The connection between brain health and NAD+

Your brain is divided into three main structures—the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. These structures include specialized areas such as the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, amygdala (aka the limbic system), pineal gland, and hippocampus, which all contribute to central nervous system function. 

Even at rest, this three-pound organ consumes around 20% of your body’s energy. The tissues in your brain contribute to vital processes, including motor performance, cognition, speech, and memory. Essentially, everything you experience is processed through your brain, which arguably makes it the most important organ in your body.

It's well understood that NAD+ is vital in both cellular energy production and repair. Research has shown that NAD+ plays a key role in the way that neurons adapt to a range of physiological stressors and support processes associated with brain health.

Increased NAD+ has been implicated in healthy brain aging. The first human study to investigate NAD+ levels in the brain showed that brain NAD+ does indeed decline as you age.

Research supports the hypothesis that boosting cellular NAD+ may help neurons maintain healthy function as you age. A recent study showed an increase in brain NAD+ with supplementation of an NAD+ precursor like Niagen^® (patented nicotinamide riboside, aka NR), the active supernutrient in Tru Niagen.  

Consequently, it stands to reason that NAD+ precursors can help support healthy neurons in the brain. The maintenance of healthy neurons is directly linked to halting/slowing the 10 hallmarks of brain aging.