NAD+ iv therapy
NAD IV drip treatments at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre IV Lounge
NAD IV DRIP TREATMENTS AT THE TORONTO FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE CENTRE IV LOUNGE
There’s an important coenzyme working in every cell of your body, and it’s called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (or NAD+).
In simple terms, NAD+ transforms the energy we eat from food into the energy our cells need for chemical reactions. Think of it this way: without NAD+, we wouldn’t metabolize fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
Next to regulating metabolism, “NAD+ is a major player in skeletal muscle development, regeneration, aging, and disease,” explains an article in the journal Skeletal Muscle. The article also confirms, “The vast majority of studies indicate that lower NAD+ levels are deleterious for muscle health and higher NAD+ levels augment muscle health.”
Unfortunately, our NAD+ levels deplete as we grow older. And as our levels decline, our metabolism changes. With inferior NAD+ levels, we may also become prone to many diseases, including those that are age-related.
It’s possible, though, to replenish our NAD+ levels; this may help us tackle a host of health conditions, including age-related changes, fatigue, inflammation, and more.
How do you replenish NAD+?
You may encourage the body to regain NAD+ via sublingual or nasal intake, oral NAD precursors supplements, and/or IV therapy drip.
NAD+ IV therapy is one form of nutritional intravenous (IV) therapy that is offered at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre. IV therapy is a natural method for helping the body to rehydrate, detoxify, and replenish vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients. Safe compounds are directly inserted into your bloodstream, which helps address nutritional deficiencies without the unwanted side effects of oral supplements (i.e. diarrhea, cramping, nausea). During NAD+ IV therapy, NAD+ is infused into an IV drip compound; by bypassing your digestive system, NAD+ IV therapy may swiftly restock your body with NAD+.
According to an article published in Cell Metabolism, studies suggest that increasing NAD+ levels, “hold the promise of increasing the body’s resilience, not just to one disease, but to many, thereby extending healthy human lifespan.” Depending on your health goals, benefits may arise from improving NAD+ levels through NAD+ intake.
How may NAD+ benefit the body?
Heightening NAD+ levels has shown to enhance energy metabolism and increase cell vitality; the following may be supported:
- Anti-aging: According to a team led by David Sinclair, a professor at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Genetics, enzymes called sirtuins impact how we age. Sirtuins protect our DNA; think of them as light switches that turn genes “on” and “off”. But in order to work properly, sirtuins need NAD+ to say “stop” or “go” to the protective pathways correlated with age-related diseases. Thus, NAD+ helps sirtuins work in orderly fashion. In fact, “previous research by Sinclair and others has shown that NAD+, which also declines with age, boosts the activity of [sirtuins],” confirms the Harvard Medical School.
Sirtuins may also impede inflammation or help you recover from it. Inflammation may harm your DNA and cell structure, resulting in cell loss. Inflammatory foods (i.e. refined carbs, processed and sugar-laden foods) environmental pollution and toxicities may also threaten cell health. However, regular NAD+ intake might encourage sirtuins to prevent or rectify the DNA damage caused by inflammation.
- Cognition: NAD+ intake may aid in improving brain health by: refining neuron functionality; protecting cells from toxicities; and encouraging optimal mitochondrial functioning. Increasing NAD+ may also help prevent or recover the brain from age-related cognitive decline. A fuzzy memory or slow thought processes commonly arise with aging. Research on mice, however, suggests that sirtuins (in the hippocampus) may be connected to bolstering memory and learning, thereby improving mental performance and fight memory loss.
Sirtuins also have the ability to shield your body from amyloid proteins linked to neurodegenerative ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease. As sirtuins rely heavily on NAD+, upping your NAD+ may help further protect the brain from these amyloid proteins.
Toronto Functional Medicine Centre uses a combination of IV therapy and
Integrative naturopathic and functional medicine treatments that may help patients achieve optimal health.
What’s more, recovering your NAD+ levels may have a role in alleviating these health issues:
- Health Recovery: Drug and alcohol overindulgence are known to cause damages to the body and brain. As per studies, NAD+ levels have shown to decline from over drinking. NAD+ intake, though, may help address these adverse brain chemical changes. By replenishing your supply of neurotransmitters, NAD+ intake may assist in reducing cravings while helping to overcome brain fog, weakness and anxiety due to cessation of drugs and alcohol.
- Sports injuries: Sports injuries sometimes cause weakened cells and swelling. Cumulative NAD+ levels, though, may help increase the blood flow surrounding the injured area, encouraging the body to restore itself from inflammation. With a consistent intake of NAD+, physically active individuals may experience an improvement in energy levels and metabolism. Regular NAD+ intake may also help prevent injuries and inflammation from muscle overuse.
- Fatigue: Although the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are indefinite, upping NAD+ levels may help ease some of the discomforts from this disorder. In the body, NAD+ naturally lifts the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which your cells need for energy. NAD+ intake may assist in supplying your cells with further energy; this may result in lessening the side effects of chronic fatigue.
Do you have more questions about NAD+?
At Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, we offer an integrative and functional medicine programs to our patients. To learn if NAD+ IV therapy is appropriate for your health goals, call our clinic at (416) 968-6961 to book your appointment. You may also email us here.
If you have ongoing health issues, chronic health diseases, or have questions about our services, NAD doses, methods used, treatment duration option, and other concerns, we offer a complimentary 15-minute introductory meeting. The Toronto Functional Medicine Centre is located at 162 Cumberland St 222 A, Toronto, ON M5R 1A8.
References/Sources:
Goody MF, Henry CA. A need for NAD+ in muscle development, homeostasis, and aging. Skeletal Muscle. 2018 Mar;8(1):9. DOI: 10.1186/s13395-018-0154-1.
Martens CR, Denman BA, Mazzo MR, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nat Commun. 2018;9(1):1286. Published 2018 Mar 29. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03421-7.
“NAD+ in aging, metabolism, and neurodegeneration” by Eric Verdin, Science 04, Dec. 2015: 12-8-1213.
Rajman L, Chwalek K, Sinclair DA. Therapeutic Potential of NAD-Boosting Molecules: The In Vivo Evidence. Cell Metab. 2018;27(3):529–547. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2018.02.011.
“Rewinding the clock” by Ekaterina Pesheva for Harvard Medical School, posted on March 22, 2018, viewed on March 2, 2020.
Schultz MB, Sinclair DA. Why NAD(+) Declines during Aging: It's Destroyed. Cell Metab. 2016;23(6):965–966. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2016.05.022.
