NAD+, which stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a critical coenzyme in the body that's involved in hundreds of cellular processes, but NAD+ levels decline with age. The body needs NAD+ and there is not an endless supply of it. NAD+ plays a key role in helping your brain cells age well. Within brain cells, NAD+ helps control the production of PGC-1-alpha, a protein that appears to help protect cells against oxidative stress and impaired mitochondrial function. Because of the role it plays in so many different biological processes, scientists and doctors are now looking at different ways it can be used to maintain healthy organs and neurological systems in human patients.
NAD+ is what's called a "helper molecule" because it binds to other enzymes in the body to activate them and generate molecular reactions. For example, proteins called "sirtuins," which are responsible for carrying out many biological processes within the human body, require the coenzyme to function properly. In layman's terms, we need NAD+ to live. However, as we get older, our bodies generate less and less of the coenzyme. This is one reason why we begin to feel the effects of aging and become more prone to age-related illnesses as the years pass by