It was long believed that how well you age was at the mercy of your DNA. But now scientific advancements have shown that while you can have a more favorable genetic profile to support longevity, your genes are not actually the biggest factor in determining how well you will age. This article will explain the concept of epigenetics, how it helps to regulate your cellular health and how NAD+ supplements can support a youthful epigenetic pattern.
Your genes are not your destiny
While you may think your DNA is the most important factor in how you will age, studies show your genes only account for around 20% of your longevity. The other 80% is determined by lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, exercise, supplementation and stress management which all significantly impact your rate of aging. There is a common saying in the longevity world that "your genetics loads the gun, but your lifestyle pulls the trigger". This is because lifestyle factors are known to alter your epigenetics, this is the system that dictates how your DNA is expressed i.e., which genes are switched on or off.
Epigenetics regulate your DNA
So, what exactly is epigenetics? Well, an important point to note is that all of the cells in our body contain identical DNA. But if all cells contain the same set of DNA instructions, then how do cells have specialized and individual functions? For example, a skin cell looks and functions very differently to a brain cell. This is where epigenetics comes in.
Epigenetics is the ‘tagging system’ which regulates which genes are switched on and off, meaning cells look and act very differently depending on the pattern of genes they express. For example, the pattern of genes switched on in a skin cell is very different to the genes active in a brain cell. In this way, epigenetics enables cells to develop their specialised functions.
Lifestyle changes epigenetics
The benefit of epigenetics is that unlike your DNA it is flexible. This allows your body to respond to changes in the environment and the individual needs of the cell. In fact, it is the process of epigenetics that allows our lifestyle to have such a big impact on our biology. For example, during exercise epigenetics will switch on parts of your DNA that will increase energy production and muscle recovery to power your body through the workout.
Therefore, an individual with a sedentary lifestyle, who smokes and consumes excessive alcohol will have an epigenetic pattern that promotes inflammation, cellular damage and reduced NAD+ production, ultimately accelerating aging. On the other hand, the epigenetic profile of someone who is active, with a nutritious diet and doesn’t smoke will reduce chronic inflammation, increase NAD+ production and activate cellular repair, to extend healthspan.
It is via these mechanisms that our lifestyle accounts for around 80% of our longevity while our DNA only accounts for around 20%.
NAD+ and SIRT1 helps regulate epigenetics
Studies have found that during the aging process epigenetic patterns change, this is referred to as ‘epigenetic drift’ and is one of the Hallmarks of Aging. This means cells start to act differently, as different parts of the DNA are switched on and effectively forget their identity leading to multiple age-related problems.
One tool that can support youthful epigenetic function is boosting NAD+ levels. Outside of energy production, NAD+ activates proteins that are involved in regulating epigenetics, including the sirtuins. When sirtuins are activated by NAD+ they switch on genes that enable cellular repair and protection. Therefore, as NAD+ levels decline during aging, sirtuin activity also declines contributing to epigenetic drift. This is one of the reasons why boosting your NAD+ has such a positive effect slowing the cellular aging process.
Overall, positive lifestyle habits boost your NAD+ levels and change your epigenetic pattern to switch on genes that support cellular repair and regeneration. So, whilst you can’t change your DNA, how you live your life is entirely in your hands.