THe RoLe of NAD iN CeLLuLAR fuNCTioN

Does Tru Niagen’s NR Supplement Hold the Key to Slowing the Effects of the Aging Process?

By hillary latos

The search for the fountain of youth has always been a quest since the beginning of time. With advances in science we have come closer to understanding the aging process and how to slow this down and ChromaDex may have an answer for at least living healthier longer. The most recent pre-clinical and clinical findings suggest that boosting NAD+ levels with nicotinamide riboside holds the potential for slowing the aging process and reducing damage caused by metabolic stress. Though competitors may suggest that resveratrol and NMN have the same effects, nicotinamide riboside or NR found in their patented Tru Niagen®, is the most effecient and clinically validated supplement to increase NAD levels and has received regulatory acceptance in key global markets. NMN lacks an established transport mechanism into cells and resveratrol has been a scientific disappointment since research began nearly two decades ago. Niagen® nicotinamide riboside, however, is very special, according to ChromaDex.

In the high stakes game of biotech and science, the narrative between ChromaDex and their former ingredient customer Elysium Health plays out like a Hollywood drama with an intriguing story of alleged underhanded business practices by Elysium filled with patent infringements and blatant corporate theft that sounds eerily similar to other arrogant Silicon Valley startups. Here, Impact Wealth Magazine speaks to Rob Fried, the CEO of ChromaDex to find out more about the science behind this game changing supplement and how it works within our cellular structure and it’s meteoric rise as a science-based integrated nutraceutical company that is one to watch.

iW: What sets ChromaDex apart from your other competitors?

RF: What’s exciting is this molecule NAD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme that is involved in most of the important metabolic functions within the cell most notably energy metabolism and cell repair.

Most of us have heard of mitochondria, the “battery pack of the cell.” Mitochondria exist within our cells and combine nutrients from food that we eat with oxygen from air that we breathe and convert them into energy. That energy is then transferred into ATP molecules that deliver the energy to rest of the cell. Mitochondria need NAD to function. When there are low levels of NAD, it leads to fewer and poorly functioning mitochondria. What we have shown is that by taking Niagen, not only do you have higher NAD, but additional stronger mitochondria and more ATP molecules, which means more energy in the cells.

But NAD is not only involved in mitochondrial function or energy metabolism. There are other critical NAD-dependent processes that go on inside the cell. The day we are born, our DNA starts to become damaged. And when that damage accumulates and gets severe, it can turn into disease or decay. But within the cell, there are these enzymes that actually repair that damage in real time, as it happens. Those enzymes are called PARP enzymes and they are heavily dependent on NAD. When PARP enzymes are working hard, they consume NAD, which is one of the reasons why you feel so exhausted when you’re fighting an illness or disease. People get treatment for a disease and they feel so wiped out. Why are they wiped out? Because the repair mechanisms consume most of the NAD normally reserved for energy production.

By elevating NAD, you have stronger, more energy producing and functional cells with more mitochondria and more youthfulness. When we are young, NAD and mitochondria are abundant.

In total, Niagen has been proven in 11 published, peer reviewed, clinical studies to be safe and/or effective. iW: Why does our NAD and mitochondria decline so rapidly with age?

RF: As we age, the pathways for producing NAD become less efficient. At the same time, there is an accumulation of damage to cells that require more NAD for repair. The combination of less production and increased demand, results in lower NAD levels as we age. What we have shown is that Niagen nicotinamide riboside has its own unique pathway to producing NAD, completely separate from all of the existing mechanisms, that is upregulated, or increased, when the cell is stressed. A preclinical study this year showed that when the cell is stressed out, such as fighting off a virus, it specifically seeks out NR to replenish NAD. That’s why we know that NR, may have unique potential in this area of research.

iW: What makes your Tru Niagen’s NR so different than your competitors?

RF: We are the only safe and legal source of Niagen. We have a wide portfolio of patents and safety, regulatory acceptance. We also have a number of partnerships, one of which is with Nestlé Health Science. In October of 2020, we announced that Tru Niagen® would be available in Nestlé Health Science’s Celltrient™ Cellular Energy, a proteinbased flavored drink mix to help renew natural processes that decline as we age.

The actual inventor is our chief scientific advisor, Dr. Charles Brenner, who discovered NR as a precursor to NAD at Dartmouth in the early 2000s. Competitors selling nicotinamide riboside, such as Elysium’s Basis product, are infringing on the patents licensed from Dartmouth. They are also infringing on manufacturing patents held by our supplier W.R. Grace, who filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Elysium.

We have several legal actions against them for nonpayment of bills, theft of trade secrets, false advertising and, with Dartmouth College, for willful patent infringement.

