If you stay on top of the latest health trends, you may have heard of NAD. NAD (short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is not only the hottest buzzword in wellness right now, it’s an energy-producing coenzyme that’s present in every cell in your body. And while your body naturally produces NAD, its levels decline as you age. That’s where supplements come in handy.
Rewind to episode 5 of Keep up with the Kardashians And you may remember the moment when best friends Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber got together to receive NAD+ intravenous (IV) therapy. “I’m going to be NAD for the rest of my life, and I’ll never get old,” Bieber told the cameras.The excitement in the US and the NAD market were highly evaluated. $535.53 million in 2022is growing rapidly.
Currently making waves in the UK, NAD+ (the ‘raw’ form of NAD and the term most commonly used to refer to it) is taking over the self-care space. “Since the pandemic, UK consumers have learned the value of investing in preventive health strategies and have seen a significant increase in the number of people actively seeking evidence-based solutions like NAD+.” Dr Nicola Conlona molecular biologist and healthy aging expert.
With several reported health benefits (from boosting energy to promoting healthy skin), it’s easy to see why supplementing with NAD+ sounds appealing. But can we really turn back the clock? Experts answer important questions about NAD+ and whether you could benefit from adding NAD+ supplements (taken orally or intravenously) to your health care regimen.
What is NAD+?
NAD+ is an important coenzyme present in our cells. It plays an important role in regulating cell function, neuroprotection, DNA repair, and anti-aging. “Higher levels of NAD+ mean you have more cellular energy, your cells are functioning optimally, and you feel more energized and alert,” says Conlon. It also helps your body repair faster and keep your organs, including your skin, healthy.
Do you need to replenish your NAD+ levels?
As we age, NAD+ levels decline, halving every 20 years after birth. And in doing so, energy production and cell repair are reduced, leading to “many of the common symptoms of aging, such as wrinkles, energy loss, and brain fog,” Conlon says.
“Scientists have demonstrated that restoring NAD+ to youthful levels rejuvenates old cells and returns them to a youthful state, with multiple beneficial effects against aging and age-related diseases. I did,” she continues. Supplements, including IV therapy, can increase her NAD+ levels, and certain lifestyle changes may help slow the decline of her NAD+.
How can I increase my NAD+ levels?
Although you can’t stop the natural decline of NAD+, you can slow down the rate at which your body uses up vital NAD+ stores. “Avoid things that are known to deplete NAD+, such as poor diet, excess alcohol, smoking, and sun exposure,” he advises Conlon. Look for foods such as broccoli, cabbage, and fruits that are made up of amino acids, which are also precursors to NAD+. Dr. Melanie AngelovaDoctors at Optimize Health.
Additionally, exercise, particularly resistance training and HIIT, has been shown to activate the body’s NAD+ production pathway. “A recent study looked at metabolites in the muscle tissue of young and old people and found that adults who exercised rigorously had similar NAD+ levels to young people,” Angelova said. say.
Healthy habits aside, research shows that supplementing with NAD+ may help boost your levels to normal. “Enhancement of NAD+ in cells and animals has yielded some impressive results, and we are now shifting our focus to human clinical trials,” Conlon said, adding, “Remarkable results to date include Improving cardiovascular function, reducing inflammation, improving cellular energy production, and reversing biomarkers of aging.”
Do NAD+ supplements actually work?
Although large-scale human clinical trials have not yet been conducted, there is promising research that suggests NAD+ supplements may offer some health benefits. Below is an overview of the main ones.
- Increased alertness and energy: “One of the most notable benefits of increasing NAD+ is that it improves both your physical and mental energy,” says Conlon. “It means better endurance, better cognitive function, and less brain fog.”
- Improved sleep: According to Conlon, NAD+ helps regulate your circadian rhythm, ensuring you get quality, restorative sleep, which can also improve your sleep. One 2022 survey They found that supplementing with NMN (one of the precursors of NAD) for 12 weeks improved fatigue in older adults.
- Enhanced recovery: In addition to improving physical energy, increasing NAD+ stores has been shown to aid muscle recovery after exercise. This is why some athletes are reported to receive her NAD+ IV therapy on a regular basis.
