NAD Intramuscular Therapy and Improved Brain Function

What is NAD?

NAD stands for Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and is an essential enzyme in every living cell. The complexities of enzymes, coenzymes, proteins, etc., required for proper body maintenance cannot be discussed here. This blog will concentrate on the therapeutic use of NAD+.

Many factors involve the healthy aging of the body, not the least of which may be lifestyle, family genetics, disease history, eating habits, and more. Of the factors that are required for a healthy body, NAD+ is a vital cofactor for metabolism, ATP production (the ability of the body to use photosynthesis to restore the mitochondria (the lining of the cell), which helps cells with respiration and energy production.

During normal aging, lower levels of NAD+ have been seen in tissues of various organisms (including humans), including the brain.

What Happens during aging in the brain?

According to researchers, “[r]educed NAD+ levels play a pivotal role in brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders because NAD+ replenishment improves mitochondrial function and mitochondrial biogenesis and reduces the accumulation of damaged mitochondria in both premature aging models and Alzheimer’s disease models….”

Mitochondria dysfunction, in part caused by a lack of NAD+ and other essential enzymes, proteins, and coenzymes and is responsible for neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers found that NAD+ is crucial for more than “500 enzymatic reactions [enzymes help chemical reactions in the cells of the body] and plays a pivotal role in the management of almost all major biological metabolism…that determine cellular health.” The steady decline in NAD+ is now believed to be partly responsible for disease susceptibility. A decrease in NAD+ levels is also responsible for DNA’s repair ability. The health of DNA genes to repair damages is essential, especially in diseases such as cancer.

Researchers are increasingly finding that NAD+ and NADH play “an important role in multiple biological processes in brains, such as neurotransmission and learning and memory.” Indeed, these coenzymes now appear to “modulate nearly all of the major biological processes, including calcium homeostasis (concentration of calcium ions in the extracellular fluid. Extracellular fluid is fluid outside the cells in the blood, the lymph nodes, and other body cavities.) This process includes healthy

  • Nerve transmission
  • Nerve condition
  • Muscle contraction
  • Cardiac contractility (the ability of the heart muscle to contract)
  • Blood clotting
  • Bone formation
  • Cell-to-cell communication
  • and more.

How Research is Examining NAD+ in Humans

There is no doubt that NAD+ is necessary for bodily and brain health and proper functioning. Until recently, most people used vitamin B3 to help in NAD upregulation (increase the amount of NAD+ present in the body.) While there have been many studies conducted on rats, not until recently have scientists been examining NAD+ infusions and their impact on human health. Thus far, research on NAD+ and humans has focused on those with neurodegenerative diseases, immunological disorders, and chronic inflammation. These include:

  • Acute kidney injury
  • Alzheimer’s disease,
  • Chronic Fatigue syndrome
  • Dementia
  • Hyperphosphatemia (levels of phosphate in the blood)
  • Hypertension
  • Obesity
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Photoaging of skin
  • Psoriasis
  • Skin Cancers
  • Type I Diabetes Mellitus
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
  • Schizophrenia

How One Gets NAD+ into the Body

It has long been recognized that B3 is a building block for NAD+ and NMN, a “potent precursor for NAD+ … is found in small amounts [of] fruits and vegetables such as avocados, broccoli, cabbage, edamame, and cucumber.” It is also found in meat, fish, milk, eggs, and green vegetables.

Supplements require close monitoring, appropriate dosage, and proper intervals to maintain health. The latest in supplement boosters is now the NAD+ shots. These theoretically can benefit the aging body by increasing cellular health, DNA repair capacity, and improved energy and brain function.

Additional Ways to Increase NAD+

As stated earlier, lifestyle can increase or decrease the levels of NAD+ in the body. Besides eating more of the foods listed above, cardio and strength workouts help increase or preserve NAD+ levels. Ensuring that skin is protected from UV rays while outside is another way to protect NAD+ levels.

Some Side Effects

There are some side effects from NAD+ that should be noted, but it is worth stating that to date, large-scale studies on NAD+ have not taken place, and there is disagreement as to the efficacy and side effects of taking NAD+. Some of these, according to Medlineplus.gov, include:

  • NAD+ can slow blood clotting and increase bruising and bleeding
  • NAD+ can decrease the rate at which Primidone (Mysoline) is broken down

by the body.

  • NAD+ can increase blood sugar. If you are Diabetic and decide to take NAD+, you should regularly check your blood sugar
  • NAD+ can increase the risk of low platelet levels in people suffering from kidney disease
  • NAD+ is not recommended for people suffering from ulcers

It should be stated again that most research on NAD+ has been done on rats and mice. The problem occurs when translating that research to how the human body will respond to NAD+ through boosters or supplements and at what levels.

Before going to the store, ordering online, or receiving an NAD+ booster shot, it is advisable to make sure that a thorough medical evaluation, including blood tests, is done, thus, avoiding the possibility of absorbing too much NAD+ into the body. Call now to speak with one of our staff and find out if you are a candidate for an NAD+ booster shot.

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*Unless otherwise stated, individual results may vary depending on many factors not all patients “feel” or achieve the same results.