NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a coenzyme found in all living cells, and is required for the fundamental biological processes that make life possible.
After the birth of my children my metabolism and hormones drastically changed. It seemed I could no longer lose that extra 20 pounds. Raising children, working long hours, exhausted, eating late, it all showed up on my face! Yikes! I was sick, fat, and tired. What changed? After five years of trying to lose weight, I put CARDIO on my schedule and exercised for two and a half hours a day, trained my metabolism to burn fat, and fasted from 6pm until 11am! I also ate a plant-based diet. Today, I follow through with this simple routine and am the same weight I was when I was 18 years old. The point is NAD+ fights accelerated aging. There are steps we can take to naturally increase our levels of NAD+.
NAD+ levels increase with fasting and exercise.
My quest since I was 13 yrs old was, “how can we slow the aging process?” Being in the skin business for over 40 years I’ve learnt that the shortening of telomeres affect not only how fast we age, but, how healthy we are and how long we live. (Telomeres are found at the ends of chromosomes)
Studies show, obesity which adds to telomere dysfunction as do other lifestyle factors, increases our risk for oxidative stress, accelerated aging, and other illnesses. And so it is with low levels of NAD+.
As a health coach, I see clients concerned with premature aging and voicing their concerns about weight, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and depression. Recently all these ailments have been linked to depleted levels of NAD+.
The accumulation of certain lifestyle habits increase cellular damage and decrease levels of NAD+. These habits include…
Fast food restaurants, that serve foods known to raise insulin levels.Insulin resistance means lower immunity, higher blood sugar levels, and a compromised digestive system. These habits keep our systems tired, depressed, inflamed, and fat. When NAD+ levels are low, we usually have a compromised immune and metabolic system associated with aging.
Mindless snacking on high-fat processed foods while sitting on the sofa watching TV. These snacks include foods high in simple carbohydrates such as, french fries, white potatoes, ice cream, donuts, popcorn, pasta, pizza, cereals, sodas, cookies, crackers and more. Overeating reduces levels of NAD+.
Daily activity is crucial for mind/body health. A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for multiple disorders, and low levels of NAD+. “Aging is associated with increased SIRT6, (a stress-responsive protein) which is reversed by exercise.” Daily exercise decelerates the detrimental effects of poor cognition, osteoporosis, and poor muscle tone, associated with aging.
Ignoring self-care habits increases our risk for depression.As humans we seem to spend more time “frozen” in a painful depressed state instead of experiencing joy, happy, and love. Major causative factors for depression include junk foods, addictions, “inflammatory conditions, and psychological stress, which leads to oxidative stress.” Oxidative stress accelerates aging.
Why do we need NAD+ ?
1. To manipulate the pathway of aging! Improved levels of NAD+ decelerates oxidative stress and reverses ROS-free radical damage.
2. NAD+ maintains mitochondrial function by enhancing oxidative metabolism to promote healthy aging.
3. NAD+ is a central metabolic cofactor in eukaryotic cells that plays a critical role in regulating cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis.
4. Our body’s elimination systems, immune system, mitochondria, and metabolic system can improve communication pathways to create balance, stop the progression of illnesses, while improving our lifespan.
The catch? We need to pay attention to what our body needs in order to thrive, otherwise we can develop many ailments associated with accelerated aging.
Connie Rogers is a Certified Health Coach & Brain Health Coach.
She is the author of Memory Stealers on Amazon and video.
Connie believes health and wellness are established with proper nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness. Connie takes a natural and holistic, common sense approach to rebuilding wellbeing from the ground up.
