Sirtuins, is a key players in conferring the longevity and health benefits of calorie restriction. Resveratrol, the wine ingredient, is thought to rev up one of the sirtuins, SIRT1, which appears to help protect mice on high doses of resveratrol from the ill effects of high-fat diets. A slew of other health benefits have been attributed to SIRT1 activation in hundreds of studies, including several human trials.
It is reported that NAD fuels the activity of sirtuins, including SIRT1—the more NAD there is in cells, the more SIRT1 does beneficial things. One of those things is to induce formation of new mitochondria. NAD can also activate another sirtuin, SIRT3, which is thought to keep mitochondria running smoothly.
The Sinclair paper drew attention partly because it showed a novel way that NAD and sirtuin work together. The researchers discovered that cells' nuclei send signals to mitochondria that are needed to maintain their normal operation. SIRT1 helps ensure the signals get through. When NAD levels drop, as they do with aging, SIRT1 activity falls off, which in turn makes the crucial signals fade, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and all the ill effects that go with it.
What Is NAD+?
Short for Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, NAD, was discovered in 1906 and is a coenzyme found in all our living cells.
NAD is one of the earliest molecules on earth and is found in every cell of the body. It plays a key role in protecting the major organs of the body. So as NAD declines, so does that protection.
It is reported that NAD fuels the activity of sirtuins, including SIRT1—the more NAD there is in cells, the more SIRT1 does beneficial things. One of those things is to induce formation of new mitochondria. NAD can also activate another sirtuin, SIRT3, which is thought to keep mitochondria running smoothly.
Read more about NAD+ here
NAD+ is the natural fuel every cell in our body relies on. As we age our natural defenses and ability to formulate NAD+ drop significantly, resulting in significant reduction in quality of life with age.
What Can Boost NAD+
Acute stress, exercise and calorie restriction can create natural NAD+.
Supplements like NMN & NR boost NAD to youthful levels which then act as fuel for the Sirtuin gene.
Why Need NAD+ & Supplements
It takes two to tango and Sirtuins function at their best when NAD+ levels are at youthful levels.
Supplements like Resveratrol & Curcumin act as an accelerator pedal to the Sirtuins gene to increate activation.
How Do Sirtuins Make You Live Longer?
Sirtuins consist seven protein molecules that are like members of a family or a group. Experts claim that our bodies are made up of at least 60,000 families of protein. The sirtuins family is one of them. Each member of the sirtuin family is located in different parts of the cell and has a different role to play, but all of them play a protective role in preventing damage to our DNA.
Sirtuins play a key role in regulating cellular homeostasis. Homeostasis involves keeping the cell in balance. However, sirtuins can only function in the presence of NAD+, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme found in all living cells.
7 SIRTUINS
Sirtuins are known as one of the pathways to longevity because of the essential role that they play in our bodies. Some of these functions are:
Influence Epigenetics
Epigenetics refers to external changes (modifications) to DNA that switch genes “off” and “on.” It’s the reason why cells in our skin look different to cells in our muscles. These cells contain the same DNA, but the genes are expressed differently.
Sirtuins are responsible for epigenetic modifications and building the connection between metabolism and epigenetics.
Research has shown that the manipulation of sirtuins could benefit lifespan due to epigenetic changes.
Prevent Cancer
When a cell becomes cancerous, cellular processes become abnormal. Sirtuins play an important role in regulating cellular processes such as cellular metabolism, maintaining chromatin structure, and maintaining genomic stability.
All of these processes become negatively affected when a cell is cancerous. Therefore, sirtuins can help minimize the risk of cancer, which, as we already know, is one of the leading causes of early death and poor quality of life.
Improve Cardiovasicular Function
Sirtuins can also boost cardiovascular function by inhibiting oxidative stress (cell damage caused by free radicals), regulating blood pressure, and ensuring homeostasis (a balanced cell environment) under stress and physiological conditions. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of early death. Therefore sirtuins can play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease.
Improve Metabolism (Liver, Pancreas, Muscle, Body Fat)
By increasing NAD+ levels, we can increase the functioning of sirtuins, which boosts our metabolism.
Another way through which sirtuins promotes longevity is by regulating metabolism.
Sirtuins regulate glucose and fat metabolism in response to physiological changes in energy levels. This helps maintain balanced energy levels and, as such, determines longevity.
Improve Neurological Function
Sirtuins play a crucial role in the regulation of brain function. Scientists have found that sirtuins can also boost memory and brainpower.
