Your body is working around the clock to keep all the essential nutrients inside. NAD+ is an important part of this. Learn how to help your body make more NAD+
NAD+ or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is an enzyme found in every single cell in your body. NAD+ levels decline as we age. It is crucial that we find ways that work for us to try to raise those levels back. There are so many studies that were conducted and still today researchers have not stopped closely monitoring what can be done. Your body already makes NAD+ in many ways. It does this by converting foods that we eat to NAD+. There are however other ways to do so.
Your cells take in raw materials, and chemically convert them into NAD+ so that your body can use them. It is important to consume foods that are rich in NAD+. Some great examples are Tuna, salmons, and sardines. Some mushrooms are also rich in NAD+. There is still the possibility that you are not getting enough NAD+ so there are many supplements on the market for that.
NA, Nam, and NR are all different variations of vitamin B3. Vitamins are any group of organic compounds that are essential for normal growth and nutrition. Here is an example of vitamin B- there are 8 types. This is where we get it from foods like beef, milk, eggs, yeast, lentils, spinach, and salmon. If you look at any label of regular flour, you will see niacin or NA for short. The US government mandated that all enriched flours would include NA. this is mainly because in the early 1900s there was a horrible plague called pellagra and it helped cure many of this horrible disease. People that were lacking vitamin B3s in their diet were at risk of pellagra.
Tryptophan is another NAD+ precursor. It is the least efficient one so maybe you have not heard too much about it. It is an amino acid that is in turkey and is often blamed for making people tired on Thanksgiving.
NAD+ Pathways in the body
Once you consume anything with an NAD+ precursor in it works its way towards the body through one of the pathways. The DE Novo Pathways works with the NAD+ precursor tryptophan converting it into another molecule called quinolinic acid that will eventually merge with another NAD+ pathway, the Preiss Handler Pathway.
Another pathway is the Salvage Pathway that may lead to NAD+ in many ways. This pathway is the route to NR and Nam. The salvage pathway has a recycling element.
Other ways to get more NAD+
Supplements will definitely boost your NAD+ levels. It is impossible to just take a pill made up of NAD+ because it can’t survive when it is taken orally. NAD+ precursors survive the digestion process and convert to NAD+ via the pathways mentioned above. Diet and exercise are another great way to boost NAD+ levels.
