Quiz: What do you know about cell health and NAD+?
If the answer is “not much,” don’t worry. We didn’t know much either until recently. Then Elysium Health joined b8ta stores last month with a revolutionary supplement for your cells. Backed by scientists and covered by TIME magazine, Elysium’s product Basis is a supplement designed to support health at the cellular level by increasing NAD+.
Obviously, we know that cells are the building blocks of life. But if we’re being honest, those of us don’t have a degree in science, but love science-backed ideas are eager to understand more. So, we dug into to the basics of NAD+ and cell health and put together a little quiz to help you learn some of the main points.
1. What is NAD+?
a. A protein found in superfoods like kale.
b. A coenzyme found in all living cells.
c. A type of electrolyte found only in the waters of Fiji.
d. A new blood type with curing properties.
e. An Indie band who won “Song of the Year” in 2012.
2. Which of these functions does NAD+ play a role in?
a. Keeping the cell in homeostasis.
b. Circadian rhythm regulation while we sleep.
c. Supporting energy creation in cells.
d. Supporting DNA health.
e. All of the above.
3. Who would research on NAD+ affect?
a. People who aren’t born with the right amounts of NAD+.
b. NAD+ declines as we age, so it’s relevant for everyone.
c. Only people born in certain regions of the world.
4. Where does the research we have on NAD+ come from?
a. One of the largest big pharma companies in the U.S.
b. Scientists from an aging research lab at MIT.
c. Research from a U.S.-funded lab in Russia.
d. A handful of high profile academic institutions, research organizations, and companies.
e. Mr. Kavanagh’s 8th grade science class.
5. What nickname have scientists given NAD+?
a. The Neverending Nucleotide
b. The Golden Nucleotide
c. The Hero of Health
d. The Linchpin of energy metabolism
Answers
1. The answer is B. NAD stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It is a coenzyme found in all living cells and exists in two forms, with NAD+ being the oxidized form, and is required for metabolism and hundreds of other biological processes.
2. The answer is E. Sirtuins are family of proteins that require NAD+ to keep the cell in homeostasis under conditions of stress. In energy creation, NAD+ is a key player in making ATP, the source of energy in the cell. NAD+ is also required by the liver to do a lot of important metabolic work, like breaking down fats for energy and keeping blood sugar in balance. Plus our sleep and wake cycle, and everything it entails, depends on NAD+. In addition to all of this, NAD+ also plays a role gene expression.
3. The answer is B. NAD+ declines as we age, so we can all find a reason to be invested in NAD+ research. Scientists now are generally unified in believing that aging is a significant risk factor for most late-onset chronic diseases. If scientists can understand how the organism functions when it’s healthy and how functions break down as it ages, they might be able to intervene through any number of interconnected biological pathways to increase the healthy years of one’s life, or what’s commonly called healthspan.
4. There are two answers: B and D. Because NAD+ is essential to multiple cellular functions, there are thousands of journal articles about it. A handful of high profile academic institutions, research organizations, and companies have conducted research related to NAD+, including researchers from The Broad Institute, Harvard, and the University of Texas.
Answer B is also correct because Dr. Leonard Guarente is the co-founder of Elysium and director of the Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging Research at MIT. Guarente and his team of researchers study how and why humans age. Over the course of those years, Guarente’s lab has made two groundbreaking discoveries: identifying that a family of proteins called sirtuins control longevity in lower organisms by mimicking the effects of calorie restriction, and demonstrating that sirtuins function only in the presence of the coenzyme NAD+.
5. The answer is B. While NAD+ has been referred to as “the linchpin of energy metabolism”, the common nickname is “the golden nucleotide” for its role in cellular health.
