It has only been the recent studies that have given new understanding to NAD+ and its role in not only preventing cellular decay but more importantly, how it helps with DNA cellular repair.
NAD+ is a coenzyme (a b3 vitamin derivative) that is needed by every single one of the billions of cellular chemical reactions that occur in the human body, and every other living organism, every day. It is what keeps mitochondria functioning at an optimal level by regulating the energy in each and every cell and as NAD+ levels decline (with age) mitochondrial activity deteriorates and the cells die.
As we grow older our bodies NAD+ supply depletes, mitochondrial activity and cellular health declines and living organisms as a whole are increasingly susceptible to cellular malfunction and disease.
Eventually decreasing NAD+ levels result in a loss of protective proteins that repair DNA damage. The cells lose the ability to communicate effectively and DNA coding errors occur that leads to production of damaging proteins that can lead to metabolic disorders like diabetes and heart disease as well as neurological disorders like Alzheimers and DNA error based cancer formation.
A treatment that replenishes intracellular NAD+ has the potential to decrease the severity of neuropathology and normalize neuromuscular function — a result which has been shown to delay memory loss and extend lifespan in animal models.
Treatments that increase intracellular NAD+ also stimulate neuronal DNA repair and improve mitochondrial quality. A recent study finally links two major theories on ageing, being DNA damage accumulation and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction have a significant role in premature aging and cellular decline.
The importance of NAD+ is continually being uncovered by the scientific community (and is still an emerging) yet powerful treatment offering at clinics in London and the U.S for general anti-ageing treatments but also for neurodegenerative diseases. That is, degenerative diseases relating to the brain that inevitably lead to alzheimers like illness with loss of memory, cognitive function and eventual death.
The most exciting field of NAD+ therapy has however been in its use in addiction and rehabilitation by normalising NAD+ ratios in the brain. This five to 10 day protocol has revolutionised the treatment of addiction in the United States and Europe.