As we age and NAD+ level falls, the level of sirtuin activity declines which results in prolonged neuroinflammation, which leads to synaptic damage and neuronal death.
Age-related decline in hypothalamic function (the part of the brain that controls body temperature, thirst, hunger, fatigue, sleep, circadian rhythms and some behavioral aspects such as attachment) can be caused by a reduction in SIRT1 activity.
Reduce Inflammation / Stress Response
Sirtuins defend and mend against inflammation and play essential but distinct roles in chronic and acute inflammation. Chronic inflammatory diseases often persist in a “low-sirtuins” state, and increasing SIRT1 levels or activity can be beneficial.
Summary
Sirtuins regulate many biological functions in the human body and is “longevity essential.” Without it, life as we know it cannot exist. There is a direct link between premature aging and reduced function of sirtuins.
As they say, “It takes two to tango.” As important as they are, sirtuins cannot function without NAD+, and we have already seen that NAD+ levels lower with age.
However, due to technology and the advancement of human knowledge in science, we now have some power to control how we live and age. We no longer have to leave everything to fate, we can prevent premature aging and slow down the aging process, now that we know how NAD+, sirtuins, and longevity correlate.
Although there are lifestyle adjustments you can make, one of the most effective ways to boost your levels of NAD+ is to supplement with high-quality NMN or our unique, all-natural supplement specifically designed to boost the longevity gene, Preservage. Our unique formula is designed to work deep within the body to slow down the aging process the natural way.
What is NAD+ and How Does It Slow Aging?
Ever wondered what NAD+ is? Find out more about this anti-aging molecule and how you can boost its levels to increase your energy and feel young again.
Aging seems like an inevitable process and every year people spend billions on anti-aging products. However, most of these products claim to reverse the signs of aging by applying the product externally to the skin, instead of addressing it from within the body.
But did you know that it’s possible to revitalize your body and slow down the degeneration that tends to come with age? In this post, we’ll be exploring NAD, it’s precursor NMN (β-Nicotinamide Mononucleotide), and how they are related to the longevity gene.
You might also like: What is NMN and Are There Any Side Effects?
WHAT IS NAD+?
Short for Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, NAD, was discovered in 1906 and is a coenzyme found in all our living cells.
NAD is one of the earliest molecules on earth and is found in every cell of the body. It plays a key role in protecting the major organs of the body. So as NAD declines, so does that protection.
NAD exists in two forms: NADH and NAD+.
According to experts, NADH helps in improving mental clarity, concentration, memory, and alertness, while NAD+ is responsible for maintaining a healthy neurological system and healthy internal organs.
It’s true that exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet improves the quality of our lives. However, in the current world with its fast-paced lifestyle, it’s not always possible to get enough time to exercise regularly and maintain good eating habits.
Whether you exercise and maintain good eating habits or not (and, of course, we encourage you to exercise and have healthy eating habits) increasing NAD+ levels in your body will boost the quality of your life.
WHAT EXACTLY DOES NAD+ DO?
Apart from converting nutrients into ATP, NAD+ also works hand in hand with proteins to execute and provide fuel for the following vital biological processes:
Calcium signaling—calcium is a vital second messenger that regulates a wide range of cellular activities such as secretion, fertilization, cell migration, and neurotransmission.
DNA repair—this is the process through which cells identify and repair damaged DNA molecules.
Gene expression—the process through which the instructions in the human DNA gets converted or transformed into a functional product such as a protein which plays a major role in cells functioning correctly.
Mitochondrial function—which is the normal production of energy in our bodies.
Epigenetic modifications—these are stable alterations in cellular function and gene expression with the original DNA sequence not undergoing any changes.
Maintaining chromosomal integrity—the normal functioning of the body’s chromosomes.
Post-translational modifications—these are vital components in cell signaling, for example when prohormones are converted to hormones.
Some of the proteins used during these processes are referred to as sirtuins (SIRT). They are responsible for regulating cell health, turning anti-aging genes on and off, helping repair damaged DNA, and also regulating metabolism. In short, activating SIRT is one of the pathways to longevity.
If you’re interested in longevity, you might enjoy reading: Lessons From the Blue Zones - Feel Younger for Longer.
To function normally and efficiently, these sirtuins require NAD+. Unfortunately, NAD+ is continually being used up and converted to NADH. This means that NAD+ must be continuously synthesized within our bodies.
