NAD+ is the second most popular cofactor in the human body. Anti-aging therapies becoming more mainstream as aging is now more often being viewed as a disease. Now that this transition is happening, the ability for NAD+ to activate PARPS, Sirtuins, and help with immune dysregulation has been thoroughly investigated and NAD+ and its precursors have been highly popularized.
The clinical importance of maintaining cellular NAD+ levels was established early in the last century with the finding that pellagra, a disease characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia and death, could be cured with foods containing the NAD+ precursor niacin. Additionally, cellular concentrations of NAD+ have been shown to decrease under conditions of increased oxidative damage such as occur during aging.
Altered levels of NAD+ have been found to accompany several disorders associated with increased oxidative/free radical damage including diabetes, heart disease, age-related vascular dysfunction, ischemic brain injury, misfolded neuronal proteins, and Alzheimer’s dementia.
Interventions targeted at restoring NAD+ have been shown to support healthy aging and improve metabolic function, and dementia as well