NAD⁺ vs Long COVID!

Before we get to talking about long COVID, a word on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (or NAD⁺ to its friends) itself.

It’s most well-known in the context of healthy aging, and that’s because:

• NAD⁺ levels decline with age
• The aforementioned decline is a causal factor in aging
• Boosting NAD⁺ levels can, thus, slow aging

Learn more: Therapeutic Potential of NAD-Boosting Molecules: The In Vivo Evidence

There are actually also other NAD-boosting molecules besides NAD itself and its precursors. For example, the liver will not produce NADᐩ unless it has aminocarboxymuconate-semialdehyde decarboxylase (or “ACMSD”, to its friends), which limits the production of NADᐩ. Why, you ask? The theory is that it is a kind of evolutionary conservativism, much like not lighting a fire without the ability to put it out. In any case, taking ACMSD-blockers will thus result in an increased endogenous production of NADᐩ.

You can read about this here: De novo NAD⁺ synthesis enhances mitochondrial function and improves health

For these reasons, NAD⁺ is one of Dr. Greger’s Anti-Aging Eight ← we wrote about NAD⁺ here

But what about NAD⁺ vs long COVID?

The latest science

Researchers (Dr. Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez et al.) investigated how boosting NAD⁺ with nicotinamide riboside (NR) can ease long-COVID symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, executive dysfunction, and sleep problems.

How they tested it:

• They gave one group 2,000 mg/day NR for 20 weeks
• They gave the other group a placebo for 10 weeks before switching to NR for the next 10 weeks.
• They measured NAD⁺ levels and tested fatigue, executive function, sleep, and mood at baseline, week 10, and week 20.

As for how that went:

❝In post-hoc exploratory analysis, examining within-group changes during 5 and 10 weeks of NR intake by grouping all participants during the first 10 weeks of the NR phase, there were significant differences from baseline after 10 weeks of NR in executive functioning, fatigue severity, sleep quality, and symptoms of depression❞

(specifically: the “significant differences” were significant improvements)

Read the paper in full: Effects of nicotinamide riboside on NAD+ levels, cognition, and symptom recovery in long-COVID: a randomized controlled trial

If you’d like to try more things like this, then consider: 12 Most Powerful Supplements and Foods to Increase Energy & Slow Down Aging

And definitely check out: What Can Be Done About Long COVID?

Want to try some?

We don’t sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon 😎

Enjoy!