What’s The Hype Of NAD+ About And Should Older Adults Be Supplementing It?
Chances are, you’ve never heard of NAD+. But you really should, especially if you’re looking to have more energy, feel stronger and more vital, and enjoy better health in general.
This article will introduce you to this marvelous little compound that’s drawing big interest from researchers and health and longevity experts alike.
What Is NAD+?
Simply put, NAD+ is a naturally occurring compound in the body that keeps our cells operating at peak performance.
Short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NAD+ impacts pretty much every bodily system. Its primary purpose, though, is to help your cells generate the energy they need to keep your tissues alive and healthy.
NAD+ is essential, for instance, in converting the food you eat into fuel for the body, supporting the chemical reactions needed to metabolize proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
It also helps the body to maintain healthy blood glucose levels and to support and sustain muscle and nerve tissue.
In essence, if your body doesn’t have an adequate store of NAD+, all the vitamins, minerals, fruits, and vegetables aren’t going to do much to get or keep you healthy.
Unfortunately, our NAD+ stores decrease with age. Plus, there are things we all do in our ordinary daily lives that can further deplete our NAD+ levels.
Spending too much time in the sun, for example, can unduly tax your NAD+ reserves because the body uses the compound to repair cells damaged by exposure to ultraviolet light.
And when we run low on the molecule, whether as a result of age, lifestyle, or a combination of both, we’re going to age “faster,” losing strength and vitality.
And we’re going to be more vulnerable to potentially serious illnesses, from diabetes to cardiovascular disease to immune disorders.
How To Boost Your NAD+ Supplies
The good news is that aging doesn’t have to rob your body of this vital substance. There is a range of things you can do to help you boost your NAD+ supplies.
Best of all, these are tips and tricks that are easy to adopt and that fit beautifully into a fit and healthy lifestyle:
1. Get Moving
Studies show that one of the best strategies by far for increasing your NAD+ stores is getting regular exercise. A combination of aerobic and resistance training seems to work best.
That doesn’t mean you need to take up rugby or jujitsu, however. If you are over 50, you can incorporate NAD+ enhancing exercise without hurting yourself in the process.
Consider taking up walking, biking, or swimming. Or consider a fun but physically active hobby, such as golf or dancing.
Weightlifting is another great option because this provides both resistance and aerobic exercise, but you can tailor your regimen to your particular abilities.
Start slowly, avoiding the temptation to overtrain, and build gradually as your strength and stamina increase.
The important thing is to get you breathing and get you moving. Any kind of physical activity that’s going to get the blood flowing, the heart and lungs pumping, and the muscles working will activate your body to produce and release higher levels of NAD+.
2. Feed Your Cells
Proper nutrition is another important way to increase NAD+ stores.
A diet rich in micro and macronutrients will not only support your body’s production of the molecule but will also facilitate the cells’ processing of it.
This should include essential vitamins, especially vitamin B3, which has been shown to increase the body’s ability to replenish its NAD+ levels, enhancing the cycle of energy creation, depletion, and replenishment through NAD+ enzymatic processes.
3. A Bit Of A Boost
Sometimes, diet and exercise alone may not be quite enough to get your NAD+ levels to where you want them to be.
If you’re feeling sluggish, getting sick often, not healing well, or simply don’t feel great, you might consider adding an NAD+ boosting supplement.
One of the most promising of these is NMN, short for nicotinamide mononucleotide, a derivative of vitamin B.
NMN has been referred to as a longevity supplement, which means that it is a substance which purports to have anti-aging, life-extending properties.
This is an organic compound that can be found in various fruits and vegetables, from broccoli and cabbage to tomatoes and avocados.
Studies suggest that NMN enhances brain and cardiac function and improves blood flow. All of these benefits, researchers theorize, are based in NMN’s demonstrated NAD+ boosting properties.
The Takeaway
Growing older doesn’t have to mean growing old. There are things you can do today to retain your strength, health, and vitality not just for tomorrow, but for countless tomorrows to come.
NAD+ may well be the greatest weapon in our anti-aging arsenal. And you can boost your reserves simply by living a healthy, active lifestyle — and perhaps giving your body a little kickstart with a supplement such as NMN.