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Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+, is an essential coenzyme that your body forms from vitamin B3. It encourages energy production, DNA repair, and cellular health, all of which play crucial roles in metabolic health. Basically, NAD+ helps your cells function better, and since your body is made of cells, you’ll also function better.
Boosting your NAD+ levels can have a variety of positive health effects, from improving energy levels and cognitive function to improving insulin sensitivity. As an added benefit, it also reduces the risk of age-related diseases.
Increasing your NAD+ levels offers benefits such as healthy cellular metabolism, but it’s not easy. You’ll have to make some lifestyle changes, gain a deeper understanding of nutrition, and take supplements to reap the full benefits. However, the challenge is worth the reward of not only feeling better but also greatly improving overall health.
As expected, you’ll need to start a regular exercise routine. The best exercises for stimulating NAD+ production are moderate aerobic exercises and resistance training. Most exercises you do to make your muscles stronger are forms of resistance training. So, focus on lunges, deadlifts, or other similar exercises.
The goal of aerobic exercises is to get you sweating and breathing hard. Walking and riding bikes are just two examples of this, but there are many more to choose from. To give yourself the motivation to keep going, make whatever you choose fun so you’re more likely to do it consistently.
Another lifestyle change to improve your NAD+ levels is to adjust when and how you eat. Intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating can activate cellular repair pathways and enhance NAD+ levels. The goal of diets like intermittent fasting is to eat only when your body is naturally ready to eat, relying on your circadian rhythm to determine when that is. It may take some trial and error to figure out what this means for you.
As expected, getting adequate sleep and reducing chronic stress are critical for maintaining NAD+ levels and overall cellular health. Of all the methods of boosting NAD+ mentioned so far, this is likely the trickiest to accomplish. If you struggle to get to sleep, things like meditation and having a regular bedtime and wake-up time can help. To reduce stress, spend more time with your friends and family, and set aside time for your hobbies.
Enjoying a nutrient-rich diet that provides anti-oxidant-rich foods, vitamin B3, and amino acids can help increase how much NAD+ your body makes. Your balanced diet will need to severely limit unhealthy fats and sugars, as they reduce the amount of NAD+ your body has. You can add nuts and seeds to your diet to enjoy healthy fats, and fruits can provide much healthier sources of sugar.
Lean meats, whole grains, and fermented foods support not only NAD+ levels but also your overall health. Some of the types of foods you should strive to add to your diet are wild-caught fish, meat, and leafy greens. All of these foods boost NAD+ levels while also being tasty and healthy.
By adopting a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine, you can maintain high NAD+ levels and reduce your risk of degenerative disease. However, these changes will not show results immediately. If you’re struggling to understand what your goals need to be, consult your doctor. Do some research into exercise and weight loss as well, so you can set realistic goals for yourself.
Excessive weight can slow metabolic processes and increase the risk of many diseases because the extra weight adds to the overall strain on your body. This, of course, means that NAD+ levels will fall. Excess body weight can also lead to insulin resistance, potentially leading to type 2 diabetes. Fatty liver disease and some cancers are also risks.
Regular physical activity and a balanced diet are key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and supporting NAD+ levels. When starting with exercise, begin slowly. Doing too much too quickly can cause other problems, including injury. As you get used to it, you can slowly ramp up your exercises until you’re where you want to be. It may be challenging at first, but you’ll slowly start to notice benefits like increased energy levels, driven by higher energy production that results in higher cellular energy. You may also notice improved cognitive function.
Excessive alcohol intake is harmful for many reasons, not the least of which is how it depletes NAD+ and impairs metabolic health. Limiting how much alcohol you drink is therefore vital for preserving your NAD+ levels. One way you can do this is to take a drink of water in between every drink of alcohol. Having more non-alcoholic drinks as alternatives is also a way to decrease how much you drink.
Reducing all exposure to toxins and pollutants is essential for maintaining healthy NAD+ levels and mitigating the risk of age-related diseases. On top of limiting your alcohol consumption, you should also avoid smoking and secondhand smoke. It’s not only essential for your NAD+ levels but also for your overall health.
Limit your sun exposure, especially during peak hours. Too much harsh sunlight directly on your skin will force your cells to make more DNA repairs, which will decrease your NAD+ levels. Reducing this demand can be a simple change. However, depending on where you live, this may be more difficult than some of the other NAD+ optimisation strategies.
Using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing can mitigate the harmful effects of UV radiation on the skin and, as a result, on NAD+ levels. You also need to be mindful of reflective surfaces, such as sand and water. These surfaces can increase your UV exposure. That doesn’t mean you should completely avoid the beach; simply take care and stay aware of NAD+ conservation.
As mentioned, it’s vital to implement lifestyle changes that support NAD+ levels, which is key to long-term optimisation. This includes regular exercise and a balanced diet. However, it’s important to make these changes sustainable.
Set realistic goals and celebrate small achievements to maintain your motivation and support your ongoing NAD+ optimisation efforts. Setting unachievable, nebulous, or unrealistic goals for yourself will lead you to slowly back off and eventually give up entirely, ultimately making you more unhealthy in the long run. Remember, exercise is just as much a mental game as it is a physical one.
Regular health check-ups can help you monitor your progress and adjust strategies as needed to maintain healthy NAD+ levels and retain all of the benefits that it provides.
