NAD Treatment Center

What Is NAD+?

NAD+: The CoEnzyme Of Cellular Breath

What makes our bodies live and breath and do all that we do every day? We think, sleep, move, drive, exercise, eat and digest, and make decisions. How do we do all of that?

On the most microscopic level, it is the activity of each individual cell in our body, each doing its part. Our cells are these little machines that make the big machine, called the human body, operate. Each individual cell must do its part in creating energy for all this activity. A cell must take in nutrients, make energy and expel wastes for the larger machine to be able to do all that we do without even realizing how. It’s like taking in a breath. We take in air, create energy with this oxygen and then expel the waste of carbon dioxide.

The same process occurs on a microscopic level with each living cell and NAD+ is right there. For this reason, NAD+ has become the focus of research in the anti-aging and longevity health field, nutritional science, medicine and pharmaceutics… and why here at NAD Treatment Center, I call NAD+ the coenzyme of cellular breath.

NAD+ is an essential coenzyme for the life process in each individual living cell and its cellular breath. A co-enzyme is a molecule, similar to a vitamin, that is required by proteins (enzymes) to do function. NAD+ serves key functions in all living cells and its effects are more apparent in certain organs. NAD+ serves as an essential co-enzyme for many different proteins (enzymes) in a cell regulating metabolism, energy production and DNA to name a few. Life would not be possible without NAD+ and by supplementing with NAD+, it has been my experience at NAD Treatment Center that one’s quality of life is enhanced with NAD+ supplementation.

Key Functions of NAD+ In Cells

Mitochondria

NAD+ is a critical factor for energy production in the mitochondria.

At the NAD Treatment Center, we use NAD+ to address mitochondrial dysfunction due to mold, chronic Lyme, nutritional deficiencies, chronic stress and other root causes.

In fact, maintaining the pool of NAD+ in the mitochondria and maintaining a healthy ratio of NAD/NADH is essential for optimal mitochondria function. How much NAD+ a cell makes and stores in the mitochondria for this essential function of energy production is influenced by one’s internal and external environment. Meaning, stress within the body from a nutritional deficiency or inflammation, or stress from the external environment may influence the amount of NAD+ available in the mitochondrial pool.

Sirtuin 1 in a protein (enzyme) that plays a major role in mitochondrial function and health. NAD+ is an essential co-enzyme for Sirtuin 1, meaning it is dependent on the presence of NAD+ to be able to work. Not only is it an essential co-enzyme, but it is a rate-limiting factor, meaning the efficiency of the Sirtuin 1 protein is limited by the amount of NAD+ present. By increasing levels of NAD+, studies have shown that the activity of this Sirtuin 1 portion is increased. This is a major reason for the improved function and efficiency of the mitochondria in energy production with increasing NAD+ in one’s cells. At NAD Treatment Center, many people with mitochondrial dysfunction for various reasons have experienced significant shifts in the health with NAD+ treatments and supplementation.

DNA

NAD+ is also a critical co-enzyme for a protein involved with preservation of our DNA code. At NAD Treatment Center, patients present for NAD+ treatment and supplementation for the anti-aging and longevity properties of NAD+ through its effects on the DNA.

Poly-ADP-Ribose Polymerases (PARP) is an important enzyme that protects our DNA. Inflammation and oxidative stress can cause breaks in our DNA and Poly-ADP-Ribose Polymerases finds these breaks. This enzyme uses NAD+ to make a repair of these DNA breaks.

Large amounts of DNA damage and breaks leads to over-usage of Poly-ADP-Ribose Polymerases which can be one reason for NAD+ to become depleted in a cell. This can progress to where a cell activates its cellular suicide mechanism in response to inflammation.

Metabolism

NAD+ is a critical coenzyme in several different pathways that all affect metabolism. From pathways including glycolysis (metabolism of carbohydrate), B-oxidation (metabolism of fats), oxidative phosphorylation (using oxygen and oxidation to make ATP).

Studies have shown that decreased levels of NAD+ in the cells and mitochondria causes a number of problems with metabolism and metabolic diseases.

Those who come to NAD Treatment Center can expect to feel an improvement in their metabolism with NAD+ supplementation.

Signaling

NAD+ is part of a complex network of signaling pathways. Signaling pathways are ways that cells signal or communicate messages to either other cells or even to different proteins or areas in that same cell.

One of the important signaling pathways involved is a NAD+ dependent calcium signaling.

