The term “nutraceutical” combines the two words of “nutrient,” which is a nourishing food component, and “pharmaceutical,” which is a medical drug.

Today, nutraceuticals have evolved from their traditional background to a highly scientific field where the efficacy and safety of the products are backed by evidence, new research, and developing technologies.

Nutraceuticals is a broad umbrella term that is used to describe any product derived from food sources with extra health benefits in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. Nutraceuticals that fall under the umbrella of dietary supplements not only supplement diet but also promote health and prevent disease.

Dietary supplements are those products that contain concentrated bioactive nutrients from a food source processed into a suitable dosage form. These supplements can contain one or more of the following: amino acids, vitamins, herbs or other botanicals, minerals, important metabolites, and certain enzymes.

Dietary supplements are available in tablets, capsules, powders, and liquids, gummies, energy bars, and any other suitable forms. 

NAD+ is a coenzyme that plays a vital role in cellular functions, and can be found in every cell in the body. It has two primary functions; converting nutrients into energy, and regulating metabolic processes. Acting as an electron transporter, NAD+ facilitates various reactions and processes within our cells, working in tandem with NADH. It also regulates our sleep/wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.

NAD+ enables other molecules to perform their functions effectively, but as we age, levels of NAD+ decrease. This hinders the activities of various NAD (H) dependent enzymes in oxidative phosphorylation, TCA cycle, and glycolysis, resulting in lower ATP production. Additionally, it can affect levels of PARP and sirtuins, leading to the inactivation of certain downstream molecular pathways that play a role in DNA repair.

In other words, NAD+ is crucial for the proper functioning of the body, and its depletion can lead to a slower metabolic rate and less effective self-repair. Without NAD+, our cells will generate less energy, making it difficult for the body to carry out its functions. Therefore, the importance of NAD+ lies in its ability to help other beneficial molecules perform their jobs.

Exploring NMN and NAD+ for Mitigating Aging-Related Dysfunctions

Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) is the precursor of NAD+ that is naturally converted by the body into NAD+. NMN is more stable than NAD+ and increasing NMN levels has been shown to enhance NAD+ biosynthesis, which can help combat age-related dysfunctions.

Taking NMN is the optimal approach to increase NAD+ levels. NMN is more stable than NAD+ and can stably boost NAD+ pools for a longer duration. Increasing NMN has all the benefits of NAD+ and specifically helps with vision and hearing loss related to aging. Additionally, it promotes sirtuin genes, which activate longevity and anti-aging mechanisms.

There are only a few reliable suppliers of enzymatically produced NMN. Good quality NMN is highly-priced. One of the key things to look out for when choosing an NMN supplement is to choose 99.9% pharmaceutical-grade NMN from a reliable source. Another important factor in efficacy is proper dosing. In order for NMN or any supplement to be effective it must be properly dosed. There are plenty of underdosed supplements on the market. Infinium, NADrive and VitaSpan are meticulously dosed and formulated for optimal results.

Chronological age refers to the number of years you've been alive, while biological age is calculated based on physiological evidence of how old your cells and tissues are. Even if you are of a certain age, being healthy and fit can give you a lower biological age. On the other hand, if you lead a sedentary lifestyle or have chronic illnesses, your biological age may be higher than your chronological age. While chronological age is static and unchangeable, biological age can be influenced by lifestyle choices and supplementation.

"In recent years, the increase in demand for enhancing health by nutritive supplements and adequate living standards has been greatly considered in order to decrease medical costs and increase human efficiency and quality of life. Creation of well-being nourishments with bioactive compounds (useful in nourishments) announced as one of the top patterns of the food business as a choice to tranquilize treatment for development of human well-being. The functional food market is large and growing in most of the countries in the world. Functional food production would be cost-effective due to the possibility of launching numerous new functional food products within the existing markets without the large amount of investment. In this emerging market, there is a more interest for scientists and manufacturers to achieve more information about the nutrition and adequate lifestyles. Basically, the impacts and importance of nutraceuticals and functional foods on human health are presented in this chapter. We have summed up the basic related terms to nutraceuticals like functional foods, dietary supplements, designer foods, medical foods, pharmafoods, phytochemicals, and so forth. There are different types of diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, cancer, immune system-based diseases, chronic inflammatory disorders, degenerative diseases, various types of depressions, hypertension, memory disorders, etc. which are controlled by functional foods, somehow. The nutrients provided by nutraceuticals are listed in tables. There are many sources of functional foods like fruit and fruit products, vegetables, marine food and their products, spices, etc. that are considered to have health beneficial properties. Additionally, some bioactive compounds and vitamins essential for human body are also discussed. Some compounds like chitin and chitosan are also used as nutraceuticals and functional foods. These compounds have drawn the attentions of researchers in last two decades."

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Although there have been no human studies that specifically determine at what age one should start taking NAD+ supplements, current research recommends starting NAD+ supplementation around midlife, which could be as early as 32 years of age.

Taking NMN supplements daily can result in visible changes within two to three weeks, including increased energy and awareness. While the supplement starts working within fifteen minutes, the full benefits may not be physically noticeable until the two to three week mark. After consistent use, notable differences in both internal and external health may be observed.

You’ll immediately start to feel some of the short term benefits of NMN supplements within your first couple uses and they can consist of higher energy levels and also a greater awareness. After a few weeks of use, you should start to see some notable differences in how you look and feel, both internally and externally.

With the addition of NMN supplements to your daily routine, you may quickly feel a difference in your energy levels and metabolism. You may experience increased energy throughout the day and find it easier to remain active. This is the first indication that NMN is starting to work.

NMN requires time to activate its effects. It takes roughly three weeks for your body to acclimate to the supplement and begin absorbing the NMN molecules.

Around the 3-4 month mark, you should start to feel more profound effects. You will experience sustained and youthful energy, deeper and more restful sleep, and increased ability to focus. Additionally, some people will find it easier to recover from muscle soreness and bearable aching joints.