Studies show there are a variety of benefits associated with increasing your NAD+ levels, as someone who appreciates these you will be interested in what the most up to date research says is the best way to boost your NAD+ levels.
You can increase your NAD+ levels naturally with exercise and fasting practices, but many people also use NAD+ boosting supplements to further optimize their levels. It is important to note that NAD+ is a large molecule, so pure NAD+ struggles to enter many cells. That is why cells have their own efficient way of making NAD+ inside the cell.
Youthful cells predominantly make NAD+ via the Salvage Pathway
To understand the best method to increase your NAD+ levels, the first thing to appreciate is how youthful cells naturally make NAD+.
NAD+ is a large molecule so where possible the cells prefer to recycle it rather than make it entirely from scratch. This NAD+ recycling system is called the Salvage Pathway and is the largest source of NAD+ in youthful cells.
When the NAD+ is used up in energy production and by cellular maintenance and repair pathways it leaves behind the waste product nicotinamide (NAM). This nicotinamide is then recycled back into fresh NAD+ that can be used again by the cells.
This means that when we are young, our NAD+ levels are high because our cells can make and recycle all the NAD+ they need.
Older cells lose NAD+ recycling ability
As we get older NAD+ levels decline, by around 50% every 20 years and this is due to the loss of this natural NAD+ recycling ability within cells. It is now known that levels of the enzyme which powers the Salvage Pathway (NAMPT) declines with age, meaning less NAD+ recycling.
When this happens the waste nicotinamide accumulates in the cell as it cannot be recycled. Cells work optimally when there is ‘homeostasis’ (when everything is in balance) so they have to methylate and remove the excess nicotinamide from the cell.
Alongside this decline in NAD+ recycling, there is also an increased demand for NAD+ in older cells due to increased levels of inflammatory CD38 and DNA-repairing PARPs. Overall, this creates the perfect storm, causing an NAD+ deficit within the cells.
A whole system approach is needed to increase NAD+
Therefore, the best approach to increasing NAD+ levels is to restore the cell’s youthful ability to make and recycle NAD+, by addressing the root causes of why NAD+ is declining. That is exactly how the Nuchido TIME+ formulation works. It contains a combination of ingredients designed to target each part of the NAD+ network including:
- Sophora japonica which contains the flavonoids Quercetin, Rutin and Troxrutin for their ability to activate NAMPT (the enzyme which powers the Salvage Pathway). Allowing the cell to recycle NAD+ in the same way youthful cell's do.
- Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) for its ability to activate the AMPK pathway. This is the pathway activated by exercise and fasting – which are known to increase NAD+. ALA mimics this and AMPK further activates the NAMPT enzyme to promote NAD+ recycling.
- Parsley leaf contains apigenin which inhibits the activation of CD38. The expression of CD38 increases with age and is known to be one of the main consumers of NAD+.
- Green tea leaf extract contains EGCG for its ability to inhibit NNMT. This enzyme powers the pathway that removes nicotinamide (NAM) from the cell. Now the Salvage pathway has been restored NAM can be recycled back into fresh NAD+, so its removal is inhibited.
- Extra nicotinamide (NAM) as this can now be recycled, to further boost NAD+ levels.
We call this our whole-systems approach to boosting NAD+. It goes beyond just supplying the cells with precursor materials and instead addresses the root causes of NAD+ decline. Our clinical trial showed that Nuchido TIME+ increased NAD+ levels, activated sirtuins, reduced inflammation and reversed biological age.
This approach addresses the limitations of taking precursor only products such as NMN or NR. When these precursor supplements are taken, they are converted into NAD+ and used by the cell but the issue remains that the waste product nicotinamide (NAM) cannot be recycled back into fresh NAD+ because the salvage pathway has not been restored. Additionally, there is no research to show that NAD+ declines because of a lack of precursor materials. Cells have ample precursors, but they are unable to recycle them back into fresh NAD+.
The latest scientific research has shown that the loss of NAD+ recycling combined with increased consumption of NAD+ is the root cause of NAD+ decline. Therefore, when looking to increase your NAD+ levels be sure to use supplements that target each of these components.