Could you be exhausting your anti-ageing NAD+ levels without even knowing it? Our NAD levels drop naturally as we age, but there are also lifestyle factors that deplete them. Let’s take a look at 5 big factors that contribute to the loss of NAD.
5 causes of NAD+ depletion
Lifestyle factors can cause a rapid loss of NAD. If you have multiple factors depleting levels, it can lead to rapid premature ageing and an increased risk of chronic age-related disease. So it’s important to be aware of these 5 common causes of low NAD levels.
AN IMBALANCED DIET
Both what you eat and how much you eat can play an important role in your NAD levels. If you’re focusing on plenty of wholefoods and personalised nutrition that supports your body, you will find it easier to maintain healthy levels.
But if you are eating foods that lead to more inflammation and oxidative stress, your NAD gets depleted trying to counteract these effects. Eating excess amounts can have similar effects.
POOR SLEEP
We know how crucial sleep is for your health – it’s when your body does the majority of its repair work. But if you’re not getting enough sleep and/or sleeping poorly, this repair work doesn’t get done.
What does that mean? More damage is sustained over days and weeks, and more NAD is depleted trying to clean up the mess and get you back to a state of health.
On the flip side, NAD can help to restore healthy sleep patterns. It regulates pathways involved in your circadian rhythm which leads to a more ‘youthful’ sleeping pattern. If you’ve noticed you struggle to sleep properly as you get older, low NAD might be the reason.
EXCESS INTENSE EXERCISE
Physical activity is a must for your wellbeing. But if you’re overtraining or including too much intense exercise, you may be depleting your NAD without realising it.
You use NAD during your workouts to access the energy needed to exercise. But if you train excessively, you’re causing more cellular damage. As one of NAD’s tasks is repair of DNA and cells, that means more and more is used.
That’s why it’s important to vary your workout intensity and allow for plenty of recovery time if you engage in high-intensity training.
DRINKING ALCOHOL
It might be delicious and help you to unwind, but alcohol consumption is one of the biggest depletors of NAD. This is because NAD is used in the liver to process and detoxify ethanol (alcohol). The more alcohol you consume, the greater the drop – with some studies showing it can deplete NAD by up to 20%!
Interestingly, NAD is also being considered as a potential therapeutic substance for treating alcohol addiction along with other addictions. So if you struggle with alcohol, food or other substances, supporting your NAD levels may be a way to break that addiction.
UNCONTROLLED INFLAMMATION
It’s no surprise that inflammation is a player in NAD – after all, we know that it’s tied to inflammaging and premature ageing. The issue with this is that inflammation can be sneaky. You may not even realise you have low-grade chronic inflammation issues until you develop a chronic disease!
Inflammation is also involved in each of the above factors. So if you are dealing with one or more of those, you can assume inflammation is also present.
The consequences of low NAD
So what does it mean if you have depleted NAD levels? Just some of the outcomes include:
-
Chronic fatigue (thanks to reduced energy production)
-
Decreased brain function
-
Obesity
-
Accelerate ageing (premature ageing)
-
Increased zombie cells (more on these here)
-
Higher oxidative stress
-
Increased risk of chronic disease, particularly those related to ageing
-
Less DNA repair, leading to a higher risk of mutations and a shortened life span
To put it simply, the lower your NAD, the harder you’re pressing on your ageing accelerator. That’s why we want to counteract this and support healthy levels. To achieve this, we need a combined effort of reducing the depleting factors and boosting your levels naturally.
WONDERING HOW TO BOOST YOUR NAD LEVELS? NR IS THE SECRET!
NR (aka nicotinamide riboside) can increase NAD levels by up to 60% in middle-aged and older adults. So it really is a game-changer when it comes to supporting NAD!
That’s why I’ve formulated my own innovative supplement designed to support healthy ageing – and I’m so excited to share it with you! Learn more about Energy Glow NR here.
Susie Garden
I help women feeling stressed, flat and older than they’d like regain their youthful energy and glow using a proven method so their natural beauty and confidence shines through.