NR), which can enter the cell as it is before transforming back to NMN and becoming NAD+.
Why Supplement with NMN?
Did you know that you naturally get NAD+ into your body by consuming foods with NAD+ precursors in them?
Having said that, humans are unable to eat enough of anything to increase their NAD+ levels, which is why supplementing with an NAD+ precursor can really aid cellular health and kickstart the anti-ageing process.
There has always been a debate amongst scientists regarding which precursor is the better NAD booster.
The truth is: NR and NMN are both crucial to the ageing process and elevating your cells’ levels of NAD+.
Although, according to current research, the conversion between NR and NMN must occur for entry into the cell. This actually suggests that NMN is one of the quickest ways to stimulate NAD production.
NMN Anti-Ageing Benefit
There is also research that indicates NMN supplements have additional anti-ageing benefits to NAD+.
This research denotes that NMN can now be added to cells without transforming into NAD. And this is done through transport proteins that increase in number once NAD levels decrease.
As a result, NMN can contribute to cell energy and provide the ability for them to grow and regenerate. It can also improve insulin activity and production, which has other beneficial metabolic effects and can ease conditions like obesity, fatty liver disease and diabetes.
That said, why not supplement with NMN as well as NAD+?
Studies have suggested that this will increase the likelihood of stimulating cell metabolism quickly and efficiently so that you feel and see anti-ageing effects.
Other Ways to Increase Your NAD Levels
In addition to taking NAD+ in supplement form, you can increase your body’s NAD levels in the following ways.
- Adjust your eating habits: Diets that are high in fats and low in carbohydrates, such as keto or Atkins), use fat for energy instead of glucose. This technique increases the ratio of NAD+ to NADH and protects your body from oxidation.
- Practise intermittent fasting: Long periods of fasting or severe calorie restriction isn’t recommended for most adults. However, intermittent fasting is a more sustainable way of achieving the same results and raising your NAD+ levels.
Having said that, if you have heart disease, diabetes or increased LDL cholesterol, a high-fat diet or fasting might not be advisable.
Ergo, NAD+ or NMN supplements are often the safest and most convenient way to increase your body’s production of NAD.
However, if you’re unsure about whether these supplements would be beneficial for you, consult a health professional before you proceed.
The Takeaway
Just like your body will never stop ageing, the science behind revolutionary anti-ageing medicine will never stop evolving.
Until there’s a miracle cure that keeps you young forever, you can successfully slow down the ageing process in your cells using both NAD+ and NMN supplementation.
And when your body’s younger, this then has a positive impact on the way you look and feel.
Look out for the next blog post in the “Cutting-Edge Anti-Ageing Trends” series, “Part 5: Fasting,”coming very soon!
