A Chemical, Coenzyme NAD+, Could Potentially Delay The Aging Process, Study Reveals

The researchers from the University of Copenhagen's Center for Healthy Aging and the American National Institute of Health discovered a chemical that could delay the process of aging. The chemical is known as NAD+ or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, which is a coenzyme found in all living cells.

The study was demonstrated in animal models such as mice and roundworms. The researchers investigated the effects of these animals bred with Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), which is a neurodegenerative illness that blocks the DNA repairs and could lead to symptoms associated with early aging. The team found that adding the chemical NAD+ delayed the aging process and stopped the mitochondrial damage of the both the mice and roundworms. It also extended the subject lives of the said animals, according to Daily Mail.

The researchers said that the results would likely occur in humans too even though it is not yet being investigated in humans. Professor Vilhelm Bohr, from the Center for Healthy Aging and the National Institute of Health, explained that their new study shows an age-dependent decrease in the level of NAD+, and this decrease is far greater for organisms with early aging and a lack of DNA repairs. He further said that they were astonished to see that adding NAD+ delayed the aging processes of the cells and extended life in worms and in a mouse model.

He added that their new study indicates that the chemical NAD+ plays the main role both in maintaining the health of the cells' power stations and their capacity for repairing the genes. This could also lead to a goal of life extension and delaying physical aging and with potential in preventing neurodegenerative diseases in humans. It could also inhibit diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) has a role in metabolism in which it acts as the coenzyme in redox reactions and as the donor of ADP-ribose moieties in ADP-ribosylation reactions. It works as a substrate for bacterial DNA ligases and a group of enzymes known as sirtuins that use NAD+ to remove acetyl groups from proteins. It also has some significant extracellular roles besides of its metabolic functions.