Sirtuins. The longevity gene. These little genes can have a big impact on our endurance,
on our heart, on our cognitive function…but more importantly, on how well we age. And
there are things that we can do to energize these little genes and make them more effective.
That’s the topic of today’s video.
This is Lance, and welcome back. I started this channel about 3 month ago to record what
I’ve learned on my quest to turn back the clock on aging. If you’ve been finding these
videos to be informative, if you’ve learned something that you didn’t know, then leave
me a comment below. And please, hit the subscribe button to subscribe to my channel. And while
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There’s been a lot of talk in the media lately about sirtuins, NAD and resveratrol,
and the impact that they have on the aging process. In today’s video, we going to take
a look at what sirtuins are and how they affect aging, the impact that NAD has on sirtuins,
and how supplementing with NAD precursors and resveratrol influence the effectiveness of sirtuins.
So, in an earlier video, I mentioned that even though are some anti-aging therapies
and intervention that are still a year or two away, there are some things that you can do,
right now, to slow down the aging process. And one of those things is to boost the sirtuin
pathway.
It’s been known for a long time now that calorie restriction, a reduction in the intake
of food, will slow aging in many species. And by calorie restriction, I’m talking
about a reduction in food intake beyond what is normal or comfortable, and it’s something
that is probably not very sustainable for very long. But research has revealed some
of the molecules that are responsible for the slowing of the aging process. And many
of those molecules interact with the sirtuins.
Sirtuins are a class of 7 different proteins that play a critical role in regulating cellular
health. They’re actually genes, and they’re nicknamed “the longevity genes” because
they regulate so many functions that influence to the aging process. They regulate mitochondrial
biogenesis, or the creation of new mitochondria. The stimulate apoptosis (or the programmed
death of cells) and autophagy, which is the recycling of cellular materials. They inhibit
inflammation. They stimulate signaling between the nucleus and the mitochondria on the cellular
level, and between the hypothalamus and fat tissue on the systemic level. And 3 of the
sirtuins repair damaged DNA.
And sirtuins can only function in the presence of NAD+. Now, NAD stands for Nicotinamide
Adenine Dinucleotide, it’s a derivative of Nicotinic Acid, also known a Niacin or
vitamin B6, and it comes in 2 forms: NAD+ & NADH. It’s a coenzyme that helps turn
nutrients into energy, and it plays an essential role in energy production in the mitochondria.
It’s also a helper molecule for proteins that regulate other biological activity.
And NAD is absolutely vital for the normal function of sirtuins. They can only function in the presence of NAD+.
But it’s also used by DNA-repairing proteins called PARPs, and more PARPs can be found in aged subjects.
Now, although it’s necessary to activate many NAD-dependent molecules such as sirtuins
and PARPs, too much activation can exhaust NAD+ supplies and can induce cell death if
the damage to the cell is too severe.
Too much activation of the PARP enzyme can also induce over expression of the protein
P53. This protein is responsible for the elimination of cancer cells, but the more it gets activated,
or expressed, the more it accelerates the aging process.
So, as we age, NAD+ levels go into decline, and the sirtuins become less functional. As
NAD+ levels decline, energy transfer decreases, slowing mitochondrial function and increasing
oxidative stress. This results in chronic inflammation, cognitive dysfunction, and an
increase in free radicals, which damage DNA, .
You know, I’m well aware that some of this stuff is technical, or complicated, and that
I may not explain it in the most logical way, so if you have any questions, if you have
any remarks or comments, I’d love to hear them. Just put them in the comment below,
and I’ll do my best to respond.
So, how do you reverse this decline in NAD+ levels? Well, one way is by supplementing
with NAD precursors. Studies have shown that taking an NAD precursor can elevate NAD+ levels
by as much as 60%.
Now, there are several precursors to NAD, with varying levels of absorption and effectiveness.
