How Your Body Makes and Uses NAD

NAD+ is an innovative therapy that we use at Revolution Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment to support your health, as well as your detox and recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

As an NAD+ specialist, Richard E. Repass, MD, also utilizes a BR+NAD™ therapy to revitalize your energy, restore healthy brain function, and address neuropsychiatric disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bipolar disorder.

To understand how NAD+ treatments can improve your quality of life, you have to know where NAD+ comes from and the role it plays in your health.

What to know about NAD+

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme that’s available in all of your cells. This molecule plays an essential role in many cell functions and supports your metabolism and energy.

Your body naturally produces NAD+ in large quantities in your youth, which helps you look young and maintain lots of energy. But those NAD+ reserves don’t last for an eternity. With each passing year, your body slows down its NAD+ production.

To make the enzyme, your body converts vitamin B3 (niacin) into the NAD+ molecule through a biosynthesis process. This process also slows down with age, much like the production of natural NAD+.

If your body is showing signs of an NAD+ slowdown, you might benefit from supplemental NAD+ products. At Revolution Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment, we offer RealNAD+ supplements to support your physical, mental, and emotional health.

Why maintaining NAD+ levels matters

NAD+ is essential for many cellular processes, including defending against inflammation, trauma, and other stressors.

Maintaining sufficient levels of NAD+ also supports:

Memory
Longevity
Healthy weight
Youthful, healthy skin
Muscle strength and endurance

Without enough NAD+ in your cells, your body begins to age at a cellular level. You may be at increased risk for persistent fatigue, memory loss, premature wrinkles, and other visible signs of aging.

Your NAD+ levels can also decline at a more rapid pace if you use excessive amounts of alcohol or drugs due to a substance use disorder or have a psychiatric condition like bipolar disorder, anxiety, or depression.

How to get more NAD+ into your body

To recover from addiction, better manage psychiatric disorders, or reverse age-related changes in your body, you should consider your options for getting more NAD+ into your body.

In addition to the NAD+ supplements we offer, Dr. Repass can recommend lifestyle and diet changes you can make to support your overall health such as:

Eat the right foods

The compounds in NAD+ are also found in fish, poultry, leafy green vegetables, and legumes. Adding more of these foods into your regular diet can support your natural NAD levels.

Fasting

Intermittent fasting has been shown to boost NAD+ levels. But speak with Dr. Repass before changing or restricting your usual diet, as fasting isn’t a safe option for everyone.

Be mindful of your environment

Factors outside of your body can also deplete your NAD+ levels. For instance, getting a sunburn forces your body to use NAD+ to repair the skin damage. This lowers the NAD+ reserves that your body could use in other ways.

To learn how NAD+ can support your health, call us at the Revolution Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment in Mercer Island, Washington, to schedule a consultation.