- Hair and nail growth: Some supplement users have noticed improvements in the health of their hair and nails. “This is because when cellular health improves, the body invests more resources in less important areas of biology,” explains Conlon.
- Collagen regeneration: If you want to improve your skin health, you need to improve your cellular health. “And this is exactly what he NAD+ does,” says Conlon. “For example, collagen loss causes wrinkles, so people have been looking at ways to replace collagen with the best collagen supplements and creams for years. But the best way to increase collagen is to use collagen-producing cells ( We now know that it is about protecting the health of fibroblasts (fibroblasts), which is proven to be effective by increasing NAD+.”
But with the benefits seemingly manifold, what are the drawbacks?
So far, no adverse side effects have been reported from taking NAD+ supplements. However, the safety of long-term use and high-dose supplements is still being studied. “NAD+ IV therapy is usually given very slowly to minimize the sensation of muscle spasms and nausea. These symptoms often subside in about 10 minutes,” says Angelova. says.
What is the most effective way to supplement NAD+?
NAD+ supplements come in a variety of formats, including IV, injection, and oral tablets or liquids. The most popular options are NAD + IV therapy and supplements containing his NAD + precursor. According to Angelova, “The safest way to increase NAD+ levels, as proven in clinical studies, is to administer NAD+ directly intravenously (IV).”
Available at home through wellness providers Optimize your health, a single NAD+ IV drip costs £490 and the IV takes approximately 90 minutes to inject.in NAD clinic In London, our experts will advise you on the most suitable infusion program for you, including single infusions (from £180), extended infusion programs and bespoke protocols, before safely taking you on your NAD+ treatment journey.
For a more affordable and quick solution, Conlon recommends looking for NAD+ boosting supplements, like her own, that help restore the body’s own natural NAD+ production pathways. Nuchido TIME+.
It’s important to note that you can’t ingest “pure NAD+,” Conlon says. “NAD+ is an unstable molecule and is broken down in the digestive system before it reaches the bloodstream, let alone the cells where it is actually needed.” That’s why most powders and tablets contain a precursor to it. It contains nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). These precursors are converted to NAD+ within the cell.
However, since the beginning of this year, NMN can no longer be sold as a supplement in the United States. This is because it is currently being studied as a potential new drug and will require extensive human trials. However, while NMN supplements are still available for purchase here in the UK, we recommend that you speak to your doctor before incorporating them into your health regimen.
Does NAD+-based skin care actually work?
Alongside the wellness boom in NAD+ supplements, there is also a beauty boom in skin care containing NAD+. “The rationale behind increasing available NAD+ levels within the skin makes a lot of sense,” says dermatologist Dr. Sam Bunting. bazaar, “NAD+ is an essential molecule that drives everything from repairing DNA damage to repairing the skin barrier.” But does applying it topically provide these benefits? “Experts say… “We think NAD+ can penetrate if formulated correctly, but it quickly converts to niacinamide,” she explains. This is something that is already widely used in skin care.
She feels it’s best to look outside the box when it comes to incorporating NAD+ into your skincare routine. “An important thing to consider is the recycling of NAD+,” she explains. “The recycling of NAD+ becomes less efficient with age and becomes the rate-limiting step in ensuring that enough NAD+ is available for all the cell’s ‘housework’.” I suggest that you think about it.
Therefore, Dr. Banting has formulated the new Flawless Moisturizer Intense with Sunflower Sprout Extract (SSE), an innovative ingredient with the ability to boost NAD+ levels. “In our independent research, SSE works very quickly (within just 24 hours) and outperforms niacinamide in reducing damage to batteries by 34 percent when exposed to harmful UVA. ” she says. That’s not to say that niacinamide isn’t effective either. It just emphasizes a different way of working.
Another thing she points out that is interesting about increasing NAD+ levels through skin care is how much better any product that contains active ingredients (such as retinoids or vitamin C) performs when skin cells are fully charged. I mean. “We believe this is a new frontier in skin well-aging,” she concludes.
