If you're interested in health and wellness, and especially healthy aging, you've almost certainly heard about supporting NAD levels.
But what is NAD?
NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a coenzyme found in every single cell in your body. It plays a massive role in basically every aspect of health, from energy metabolism to DNA support and other cellular functions. In fact, NAD is required for over five hundred enzymatic reactions in your body and virtually every biological process.
Unfortunately, levels naturally decline with age, and boosting NAD levels has been an area of fascination to healthy aging enthusiasts everywhere.
And while you can consume CoQ10 to improve your CoQ10 levels, or take melatonin when you're yearning for more sleep, NAD is different. We can't just take NAD directly as a supplement since it is poorly absorbed by the digestive system and cannot pass through the cell membrane.
Scientists have therefore turned to NAD precursors to raise NAD levels. (A precursor is a molecule that is used to build other molecules.)
If you are looking for a way to promote healthy aging and energy production, a NAD-boosting supplement is something you will want to have in your arsenal.
Healthy NAD levels are key when it comes to many of your wellness and aging-related goals—aging gracefully, maintaining optimal health, and keeping your energy up!
Nicotinamide riboside, or NR, is a great way for you to help your body increase NAD levels and ensure your cells have enough of this essential coenzyme.
- Alegre GFS, Pastore GM. "NAD+ Precursors Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) and Nicotinamide Riboside (NR): Potential Dietary Contribution to Health." Curr Nutr Rep. September 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10240123/
- Conze D, et al. "Safety and Metabolism of Long-term Administration of NIAGEN (Nicotinamide Riboside Chloride) in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial of Healthy Overweight Adults." Scientific Reports. July 2019. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-46120-z
- Grozio A, et al. "Slc12a8 is a nicotinamide mononucleotide transporter." Nat Metab. January 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6530925/
- Hwang ES, Song SB. "Nicotinamide is an inhibitor of SIRT1 in vitro, but can be a stimulator in cells." Cell Mol Life Sci. September 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28417163/
- Ito TK, et al. "A single oral supplementation of nicotinamide within the daily tolerable upper level increases blood NAD+ levels in healthy subjects." Translational Medicine of Aging. 2021. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468501121000055