Fully understand the relationship between NMN and NAD+?

In their quest to discover the mysteries of life, scientists have discovered a key molecule called NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), which plays a pivotal role in cell metabolism.

And closely related NMN (β-nicotinamide mononucleotide), is the direct precursor of NAD+, the two together constitute an important system to maintain the normal life activities, and introduce the relationship between NAD+ and NMN, their key role in human health.

NAD+ : Anti-aging effect

Many laboratories in world-renowned universities have carried out in-depth studies on NMN, and the results consistently show that NMN has amazing anti-aging effects.

One of the most representative is a study published in 2013 by Harvard Medical School professor David Sinclair's team.

In the experiment, they found that after taking NMN for a week, the content of NAD+ in the body was significantly increased, the physique began to reverse, the life cycle became longer, and the average life span was extended by about 1/3.

The results of the experiment caused a stir in the academic circles after they were published in the internationally renowned journal Cell.

As a synonym for human anti-aging, NMN began to enter the vision of ordinary people, and it can often be seen in scientific journals such as Nature, Science, and Cell.

Key features of NAD+ include:

Energy generation:

During cellular respiration, NAD+ acts as an electron acceptor that helps convert energy from food into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a form of energy that cells can use directly.

In this process, NAD+ is reduced to NADH and reoxidized to NAD+ in subsequent steps, forming a cycle that continues to provide energy to the cell.

DNA Repair:

NAD+ is also a substrate for PARP (polyADP-ribose polymerase), which is essential for the detection and repair of DNA damage.

When DNA is damaged, PARP is able to use NAD+ to synthesize polyADP-ribose strands that help recruit other repair enzymes to repair DNA damage and maintain genomic stability.

Cell signaling and longevity gene activation:

NAD+ is also involved in a variety of cellular signaling pathways, including regulation of circadian rhythms, immune function, and neuroprotection.

It is also an essential substrate for the Sirtuins family of proteins, which are involved in extending life span and regulating inflammation and stress responses.

Sirtuins proteins are involved in anti-aging processes by consuming NAD+ to catalyze deacetylation reactions and regulate a variety of biological processes.

NMN: The cause of aging is DNA damage

Chromosomes carry all of our genetic information and control how we grow old and die.

The body replicates and divides cells all the time. In order to keep the genetic information intact, there is a repeating piece of DNA at the end of the chromosome, and each time the chromosome is copied, a little bit of this repeating piece is cut off.

The pieces of chromosomes that sacrifice to protect themselves are called telomeres, which you can visualize as the plastic caps of shoelaces.

In theory, if the telomeres are long enough, they can protect the chromosomes from ever getting shorter.

But normal people's telomere length is limited after all, once it is exhausted, the chromosome loses its protection and gradually shortens, causing DNA damage, and the cell inevitably dies.

In 1965, the American microbiologist Leonardo Haeflik proposed the "Haeflik Limit", stating:

Cells in the human body die after 56 divisions due to self-produced toxins, and each cell division cycle is about 2.4 years, according to which people can live up to 120 years.

The average life expectancy of Chinese people is 77 years, and the average life expectancy of Japan is 84 years. Limited by environmental, living habits, medical and other factors, there are very few people who can really live to 100 years old.

If maintaining telomere length can break through the "Heflick limit," then how to maintain telomere length?

Hisayuki Amano's research team at Baylor College of Medicine in the United States made a breakthrough in telomere research and published the results in the March 2019 issue of Cell Metabolism.

The study noted that telomere disruption (shortening) is mainly related to a decrease in the amount of NAD+ in the body, and that telomere disruption inhibits the level of Sirtuins (longevity proteins), which leads to aging.

The more important finding is that NMN stabilizes telomeres and improves symptoms of telomere disorders.

The researchers first gave experimental mice NMN continuously for 2 weeks, and then injected the fibrosis inducer CCl4 (a total of 12 injections, twice a week, to make their telomeres disturbed), while continuing to give NMN for 6 weeks, and found that the telomere length of mice taking NMN was significantly longer than that of the control group.

What exactly is NMN? How does it work in the body? This starts with the relationship between NMN and NAD+.

With the deepening of the research, the importance of NMN has gradually become prominent:

Increase NAD+ level:

With the increase of age, the level of NAD+ in the human body will gradually decline, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of aging and a variety of chronic diseases.

As a precursor of NAD+, NMN can enhance the level of NAD+ in the body through a complementary effect, so as to combat the aging process and improve various health problems caused by the reduction of NAD+.

Improve metabolism and enhance body function:

A number of animal experiments and preliminary human clinical trials have shown that NMN can improve metabolism and enhance body function while increasing NAD+ levels.

For example, NMN may improve age-related metabolic dysfunction such as insulin resistance and fatty liver, maintain the health of the cardiovascular system, have a protective effect on the nervous system, help maintain cognitive function and may fight neurodegenerative diseases.

Safety and Efficacy:

NMN is marketed as a supplement, and existing studies have shown that NMN is safe when ingested in moderate amounts with no significant side effects.

In some clinical trials, participants took doses of up to 1,200 mg of NMN per day without significant side effects.

The relationship and application of NAD+ and NMN

The relationship between NAD+ and NMN can be said to be interdependent and mutually promoting.

NAD+ is an indispensable coenzyme in cells and participates in a variety of biochemical reactions, while NMN is the direct precursor of NAD+. By converting into NAD+, NAD+ level in human body is improved, thus enhancing the energy metabolism and DNA repair ability in human body, and delaying the aging of cells.

In terms of application, NMN, as a supplement to NAD+, has potential anti-aging and health promoting effects.

It should be noted that more NMN is not always better, and its effectiveness and safety need to be balanced. Excessive intake may bring potential risks, especially when other similar substances (such as NR, NA, NAM, etc.) are mixed in the product, and large intake of these substances may cause side effects.

When selecting NMN products, we should pay attention to the purity of the product, the content of β-NMN, the production process, the certification mark, the word of mouth evaluation and other information to ensure the quality and safety of the product.

Timely replenishment of NAD+ is key

As the key and bridge of life energy, NAD+ and NMN play a vital role in maintaining human health and promoting the normal progress of life activities.

The study found that NAD+ levels decreased steadily with increasing age.

At the age of 30, the level of NAD+ in the human body will decline as people age.

At age 60, the level of NAD+ is less than a quarter of that of younger people.

This means that after the age of 60, there are many biochemical and metabolic reactions in the human body can not be efficiently carried out, so the older the age, the more and more health problems, and timely restoration of NAD+ levels can promote health and prolong life.

However, NAD+ cannot be directly supplemented orally. NAD+ molecular weight is too large to be directly absorbed by the human body, coupled with high activity, molecular instability, artificial synthesis is difficult.

It is structurally similar to other precursors of NAD+, such as nicotinamide ribose (NR), niacin (NA), and nicotinamide (NAM), all of which contain a pyridine ring structure.