Can NMN Supplementation Lengthen Telomeres?
As you may already know, NAD+ has various advantages, including boosting energy, focus and productivity, combating muscle loss, increasing insulin sensitivity and more. All of these are amazing benefits, but have you ever wondered why you age and lose them in the first place? And what exactly does NMN supplementation do to reverse this process?
Well, you won’t have to wonder anymore. NMN supplementation has been scientifically proven in both animal and human clinical trials, to have the ability to lengthen telomeres.
What Are Telomeres?
First things first - “telomere” probably isn’t a word that you’re used to hearing in your day to day life, but that’s alright. Telomeres are the caps at the end of each of our DNA strands that protect our chromosomes, kind of like the plastic or metal tips at the end of shoelaces. Without the coating, shoelaces become frayed until they can no longer do their job, just as without telomeres, DNA strands become damaged and our cells are impaired as well.
Telomeres are an essential part of human cells, and they affect how our cells age.
What Do Telomeres Do?
Telomeres can be described as little DNA bodyguards - they protect the vital information that resides within each DNA strand.
All of the cells in our body are made up from DNA - it’s simply the genetic material that makes us who we are and distinguishes us from others. And in turn, every single organ in our body is made up of cells.
Our cells have the ability to replenish by copying themselves - this happens constantly throughout our lives. And this is where telomeres come in. Each time a cell copies itself, the telomeres of its DNA get shorter, but the very important DNA stays perfectly intact.
After a while, telomeres get too short to do their job and the cells that they used to protect start aging and stop functioning properly. As such, telomeres are the aging clock of every cell in our body.
Other Benefits Of Long Telomeres
Since long telomeres are associated with youth and cell strength, it’s no wonder that they are related to greater longevity, more energy and mind clarity, while shorter telomeres are related to various aging diseases such as cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
Is There A Way To Lengthen Telomeres?
Thankfully, yes. In studies and trials (mice and human) it has been scientifically proven that Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, commonly known as NAD+, a molecule that is found in every living cell and is a master regulator of human metabolism, has the ability to repair and lengthen telomeres. The molecule's production decreases after we hit the age of 25, but can be increased with NMN supplementation.
It was revealed that not only did supplementation lengthen the telomeres, but also benefited the gut microbiota, serum metabolism and achieved all of these results in only 90 days.
Can NMN I Get NMN From Food And Not From Supplementation?
NMN can be found naturally in foods such as broccoli, cabbage, avocados and tomatoes. However, as the concentrations are less than 1 mg per kg of food you would need to consume about 1kg of broccoli to get about 1mg of NMN! Therefore, you need a supplement to get an optimum level of NMN.
So we hope that you learned a little more about yourself, your body and how important long telomeres are to each and every one of us.
The only thing to remember is that telomeres get shorter as we age, but they can also be affected by stress, alcohol, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and a poor diet, so if you do wish to elongate them and increase your health and quality of life, it is important to take care of yourself from the inside out, and not just with supplementation.