However, here’s the issue: as we age, our bodies synthesize decreasing amounts of NAD+ and, as we mentioned earlier, NAD+ is responsible for protecting our vital body organs as well as boosting the production of energy in our bodies. The decline of NAD+ in our bodies means that we have less NAD and this leads to age-related complications and premature aging.
How does NAD+ influence age-related diseases and overall health?
Over the last few years, NAD+ has become the center of research because of its emerging role in controlling vital biological functions. Without NAD, we simply can’t exist. Here are some of the latest findings that show just how important this coenzyme is.
In a 2016 study, it was discovered that NAD+ precursors helped improve muscle function in degenerative muscles.
In 2017, a study showed that an NAD+ precursors supplement helped improve DNA damage repair. A 2018 study also showed that NAD+ precursors helped improve cognitive function.
These are a few of the latest findings. There is ongoing research as scientists continue looking for more ways that NAD+ precursors can influence human health and especially aging.
WHAT ARE NAD+ PRECURSORS AND WHAT ROLE DO THEY PLAY?
Your body can manufacture NAD+ in many ways by using molecules called NAD+ precursors. Each precursor follows a different route or way to be converted into NAD+. As an analogy, if you are traveling to London, you might use different modes of transport or routes to get the final destination. NAD+ precursors make use of natural pathways which all lead to the synthesis of NAD+.
Since the discovery of NAD+ in 1906, scientists have continued to research its benefits in the human body. For instance, in the 1900s, NAD precursors helped mitigate pellagra, a killer disease that had plagued South America. It was discovered that yeast and milk (both which contain NAD+ precursors) helped alleviate the symptoms.
Over the years and through intensive research, scientists have been able to identify NAD+ precursors such as β-Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN).
WHAT IS NMN AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
As mentioned earlier, our bodies do not have an endless supply of NAD+. As we age, our NAD+ levels continue to decline.
In 2012, a study carried on human skin showed that NAD+ actually declined with age. In 2015, another study confirmed these claims by showing a decline in NAD+ levels in the human brain with age.
So, how can we maintain and increase NAD+ levels in our bodies? There are several ways to do so, including exercise, calorie restriction, and the regular consumption of fish and vegetables. You can also consider supplementing with the NAD+ precursor, NMN.
Being a precursor, NMN is converted into NAD+ and although it is readily available in different foods such as meat, fruits, and vegetables, the levels are very low which is why supplementation is beneficial.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF NMN?
In recent years, NMNs potential to combat aging has been heavily researched. According to experts, it helps boost NAD+ synthesis in multiple body tissues including adipose tissue, pancreas, heart, liver, skeletal muscle, eyes, blood vessels, and kidneys. There are several benefits to increasing the levels of NMN in your diet:
NMN helps maintain cellular energy levels
Many age-related complications can be traced back to a deficit in energy production.
NMN plays a vital role in the production of cellular energy since it boosts the synthesis of NAD+.
Maintaining NAD+ levels at an optimal level is of paramount importance since this compound helps improve the functioning of mitochondria. The boost in cellular energy production will give you a youthful appearance even as you grow older.
For more on cellular energy, read How Coenzyme Q10 Can Boost Your Healthspan.
NMN helps maintain the circulatory system
The circulatory system is responsible for carrying blood into and out of vital body organs and removing waste products from the body. It’s also responsible for the exchange of heat and nutrients.
However, as we age, we may experience chronic changes that may interfere with the density of our blood vessels. This means that, with time, our blood might not be flowing as freely as before, hence leading to premature aging and other chronic diseases.
As the declining blood flow gets worse, we may experience loss of muscle mass. Loss of muscle mass is one of the contributing factors to low quality of life as we get older because it has an impact on mobility and daily functioning.
By increasing NAD+, NMN helps repair damaged DNA hence promoting the development of healthy blood vessels which slows down the degeneration.
IN CONCLUSION
As you can see, it’s possible to slow the degeneration that happens with aging by increasing the levels of NAD+ in your body. NMN is a useful NAD+ precursor and its ability to mitigate age-related diseases and metabolic decline is unmatchable.
Are you wanting to revitalize yourself from within and slow down aging? Look no further. Try our NMN supplements today and lead that active life that you’ve always wished for! Growing old should not be a punishment, but a blessing!
The content of this article is for informational purposes only. It’s not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or health provider before starting a new health regime or program. Do not ignore medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you’ve read on this site or any Youth & Earth product.
