NAD+ levels can be naturally increased by (1) taking NAD+ precursor supplements and (2) living a healthy lifestyle. The latter certainly includes exercise and diet – not only what we eat but when we eat.
NAD+ precursors are discussed in a dedicated article.
Regular exercise prevents the decline in NAD+ in skeletal muscle tissue as we age.
Skeletal muscles are those we use to move our bodies, lift objects, and chew, for example.
The other types of muscle in our bodies, which we hardly ever think about except when there is a problem with them, are the smooth muscle lining our gut, arteries, bladder, etc, and cardiac muscle in our heart. Skeletal muscle (let’s just call it “muscle”) is integral to our health, especially as we age. Unless we have a concerted plan to maintain muscle mass, we lose around 10% of it every decade.
That means that between the ages of 25 and 75 we may lose about half of our muscle mass.
Muscle and mobility are significant predictors of life span. Not to mention enjoyment of life – do you want to be able to lift your grandchild? Put you carry-on in the overhead compartment? Brace yourself for a fall, perhaps preventing a broken hip? If so, continue to do resistance training faithfully as long as you can. Exercise boosts NAD+, which helps maintain muscle tissue and the ability to exercise vigorously. A synergistic relationship.
Vitamin B3 (niacin) and other NAD+ precursors are available in avocados, wholegrains, green vegetables, mushrooms nuts, fish, and cow’s milk. Turkey, among other foods, is rich in the amino acid, tryptophan, which a building block of NAD+.
Fermented foods and drinks such as sauerkraut and kombucha contain NAD+ itself.
When we eat is important as well as what we eat. Intermittent fasting has become popular for good reason – it triggers a healthy type of low-grade stress called hormesis (to be discussed in a future article) that stimulates cells in our bodies to turn inward to repair damaged DNA and neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) like free radicals. Examples of intermittent fasting include eating within an 8-hour period per day, thereby fasting for 16 hours. Alternatively, one can fast for 24 hours or longer at lower frequencies to accomplish hormesis.
Stricly eliminating carbohydrates from the diet leads to production of ketomes for energy production, a process called ketosis. Like intermittent fasting, more prolonged ketosis enhances NAD+ levels.
Many people also report more clarity, vigor, and other benefits.
Another form of hormesis is intense heat from saunas or hot tubs. Cold stress from an icy bath or plunging pool is another form of hormesis. Heat stress followed by cold stress may be the most elevating of NAD+ of all quick forms of hormesis.
Note: Although I am a physician, the content in this article is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent illness or disease in the reader – it is for educational purposes only.
References
- Chubanva S, Treebak JT. Regular exercise effectively protects against the aging-associated decline in skeletal muscle NAD content. Exp Gerontol 2023, March 112109.
- Gray CC, Amrani M, Smolenski RT, et al. Age dependence of heat stress mediated cardioprotecion. Ann Thorac Surg 2000;70:621-6.
- Xin L, Ipek O, Beaumont M, et al. Nutritional ketosis increases NAD+/NADH ration in healthy human brain: An in vivo study by 31P-MRS. Front Nutr 2018, july.
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