DNA is what makes you, you. Protecting it is so vital that our bodies have natural backups just in case something gets damaged along the way. Over the years, our DNA begins to deteriorate, thus preventing more and more cells from replicating. This is what leads to things like wrinkles, gray hair, and other unavoidable signs of aging. It can also lead to much worse conditions, such as cancer. This is why it’s vital to protect your DNA with NAD+.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme found in all living cells. It basically carries your electrons from one reaction to another, and combines with specific proteins to create essential enzymes. In other words, it protects your DNA, combats aging, improves your metabolism, and slows neurodegeneration.
How NAD+ Works
Every day, your body converts vitamin B3 (niacin) into NAD+. It’s your body’s way of helping you age gracefully. It does so much more too.
NAD+ acts as fuel for many key biological processes, such as:
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Converting food into energy
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Repairing damaged DNA
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Fortifying cells’ defense systems
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Setting your body’s internal clock or circadian rhythm
It’s basically a powerhouse for your body and a natural fountain of youth. So what does that mean for your DNA?
What is DNA?
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid if you want the full term, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. As we said earlier, it’s what makes you, you. It is found in every one of your cells — in the nucleus (the core) and the mitochondria (what powers the cell).
You’re probably familiar with it in the shape of a helix — a spiral ladder-like structure. The “rungs” of the ladder are actually the four bases to DNA: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Each rung is made of two of the bases. A always pairs with T and G always pairs with C.
DNA replicates itself often. Your body has ways to protect your DNA during this process so each copy is identical, but sometimes, things can be broken and need to be repaired.
Importance of DNA Repair
When things go wrong with your DNA, the results can be catastrophic for your body. Thankfully, DNA is highly stable and doesn’t change overnight. Many mutations are repaired, or ignored for generations, and some are even beneficial. This is the very basis for evolution — helpful mutations to the DNA that change a specimen over time. If you’re familiar with Charles Darwin, then you’ll know how this all works.
We now know that fewer than one in 1000 accidental base changes in DNA results in a permanent mutation; the rest are eliminated with remarkable efficiency by DNA repair.
Not all mutations are good, though.
If your DNA is not sufficiently repaired, recent studies unveiled connections between disease and defective DNA. Such defects can be inherited from parents and cause:
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Colon cancer
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Skin cancer
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Cellular UV sensitivity
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Neurological abnormalities
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Leukemia
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Lymphoma
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Breast and ovarian cancer
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Premature aging
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Stunted growth
And several more syndromes, all of which can be found here.
Thankfully, this is very rare and your body does have ways to protect your DNA to further reduce the likelihood of defects. You can help boost those preventive measures with NAD+.
How NAD+ Helps Repair DNA
As you age, your levels of NAD+ decline. However, elevating your NAD+ has shown promising results against neurodegeneration and aging. Let’s take a look at how.
NAD+ is tightly connected to the DNA repair precursor PARP-1, which detects DNA damage, binds broken strands, and forms other essential enzymes from the broken DNA. Basically, it’s a security scanner for your DNA.
In simple terms, PARP-1 consumes NAD+ to promote cell survival when DNA strands are damaged. Basically, NAD+ inhibits PARP-1 from killing too many cells before they can be repaired. There are multiple studies on the result of this relationship to prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as well.
How Can You Get NAD+?
NAD+ is naturally produced in your cells. You can also boost production of it by exercising, limiting your exposure to the sun, increasing your time spent in warmer temperatures, eating a lot of foods that contain B vitamins, or you can take it intravenously (through an IV).
IV Revival allows you to receive NAD+ through an IV while you’re at home. You won’t have to worry about changing your diet, increasing your exercise, or reducing your alcohol intake (though all of that will boost your health in addition to the IV). Instead, all you have to do is request an appointment. Our registered nurses will come to you and administer the IV.
Give us a call to schedule your appointment.