KEY POINTS
Have you ever thought about how your diet affects your body's DNA repair and metabolism?
Learning about foods high in NAD+ precursors can unexpectedly improve your health. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is key for many cell functions. It helps your body work well and bounce back from stress. You can get more of this nutrient by eating foods with B vitamins and tryptophan.
Adding foods rich in NAD+ precursors to your meals can increase your NAD+ levels. This can lead to better aging, energy, and cell health. Think about how a diet full of these nutrients could change your daily life.
Introduction to NAD+ and its Importance
NAD+ is a key coenzyme found in all cells. It plays a big role in energy production, keeping mitochondria working well, and helping cells bounce back. Your body uses NAD+ often, so it needs to keep making more. This happens through recycling or making it from foods with vitamin B3, like niacin.
Nicotinamide riboside and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) are important for breaking down and making NAD+ again3. Also, turning niacin into NAD+ and making it from tryptophan is crucial for keeping levels up.
As we age, NAD+ levels drop, which is why people are looking into foods and supplements to boost them. Studies show that NMN and NR supplements can raise NAD+ levels. This can help with issues like diabetes, Alzheimer's, and inflammation34. For example, taking 250mg of NMN daily can increase NAD+ by about 40%, which is good for health4.
Eating foods that boost NAD+ and using supplements like Basis can help keep your health in check. Focusing on making more NAD+ is important because it affects many body functions. For example, exercise can keep NAD+ levels up, making them like those in younger people4.
This shows we need to use diet, supplements, and exercise to support NAD+ levels. Doing so can lead to a longer and healthier life.
Foods Rich in NAD+ Precursors
To boost NAD+ levels naturally, add foods that help make NAD+ to your meals. Great options include fish, dairy milk, and poultry. These foods are packed with niacin, nicotinamide riboside, and tryptophan, which are key for making NAD+.
Fish: Tuna, Salmon, Anchovies
Eating tuna, salmon, and anchovies is great because they’re full of niacin. These fish give you lots of niacin and tryptophan, which are important for making NAD+. They also have omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, which are good for your heart and brain5.
These fish give you more niacin than you need each day, making them top foods for boosting NAD+5.
Dairy Milk
Dairy milk is not super high in niacin but has nicotinamide riboside, a powerful NAD+ maker. It’s one of the few natural sources of nicotinamide riboside. Adding milk and other dairy products with NAD+ precursors can really help increase NAD+ in your body6.
Studies show that nicotinamide riboside is easy for both mice and humans to use, making it a great way to raise NAD+ levels6.
Poultry: Turkey and Chicken
Turkey and chicken are packed with niacin and tryptophan, which are key for making NAD+. Turkey’s tryptophan also helps make serotonin, which can make you feel sleepy after eating a big meal5.
Adding poultry with lots of niacin and tryptophan to your meals means you get steady amounts of these important precursors. This helps with making NAD+ and keeps you healthy5.
Additional NAD+ Boosting Foods
There are many foods that can boost your NAD+ levels, besides the main sources. Pork and beef are great examples. They are full of niacin and tryptophan. A 6-ounce serving of pork tenderloin gives you 80 to 90% of the daily niacin you need7. Lean beef also gives you almost twice the daily niacin you need7.
Whole grains are also key for boosting NAD+. Foods like whole wheat and brown rice are full of niacin. But, the nutrients in these grains are often lost when they are processed into white flour and rice7. It’s important to choose whole grains to get the most benefits from their niacin.
For those interested in supplements, NAD+ precursors like nicotinamide riboside (NR) are worth looking into. NR is found in small amounts in milk, but supplements are the main source. Supplements like NR can increase NAD+ levels and help with things like better brain function, cell health, DNA protection, and a stronger immune system8. Eating a variety of foods rich in NAD+ precursors is key to keeping your NAD+ levels up and staying healthy.