{"id":26834,"date":"2021-04-26T07:35:11","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T12:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/?p=26834"},"modified":"2022-11-14T13:48:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T19:48:45","slug":"intravenous-nad-and-your-telomeres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/26\/intravenous-nad-and-your-telomeres","title":{"rendered":"Intravenous NAD+ and Your Telomeres"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In recent weeks, there\u2019s been a noticeable upsurge of interest in the anti-aging therapies we offer at WholeHealth Chicago. Maybe it has something to do with pandemic year 2020. Now that we\u2019re vaccinated and peeking our heads out from our hidey-holes, emerging from darkness into light, we sense we\u2019ve lost a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since we can\u2019t time travel to retrieve it, perhaps we\u2019re looking to tack on a few healthy years at the far end. Hence the interest in anti-aging approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as the pandemic continues worldwide, we\u2019re living in a time of major breakthroughs when it comes to understanding how we age and also the steps we can take to not only slow down aging, but to all appearances reverse the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most interesting work is coming out of a place you\u2019ve likely never heard of, the Wistar Institute at the University of Pennsylvania<\/strong><\/a>, whose website describes itself as \u201ca world leader in early-stage scientific discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAD+<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to aging, the most significant news in recent years has centered on a substance produced in our bodies called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NAD+ for short. It\u2019s classified as a co-factor, meaning that it helps all parts of your metabolism run efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine your metabolism as billions of gears running 24\/7, from conception to final breath. NAD+ lubricates everything. Without NAD+ you\u2019d be dead, instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists have spent decades researching exactly how we age, taking a deep dive  into why some people become old before their time and die quite young even as others are mentally and physically fit as they near 100, sometimes even enjoying a daily cigar and martini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current thinking is that, over the years, we age because we\u2019re exposed to a variety of harmful substances (free radicals<\/strong><\/a>) that slowly but relentlessly damage our cells. When we\u2019re young, we\u2019ve got plenty of NAD+ to handle damage control. But with the passage of time our bodies simply don\u2019t make enough NAD+ to keep up with the harm to important things, like our DNA and our mitochondria (the power plants inside every cell).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 50, you have just half the NAD+ you enjoyed as a callow youth. At 80, you\u2019re lucky if you have 5% left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how NAD+ acts as an anti-aging agent<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a little complicated, but you\u2019ll follow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n