NMN
JED WIGHTMAN PERFORMANCE/SPORTS NUTRITIONIST ADVANTAGE FITNESS LTD
This article has been written for Canadian Physique Alliance November/December 2024 Edition
Today I have an awesome topic to discuss, NMN! To each of you, subscribers, clients, athletes, readers. Here’s to another blessing of a day: we are given the opportunity to rise to all challenges and do everything we can to be our best! Today I have an awesome topic to discuss, NMN! No that’s not an acronym for NO MORE NACHOS! But it can be if some of you out there struggle with eating too many things that are not great for you.
Chips from commercially grown corn, a terrible nutrient source, and most nacho chips are deep fried in seed oils. Even if they are baked, you’ll find in the ingredient panel there is seed and or vegetable oils listed, for texture, mouthfeel, and preservation of the product. As well as the exorbitant amount of sodium, add to it pasteurized processed cheese and that’s not to mention all the things that get added to those nachos. Empty calories, merely providing more of that dopamine trigger an addictive response.
No, NMN is actually an acronym for nicotinamide mono nucleotide. If you’re familiar with my work, you will recognize I’ve written much about NAD nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and NMN is a precursor to NAD. Many of you out there not familiar with my work might be wondering why this is important or what it’s about, well it dovetails from my last article TMG. Again, not an acronym for “too many goodies”, OK all levity aside, this is actually quite a serious topic. The acronym TMG is for Trimethyle Glycine. Head back and read that article so you understand the
importance and powerful, beneficial impact of TMG.
So now we know that NMN is a precursor to NAD, let’s start by breaking down what NAD is, if you’ve not read my previous articles, and if you have, here’s a refresher.
NAD is found in every cell in our body and is essential for creating cellular energy and maintaining cellular health. The most important influence to health performance and recovery is the health of the cells in our body. Levels of this critical molecule correlate with our health status in the process of aging, NAD levels decline with age.
Despite the central role in cellular functions, the body doesn’t have an endless supply of NAD. We must pay attention to the critical resource this is, for our health longevity and yes, performance and recovery. Although it can be found in small amounts in unpasteurized milk and yeast, animal proteins, some plant proteins, but very little. Also vitamin B 3 nicotinic acid, but not enough to make much of a difference.
So we begin life, having a set amount when we are born, but as this stuff plays a critical role in the metabolic process of everything we ingest and are exposed to. It is used, and so, used up! So not only does it decrease with age, but now friends remember, toxins, poisons like alcohol, tobacco, refined, and processed oils and carbohydrates drastically impact and lower our NAD levels.
Food products, things that are sold as food, but merely mimic food. You know the things that come in boxes and packages that on the ingredient panel have 25 + things most of which we cannot pronounce or even sound out properly. Yeah that stuff, we put that in our bodies and lend more of our NAD, to ameliorate these stresses on metabolic pathways to remove toxins from our body. If you refer back to my article on alcohol, “You me and Mr. Barleycorn 2023”. I go pretty deep on how the toxin alcohol strips the body of this powerful metabolic mediator.
It is one of if not the most important fundamental nutrients (coenzymes) to be specific, to keep us healthy and to decrease the environmental influences that we knowingly, and unknowingly expose ourselves to. Cannot be overlooked!
NMN Knowledge
So now we have a brief summary on NAD and why we need it. You may posit the hypothesis, what if we just took more B3, lots of unpasteurized milk, organic yeast, and all that essential animal protein. Well yes that would certainly help, but not enough, not even close to making a significant impact on all of the biomarkers that we are so heavily and negatively influenced by in our chemical, processed food toxin influence world today. However, I must add a very important caveat.
If we lived in a world without the inundation of such toxins in our air water and the garbage that is sold in packaged food like products. If we didn’t regularly poison ourselves with junk, alcohol and things that mimic food, but are nothing but chemical combinations of garbage. Not only would we be drastically under less influence of the toxic inundation to our metabolic pathways and processes, damaging our cellular health. But we would be eating much of what carries NAD naturally. Another reason why I make the case for the simplicity of just “food dude”. You may remember from one of my articles a couple years ago.
So since 1906 when it was first discovered by Sir Arthur Harden, and William John Young, when the two were doing studies, in trying to better understand the benefits of fermentation. For 20 years they and a few others studied this, then in relation to pellagra. That wasn’t until Hans von Euler-Chelpin found that nicotinic acid, a precursor of NAD, was a mitigating factor of pellagra, a disease at the time that was wreaking havoc affecting the brain digestive tract and skin.
You might wonder why, as I’ve written much about the industrial revolution. People eating in urban areas, nutrition stripped, refined food products becoming more and more prevalent. Not living off the land in the provision of essential nutrients the way we had for literally millions of years prior.
Since Hans von Euler-Chelpin Nobel prize winning speech on NAD and the conclusion of B3 being the fix. A little side-note, which also was added to refined food, and then the re-fortification of this food with vitamins and minerals. So since 1930, there have been hundreds and hundreds of clinical trials run on this stuff. More so since the 1960s and onward, and what has been concluded time and time again is the simple fact. That the only significant influence to support healthy NAD levels is through supplementation.
Very much like TMG, we must influence the maintenance and the replenishment of something that we don’t have the ability to get enough in our current, and ever declining nutritional climate.
So here we are, needing to address this on the overarching and the nuance level, and so enters NMN. The NAD precursor that can be used to increase NAD levels in the body. Numerous animal trials for decades, and now human clinical trials started in Japan demonstrated that this precursor to NAD, (NMN), can safely and effectively increase NAD levels in the body. So let’s unpack the simplicity of supplying and applying the many benefits that we can get from taking an NMN in supplemental form.
Starting with performance and recovery for all us athletes out there wanting to bring our A game in condition, aesthetic, and performance. NMM improves brain and muscle function. With the correct timing, it shows a positive influence on hormones that increase anabolism and therefore recovery. Direct influence on heart health and cardiovascular function, including, but not limited to arterial health, liver, and kidney function.
For all of you out there with children know how easy it is for kids to eat processed junk food from a very early age. Well as I wrote above, this reduces NAD levels. Low NAD levels in children showing increased risk of metabolic disorders, diabetes, heart, disease, and later in life Alzheimer’s. Reduces cellular damage, oxidizing, “rusting decay” from the inside. It is directly beneficial to slowing and reversing the aging process. MAGNIFICENCE! Friends this is to name just a few.
Today’s Wild Wild West Supplement market bolsters much under dosed, and greatly overpriced products. Many companies, especially in the United States can claim something grand, and
literally have nothing useful in the product. So first off do your research on reputable sources of any supplement that you decide to take. Another caveat, without accurate direction, proper counsel as to how to, or when to apply something that has such specific and intricate benefit, it may not do much good for you.
So a couple things we have to keep in mind, yes it is a little costly, no you cannot take the most minimal amount and expect much of any benefit. Timing is very important as to where it will affect your circadian rhythms and also the conversion to NAD impacted by what time of the day you take this supplement. Transport, also another important aspect. So do your research on the best resource for this supplement, enlist the help of a trusted professional/advisor on the proper application, timing and vehicle for the supplement.
By “vehicle” I mean how best to improve and support Bio availability, and lastly COUPLE IT WITH TMG!
I trust that this has shed very important light on something so necessary and beneficial. Like with creatine, I consider this a conditionally essential nutrient. Till next time, subscribe and stay healthy, growing and critically involved in every part of our gift of life.
ALWAYS FORWARD!
