Did you know that as people age, NAD levels naturally decline? This is why we offer NAD IV therapy in our Toronto lounge, especially to support your health goals. 

This depletion of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) can influence the human body in many ways. NAD levels naturally lower as the body ages, so it can leave us susceptible to poor cellular health and DNA damage, while increasing our risk for age-related diseases.

“This decline in NAD+ levels is linked causally to numerous ageing-associated diseases, including cognitive decline, cancer, metabolic disease, sarcopenia and frailty. Many of these ageing-associated diseases can be slowed down and even reversed by restoring NAD+ levels,” assures a review from Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 

In order to reach optimal health, education may be key to knowing how your body works. In this blog post, we provide a brief recap on what this coenzyme is, how it diminishes in your body, and how IV NAD+ can help. 

What NAD Does and its Potential Health Benefits

NAD, also known by its oxidated form NAD+, is a powerful coenzyme needed for healthy cellular function and preventing mitochondrial dysfunction. It contributes to the conversion of food into energy, while preventing DNA damage. Without NAD, our bodies simply wouldn’t be able to process chemical reactions needed for survival! 

When taken as oral supplements or intravenous therapy, NAD could introduce these beneficial effects: 

• Might help with upgrading reaction times for athletic performances.
• Could improve muscle health, especially for post-workout recovery purposes.
• Its neuroprotective properties may support cognitive function (i.e. reducing brain fog).
• Could lower oxidative stress and other inflammatory markers, consequently reducing inflammation and pain levels.
• Promotes healthy DNA function and cell vitality. It has a particular role in DNA repair and cellular communication, which requires providing energy for cells. 
• Can help boost brain health with the production of neurotransmitters, including serotonin. This means NAD+ may be considered for mental health support, especially for chronic stress. 
• Contributes to regulating the circadian rhythm, helping the body get quality sleep.  

Recommended Reading: Restoring Optimal Function with Lifestyle Recommendations and NAD IV Therapy from Toronto

How Do NAD Levels Decrease?

As we explained, these coenzyme levels drop as the body ages. But it’s not just the aging process that can trigger this reduction. Here’s an explanation of how NAD decreases in other ways:

• Drinking excessive alcohol can lead to severe side effects, hindering our biological processes. It’s been postulated that liver damages from alcohol can deteriorate NAD on a cellular level. 
• NAD heavily participates in our energy metabolism and metabolic functions; thus, “…a decline in NAD levels is closely related to the development of various metabolic disorders, including diabetes and fatty liver disease,” states a Journal of Biomedical Science review. 
• Did you know that elevated blood sugar spikes and dwindling insulin levels impact NAD levels? Your ratio of NADH (the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NAD+ can become wonky from these awkward blood sugar and insulin effects, which can be the one of the root causes of low NAD+.
• Damage to DNA has been shown to reduce NAD+ in your body. You can injure your DNA through exposures to UV rays and harmful chemicals. “At the cellular level, damaged DNA that is not properly repaired can lead to genomic instability, apoptosis, or senescence,” confirms a study from The Embo Journal. This, in turn, can impact your aging process. 

Do you need an improvement in energy levels? Or how about a leg-up in your mental performance or cellular metabolism? Learn how to get an NAD+ boost in the next section. 

Getting NAD+ IV and Supplements 

Inside our IV Lounge, we assist new and existing patients with IV therapy treatments using our integrative approach to health. IV therapy drips are uniquely combined with other functional medicine modalities, such as Western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, naturopathic medicine, lifestyle modifications, and acupuncture. NAD+ supplementation may be recommended by us, and there are a few ways to take them: 

• • Oral supplements: Precursors in the form of capsules may be taken; these may include nicotinamide riboside (NR) and/or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). Taking supplemental precursors has been shown to help reduce inflammation and heighten neurological function and mitochondrial function. 
  • NAD+ IV therapy treatments: If you struggle with malabsorption, IV NAD+ may be appropriate for you. This is because oral capsules require the digestive tract for filtration, and patients with malabsorption can lack the proper functioning of their gastric system. NAD+ IV therapy can provide an immediate absorption rate by delivering nutrients straight into the bloodstream. In turn, digestion is not needed for the absorption of nutrients when you get this drip treatment. 
• Note: If you have an aversion to oral supplements or IV drip therapy, we can further discuss sublingual NAD+, which may be compounded for your health concerns. 

Please contact us to become a new patient at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre. By conducting a complete diagnostic session, we can determine if this drip compound is suitable for your health goals. 

Do you want to include other essential nutrients in your IV therapy drips? Let us know! Our IV Lounge has a plethora of nutrients for IV vitamin therapy, which helps us cater to unique needs. 

Next to NAD+ IV, we have high-dose vitamin C, glutamic acid, amino acids, mistletoe, and other vitamin drips! When administered along with a healthy lifestyle, diet and a functional medicine program, NAD IV therapy could support optimal performance over time. 

Foster your mind and body with NAD IV therapy from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre. Reach out to us by clicking here – let’s unravel the root cause of your chronic illness today!

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. Consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website.

 

References

Braidy N, Villalva MD, van Eeden S. Sobriety and Satiety: Is NAD+ the Answer? Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 May 14;9(5):425. doi: 10.3390/antiox9050425. PMID: 32423100; PMCID: PMC7278809.

Covarrubias AJ, Perrone R, Grozio A, Verdin E. NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2021 Feb;22(2):119-141. doi: 10.1038/s41580-020-00313-x. Epub 2020 Dec 22. PMID: 33353981; PMCID: PMC7963035.

Hakem R. DNA-damage repair; the good, the bad, and the ugly. EMBO J. 2008 Feb 20;27(4):589-605. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2008.15. PMID: 18285820; PMCID: PMC2262034.

Fan L, Cacicedo JM, Ido Y. Impaired nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+ ) metabolism in diabetes and diabetic tissues: Implications for nicotinamide-related compound treatment. J Diabetes Investig. 2020 Nov;11(6):1403-1419. doi: 10.1111/jdi.13303. Epub 2020 Jul 7. PMID: 32428995; PMCID: PMC7610120.

French SW. Chronic alcohol binging injures the liver and other organs by reducing NAD⁺ levels required for sirtuin’s deacetylase activity. Exp Mol Pathol. 2016 Apr;100(2):303-6. doi: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2016.02.004. Epub 2016 Feb 16. PMID: 26896648.

Okabe, K., Yaku, K., Tobe, K. et al. Implications of altered NAD metabolism in metabolic disorders. J Biomed Sci 26, 34 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-019-0527-8

Ruszkiewicz, J. A., Bürkle, A., & Mangerich, A. (2022). Fueling genome maintenance: On the versatile roles of NAD+ in preserving DNA integrity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298(6), 102037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102037

Sakari Jukarainen and others, Obesity Is Associated With Low NAD+/SIRT Pathway Expression in Adipose Tissue of BMI-Discordant Monozygotic Twins, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 101, Issue 1, 1 January 2016, Pages 275–283, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-3095

Shade C. The Science Behind NMN-A Stable, Reliable NAD+Activator and Anti-Aging Molecule. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2020 Feb;19(1):12-14. PMID: 32549859; PMCID: PMC7238909.

Wilk, A., Hayat, F., Cunningham, R. et al. Extracellular NAD+ enhances PARP-dependent DNA repair capacity independently of CD73 activity. Sci Rep 10, 651 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-57506-9