Could Vitamin B3 (NAD) Be The Best Answer To Chronic Fatigue?

Could Vitamin B3 (NAD) be what you’re missing?

Nicotinamade Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) is the oxidized coenzyme form of Vitamin B3. NAD and its reduced form, NADH, are converted into each other as an essential part of many metabolic activities in the human body.

What is NAD?

You may remember the Krebs Cycle from high school biology – well this will take you back to that! NAD is necessary in energy production in every cell in the body, as it is a pivotal step in making ATP, the primary energy source used by cells to fuel all biological processes.

Our cells need to be able to make ATP to function properly and carry out all of their processes metabolically. If there is not enough ATP being made, the cell lacks fuel and the processes begin to break down – this is where symptoms start to develop.

Where is NAD found in the body?

NAD is found in many cells in all tissues all over the body. The heart, brain and muscle tissue cells have the highest concentration of NAD. The more NAD concentrated in a cell, the more efficiently it can function. Damage to the cells’ organelles (i.e. mitochondria) will disrupt the active transportation, enzyme production and function, as well as cellular production which leads to degenerative changes in the cells and tissues. Degeneration of cellular tissue is what causes disease conditions and pre-mature aging.

What Can NAD Be Used For?

Research has shown the benefits of supplementing with NAD+ to restore the energy production of the cells, can result in:
• Anti-aging benefits
• Restoring neurological function and cognitive decline
• Improving muscle strength and function with increased exercise capacity
• Reducing fatigue, improving ability to handle stress

NAD+ (oral and / or IV) therapy has been shown to be beneficial in treating a variety of conditions. These include:
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Cardiovascular disease
• Blood sugar imbalance, and diabetes
• Autoimmune conditions
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Neurodegenerative diseases such as dementias, Parkinson’s, MS
• Drug and alcohol addiction

The levels of NAD that naturally occur in the body decrease as we get older, by replacing the NAD via supplementation, we can improve the health and efficiency of our cells and how they function.

Do Foods Contain NAD?

Some foods contain NAD naturally, such as:

• Tuna
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Mushrooms (Crimini mushrooms help boost NAD levels naturally and have NAD in them)
• Green vegetables (especially peas and asparagus)

What depletes NAD?

• Natural aging, time
• Alcohol – alcohol interferes with the metabolic processes and reduces the efficiency of NAD
• Too much sunlight – research has shown that too much direct sunlight can deplete NAD because our body uses NAD to repair those cells that get damaged by direct UV ray exposure
• Obesity, metabolic syndrome
• Over-eating via elevated blood glucose and decreased insulin sensitivity
• Staying awake at night or night-shift workers via increased oxidative stress
• Pregnancy and post-partum period
• Mold, toxicity, Lyme disease, and other chronic infectious diseases

What To Do About Your NAD levels?

If you think that your NAD levels may be causing some of your symptoms or are a part of your clinical picture, book an appointment with your trusted healthcare practitioner. Sometimes oral supplementation can be sufficient in treating NAD levels, while in other cases, prescriptions of IV therapy may be of more benefit. Your practitioner will want to know that your digestive and gut health is healthy and will have the ability to digest, assimilate and absorb NAD if you’re going to take oral supplementation.

Don’t suffer any longer with your symptoms – reach out today!

At Bay Wellness Centre our naturopathic doctors have their prescriptive authority and can determine if NAD is the correct treatment for you.