Dr. Guanchen Sun
Often referred to as a wonder supplement, NAD+ generates a range of regenerative benefits in the body. Research into NAD+ has shown that taking this supplement may support improvement in energy levels, increase stamina, aid in faster recovery, better sleep, reduce brain fog and essentially, support the body to rewind the biological clock.
Dr. Guanchen Sun, Research and Development Director of Biogency – an Australian Biotech company and creators of Australia first NAD+ compounding formula supplement: Synext, shares the benefits of incorporating NAD+ supplements in our daily routines and the impact this can have on a wide range of health issues we may be struggling with.
What is NAD+ and the link to ageing
NAD+ precursors are the building blocks that your cells require in order to create NAD+. A precursor is a tiny molecule that is utilised to make a larger one. These NAD+ precursors go through a series of chemical transformations to produce NAD.
NAD is a coenzyme (a type of molecule), which is found in all living cells and plays a critical role in energy production and cellular repair and defence functions. It’s especially important for the health of our mitochondria, often called the ‘powerplant of the cell’, that convert food and oxygen into energy. As we age, our levels of NAD begin to decline at an ever-increasing rate, impairing mitochondrial function, among other things. These substantially reduced NAD+ levels and subsequently poor cell function accelerates the aging process. It is believed that mitochondrial dysfunction and damage are major contributors to many age-related disease processes.
The science behind NAD +
With any supplement, ensuring you maintain a balanced diet and adequate amounts of exercise will always be beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing. NAD+ levels and the tryptophan (an essential amino acid that must be obtained via nutrition) in our diet determine the serotonin levels in our body. Serotonin is a hormone that regulates our circadian rhythm (AKA the biological clock). Serotonin keeps us awake in the daytime and turns into melatonin at night to assist us in sleeping. Directly relating to quality of sleep, taking an NAD+ supplement will further progress and increase the quality of sleep by offsetting higher melatonin levels – where individuals who take NAD+ find it easier to fall asleep as well as have comfortable and less disruptive sleeping patterns.
NAD+ is also important to daily metabolic processes too. For instance, NAD+ is critical to the body’s processing of alcohol. The body processes ethanol through the metabolic process of dehydrogenases. Overconsumption of alcohol with reference to NAD+ levels robs NAD+ from other biological processes. The depletion of available NAD+ due to alcohol is the main cause of the collection of symptoms commonly associated with hangovers.
Even those who generally have a balanced diet and maintain regular exercise should consider including an NAD+ supplement in their lifestyle. Supplements such as NAD+ can potentially support a range of aspects also related to health such as faster recovery times in between active and regular exercise and fitness. It is a chance for the body to receive extra benefits from ingredients that cannot always be obtained from food.
Choosing the right NAD+ supplement
The NAD+ metabolism is a very complicated system that requires the coordination of many biomolecules.
Dr. Sun recommends a formula with multiple active ingredients which enhances a number of metabolic pathways associated with NAD+. The safety and efficacy compared to supplements that only include single precursors is quite vast and can often have varying results to the individual