Some of these pathways affect the stability of the DNA, life span and survival of the cells and the progression or prevention of disease.

Cells actually regulate the production of NAD+ and its levels in both pools inside the cells (cytoplasmic) and inside the mitochondria. This is one way that cells use NAD+ for signaling. All of the enzymes that depend on NAD+ for them to function respond to the levels of NAD+. When levels are low, they is less of the activity of those enzymes. Increasing levels of NAD+ signals to these proteins to increase their activity.

Aging

With NAD+ being one of the top anti-aging treatments, many patients at NAD Treatment Center come specifically for reasons of longevity and quality of life. They are in good health and want to maintain that through their treatments at NAD Treatment Center!

As this life activity slows through the process of aging, NAD+ levels decline in a cell. This is associated with and seems to play a crucial role in the development of the decline in metabolism and those diseases that are age-related.

Studies have shown the benefits of increasing the levels of NAD+ in the cell does prolong the life of the cells and the quality of health.

Key Functions In Different Organs

NAD+ Plays a Critical Role in Liver Function

Those things that stress liver function, like alcohol, have been shown to use up and lower the amount of NAD+ in liver cells. As liver disease progresses, the NAD+ levels show a predictable and associated decline. Whether a person is dealing with alcohol-induced stress to the liver or stress on the liver due to toxins or medications requiring clearance by the liver, optimizing the health and function of the liver cells can make a significant difference. This data suggests that supplementing with NAD+ can be very helpful for restoring health to liver cells.

Many who have been regular drinkers of alcohol come to NAD Treatment Center for optimization of their liver function whether or not they have any compromise in their liver function yet.

NAD+ Role In Kidney Disease

Studies have shown that increasing levels of NAD+ increased the activity of the Sirtuin 1 protein (enzyme). This resulted in preservation of kidney function in animal models where there had been an acute kidney injury.

NAD+ Plays A Critical Role in Brain Function

Improved brain and cognitive function is a big reason why people come to the NAD Treatment Center or start on NAD+ prescriptions.

The nervous system, including but not limited to the brain, is our stress response system. It is designed for our survival.

It helps us survive at a level below our consciousness, like keeping our hearts beating and our lungs breathing, our sugar levels high enough and making sure our kidneys are filtering out toxins and keeping the rest of our electrolytes, like sodium and potassium inside our body.

Then, there are things that are in our conscious awareness that is also all controlled by the nervous system. Danger, threats, staying in our lane on the freeway, running from the dog chasing us, etc.

The nervous system is the most amazing machine designed for the purpose of our survival.

Put simply, NAD+ provides the brain and nervous system with more energy to do what it does better. Easier. The brain uses up 20-30% of the body’s total energy. By providing it with increased levels of NAD+, it can make a big difference in the speed and activity of the brain.

In fact, similar to what we discussed above, there are multiple enzymes in the nervous system that are also NAD+-dependent. These enzymes unique to the nervous system help us respond to stress. NAD+ holds a key role in the ability of neurons to adapt to the environment to help us survive the different stressors of life. Many who come to the NAD Treatment Center notice the difference in their capacity to manage more stress after NAD+ or while on an NAD+ prescription. By providing the neurons with the NAD+ and the brain and nervous system having all the energy it needs, a person can handle more stress without it becoming too much or overwhelming.

Many of these enzymes are also key in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinson’s, Huntington Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

NAD+ holds the key for building biological resilience of the nervous system and to slow down the aging process and preserve the function and life of neurons as we age.

Summary

As you can see, NAD+ plays a pivotal role in key functions of the body, from healthy mitochondria to energy production to stabilization of the DNA, stress response and cell survival.

From being a transporter of electrons to make energy (ATP) in the mitochondria to being a rate-limiting cofactor for many enzymes in the brain and body, NAD+ helps optimize one’s biology on the cellular level.

There are on-going clinical trials of NAD+ in humans and mice as we explore more of the benefits and seek to better understand the mechanisms behind the benefits. Trials include performance of those who are healthy and other trials are looking at whether NAD+ helps to improve blood flow in those with early dementia.

NAD Treatment Center is a leader in the field of bio-optimization and we are excited you have found us. Please contact us if you are interested in doing your own trial of NAD+ for optimizing your health. While IV therapies are not currently offered in the clinic, injections, patches and other forms of NAD+ are available.

We look forward to connecting with you here at the NAD Treatment Center!

References

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