Education

A New Hope: NAD+ Boosting Reverses Alzheimer’s Disease!

📚 Main Topics

Skepticism about NAD Supplements
- The speaker expresses previous skepticism regarding NAD supplements but acknowledges new research suggesting potential benefits against Alzheimer's disease.
NAD and Alzheimer's Disease
- Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a low NAD to NADH ratio, which is linked to various cellular dysfunctions.
- NAD is crucial for DNA repair, glucose metabolism, neurogenesis, and synaptic plasticity.
Recent Study Findings
- A major study indicates that boosting NAD levels in the brain can reverse DNA damage and improve memory function in animal models of Alzheimer's.
- The study shows promising results, suggesting a complete reversal of Alzheimer's symptoms in the model used.
NAD Boosting Alternatives
- Direct NAD injections are not available; however, precursor supplements like nicotinamide and nicotinamide mononucleotide can potentially boost NAD levels.
- Previous human studies on NAD precursors have shown weak results, but new mechanistic evidence supports their potential against Alzheimer's.
Clinical Trials and Limitations
- Three clinical trials on NAD boosting showed no significant effects on Alzheimer's disease, leading to a reconsideration of NAD precursors.
- The speaker introduces medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) as an alternative that has shown promise in raising brain NAD levels and improving cognitive function.
MCTs and Alzheimer's Disease
- Studies indicate that MCT supplementation can improve cognitive function in individuals at risk for Alzheimer's.
- The effective dosage of MCTs ranges from 10g to 30g, and while results are promising, they are still considered mild.
Future Directions
- The potential of ketogenic diets as a means to boost NAD levels is mentioned, though current studies are limited.
- The speaker plans to revisit the topic in future discussions.

✨ Key Takeaways

NAD plays a critical role in brain health, and its deficiency is linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Boosting NAD levels can reverse some cellular damage associated with Alzheimer's.
MCTs may offer a viable alternative for improving cognitive function and raising NAD levels in the brain.
Current research on NAD supplements is inconclusive, but emerging evidence on MCTs is encouraging.

🧠 Lessons

Skepticism in science is important, but new evidence can shift perspectives.
Understanding the mechanisms behind supplements is crucial for evaluating their effectiveness.
Alternative nutritional strategies, such as MCT supplementation, may provide unexpected benefits in combating diseases like Alzheimer's.
Continuous research and open-mindedness are essential in the pursuit of effective treatments for complex conditions.

Transcript excerpt

0:00 I've been extremely skeptical about NAD in the past, or I suppose more specifically NAD supplements, and I'll touch on that in a bit later. But there's this major study that several people in the community have asked me to cover. And initially, I wasn't that excited because, well, I'm a little burnt out from the NAD angle. But after reading the study, there may be some hope that NAD could really play a role in this case against Alzheimer's disease. So, let me explain the highlights and then I'd like to show you

0:30 an incredibly unlikely supplement and possibly a nutrition style that has evidence behind it not only improving NAD in the brain, but combating Alzheimer's disease. This is going to be so cool. This major study that everyone's been sending me to discuss tried to figure out if we raise NAD levels in the brain, does that impact Alzheimer's disease progression? So if we rewind a bit for context, you might be interested to know that Alzheimer's

1:00 disease brain has a reduced concentration of NAD molecules relative to NADH molecules. This is data collected from human Alzheimer's diseased brain samples. The AD there, if it wasn't obvious, is Alzheimer's disease. So we know that there's either less of the NAD or more of the NADH molecules creating a lower ratio. This is seen as a bad thing. But why is that? Well, NAD is known to be involved in hundreds of enzyatic reactions within

🔒 The full, searchable transcript is available with Pro.

Suggestions