How turning food into energy helps animals live longer
Kynurenine pathway, NAD+ synthesis, and mitochondrial function: Targeting tryptophan metabolism to promote longevity and healthspan.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Your body uses a special chemical called NAD+ to keep your cells healthy and full of energy. As you get older, you make less NAD+, which can make you sick. This study looks at how your body makes NAD+ from a part of food called tryptophan, and how changing that process can help animals like worms and flies live longer and healthier lives.
Surprising Findings
Knocking down ACMSD, an enzyme that *diverts* tryptophan away from NAD+ production, extends lifespan—likely by boosting NAD+ levels.
Most people assume more enzyme activity is better, but here, *reducing* a metabolic enzyme leads to longer life—flipping traditional thinking on its head.
Practical Takeaways
Consider NAD+ precursors like NR or NMN as potential anti-aging supplements, especially for energy and brain health.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Your body uses a special chemical called NAD+ to keep your cells healthy and full of energy. As you get older, you make less NAD+, which can make you sick. This study looks at how your body makes NAD+ from a part of food called tryptophan, and how changing that process can help animals like worms and flies live longer and healthier lives.
Surprising Findings
Knocking down ACMSD, an enzyme that *diverts* tryptophan away from NAD+ production, extends lifespan—likely by boosting NAD+ levels.
Most people assume more enzyme activity is better, but here, *reducing* a metabolic enzyme leads to longer life—flipping traditional thinking on its head.
Practical Takeaways
Consider NAD+ precursors like NR or NMN as potential anti-aging supplements, especially for energy and brain health.
Publication
Journal
Experimental gerontology
Year
2020
Authors
Raul Castro-Portuguez, G. Sutphin
Related Content
Claims (4)
Blocking a specific enzyme in fruit flies and tiny worms helps them live longer, suggesting that changing how their bodies process a certain nutrient can slow aging in these animals.
As we age, levels of a molecule called NAD+ go down, and this might mess up how our cells' powerhouses work, especially in the brain and liver, possibly leading to diseases like Alzheimer's or diabetes.
Giving older mice supplements like NR or NMN might help their cells' energy factories work better and handle damage from aging.
When the way tiny energy factories in cells split or merge goes out of balance, it can affect how long simple creatures like worms, flies, and yeast live — but sometimes too much splitting or merging helps, sometimes it hurts, depending on the situation.