Two of the most effective are NMN, or nicotinamide mononucleotide: and NR, which stands for
nicotinamide riboside. There’s a lot of debate between which is more effective, which
passes through the cell membrane easier, and the jury still seems to be out on that.
However, in numerous studies on both substances, NMN seems to be edging out NR in terms of
results. I’ll be doing a video in the future on nicotinamide mononucleotide vs nicotinamide
riboside, but for now, know that NMN has proven to have superior results in endurance, heart
disease, Alzheimer’s, aging, DNA repair, weight, neurological function, energy, and,
believe it or not, vision.
However, there’s a couple of caveats to supplementing with an NAD precursor. The first
has to do with dosing and cost. Typically, both NMN and NR comes in doses of 250mg to 300mg per
day, But most researchers, who take NMN themselves, recommend taking a gram per day…that’s
1000mg. I’ve read articles on NR that suggest a daily dose of 500mg to 1000mg. And taking
a gram per day of NMN can run you between $150 and $200 per month. Kinda pricey.
Now, I'm currently taking about 600mg per day of NR, and it's costing me about $80 per month. So, buyer beware.
And there’s a second caveat to taking NR, NMN or any form or derivative of Niacin. The
RDA, recommended daily allowance, for any form of the vitamin B6 is 16mg per day, with
an upper limit of about 35 mg per day. Taking any form of Niacin in excess of 35mg per day,
and that includes niacin, niacinamide, nicotinamide, nicotinamide riboside,nicotinamide mononucleotide,
all forms of niacin consume methyl groups in order to be properly excreted in the urine.
The lack of methylated niacin metabolites in the urine is a sign of niacin deficiency.
And methyl groups are important to a lot of biological functions. They’re used in the
synthesis of creatine, of choline, and of neurotransmitters.
If you’re taking 1 gram per day of NMN or NR, that’s in excess of 60 times the recommended
daily allowance.
So if you’re going to be supplementing with NR or NMN, then you need to be including at
least a 1 to 1 ratio of trimethyl glycine. Now, trimethyl glycine, or TMG, usually comes
in 500 mg doses, so if you’re taking 1 gram of NMN or NR per day, you should also be taking
1 gram of TMG…or 2 caps.
Another thing that you can do is to accelerate your production of sirtuins. And one way to
do that is to take resveratrol. Resveratrol is another polyphenol, like quercetin, and
it’s found primarily in red wine, grape skins, blueberries, cranberries, and even in dark chocolate.
Revseratrol boosts the activity of sirtuins by elevating the mitochondrial function, in
a way that is similar to calorie restriction. So supplementing with resveratrol has been
demonstrated in labs to extend lifespans.
But perhaps a better choice would be to supplement with pterostilbene, which is a chemical cousin
of resveratrol. Pterostilbene occurs in the same types of plants as resveratrol, but in
much smaller amounts. Both resveratrol and pterostibene are strong anti-inflammatories,
both show activity against cancer cells, and both are powerful anti-oxidants. But in cell
cultures and animal studies, pterostilbene often performs better than resveratrol. And
it’s far more bioavailable that resveratrol. About 20 times as much is absorbed by the
body, and it lasts in the body 7 times longer that resveratrol. So, pterostilbene might
be a better choice when it comes to choosing your supplements.
OK, to recap, we’ve taken a look at sirtuins and the role they play in slowing down the
aging process. We’ve discussed the importance of NAD+ to the activation of sirtuins, and
how NAD+ supplies can become exhausted by over activation of PARPs, resulting in declining
NAD levels as we age. But we’ve also talked about how supplementing with NAD precursors,
such as NR and NMN, and resveratrol or pterostilbene can restore NAD levels and boost the production
of sirtuins.
I’ve put links to the first two videos in this series in the description below.
And as I post the rest of the videos in this series, I'll put links to those as well.
If you enjoyed this video or found it informative, then please, hit the subscribe button below.
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And as always, thank you so much for watching.