NAD and anti-aging: What it is, why it declines, and how to support it
What does NAD+ do? The key benefits for aging
NAD+ and Cellular Energy Production
Your cells contain structures called mitochondria, whose job is to convert the food you eat into usable energy. NAD+ is essential to that process. When NAD+ levels are healthy, your mitochondria work efficiently. When levels fall, energy production can become sluggish. This is one reason why declining NAD+ is associated with the kind of fatigue that a good night's sleep does not seem to fix.
NAD+ and DNA Repair
Every day, your DNA sustains minor damage from sunlight, stress, and normal metabolic activity. Your body has repair mechanisms built to handle this, and they rely on NAD+ to function. Supporting your NAD+ levels may help keep those repair processes working well over time.
NAD+ and Longevity Proteins (Sirtuins)
There is a family of proteins called sirtuins that researchers associate with healthy aging. They help regulate inflammation, protect cells from stress, and support cellular maintenance. Sirtuins need NAD+ to do their job. Less NAD+ means less sirtuin activity, which is one reason NAD+ sits at the center of so much longevity research. (Guarente, L. Sirtuins, aging, and medicine. NEJM, 2011.)