There is more about these cases on the public docket. iW: You have to wonder why do you have to hurt the partner that’s supplying the key ingredient to you?

It is difficult to know what motivates people. College and business school graduates today commonly want to disrupt the world and become billionaires by 30. Some enter the business world with a hubristic attitude. “Fake it till you make it.” If you see a vulnerability, pounce. Not that greed is new, but technology has shown what is possible in a short period of time and that has spawned many attempts. Some venture capital investors nurture their entrepreneurs to operate ethically and with the long term in mind. Some push to cut corners at any expense. “We expect 5x our money in three years.”

iW: This story plays like a Hollywood script. How did you make the transition from Hollywood to leading a science company?

I am attracted to enterprise building, specifically of companies that could have a positive impact I never perceived myself as a Hollywood mogul. I’ve made movies, but I never dreamed of being a filmmaker. I went from Hollywood to internet to healthcare because the technology and science were inspiring. In the late 1990s, I invested in two companies in the anti-aging space and ever since have been an avid reader of scientific developments. It was 2013 when NAD started to become an actionable thing. In December, 2012, a study was published showing the impact on mice when you elevated NAD levels. That was a turning point for me. Soon thereafter, I learned that the best way to elevate NAD was nicotinamide riboside which was controlled by a company nearby in Irvine. I started buying stock and eventually went on their Board of Directors. The founder and former CEO, Frank Jaksch presently is engaged with developing the company’s business and industry relationships at ChromaDex. We have converted a testing lab and ingredient supplier into a global consumer facing internet company. And there is a lot more to come.

www.chromadex.com

aviv CliniC

A Regenerative Respite for Self Improvement

aging is an inevitable part of life. what if you could slow down the aging process? well today you can. located in Central Florida is aviv Clinics,the first of its kind medical center that focuses on improving brain performance in the u.s. whose parent company, aviv scientific, recently closed on their second round of funding, bringing in $22 million. the aviv medical Program offers a personalized program of regenerative restoration as you age. a multidisciplinary medical program combining an array of cognitive, physical and nutritional components, built around a unique, state-of-theart hyperbaric oxygen therapy (hBot) facility and protocol, is truly one of a kind.

By amy Poliakoff

“To come and join an organization which helps people in the aging process, that helps them before they have dementia, before their quality of life begins to diminish, and helps them before they lose their independence and autonomy is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are building a program that transcends healthcare in a unique way,” said CEO, David Globig.

The Aviv Clinic medical team consists of an entire team of clinicians from around the country specifically hired by Globig. The dedicated team of internal medicine physicians, neuropsychologists, physiologists, physical therapists, dieticians, and nurses work together with a common goal to transform the aging process with a focus on how to improve the way the brain and the body perform.

Aviv Clinics leverages science combined with service to deliver a personalized experience to help every client be their best. All clients undergo the Aviv Assessment, which involves an in-depth medical evaluation that examines genes, bloodwork and cognitive function. The results help create a customized personal treatment plan that combines HBOT sessions, cognitive and physical training and nutritional coaching. Designed by the Australian company, Fink, the suite fits 14 people. During HBOT, the first ten minutes feels like you are taking off in an airplane until the air is fully pressurized to 2 ATA, which is the equivalent of being 33 feet below sea level. After ten minutes you put on a mask to breathe 100 percent pure oxygen. The pressure of the chamber along with pure oxygen permeates the patient's tissues raising the oxygen levels 10 to 15 times over that of normal conditions. Seated in the hyperbaric suite, patients are given brain exercises to complete on electronic tablets. Aviv Clinics’ Hyperbaric Suites are the largest custom-built and most sophisticated chambers worldwide.

Neuropsychologists are keeping track of patient’s progress with the brain exercises during the treatments. Whether an individual is looking to improve short term memory or perhaps improve their attention span, carefully curated exercises are created to enhance overall brain performance. For 60 consecutive HBOT treatments, patients sit inside Aviv’s hyperbaric uite breathing pure oxygen. The 12-week program currently costs 45,000 dollars. This includes every single aspect of the program from the assessment, the consultations with Aviv’s medical staff (physicians, dieticians and physiologists), the tailored HBOT program, andanalysis that measures patient’s progress and improved overall physical and cognitive performance.

All programs are individualized at Aviv Clinics and patients discuss their goals from brain health to all aspects of physical improvement, finish the program receiving pictures of their brain, body composition analysis, cardiopulmonary assessments and how well they process oxygen among other things.

With a clear study of the brain and understanding how a lack of blood flow to the brain can cause cognitive decline, Aviv Clinics knows how to enhance performance in the aging brain and body. “Aviv Clinics’ hyperbaric oxygen protocol increases the saturation of oxygen in the tissues and significantly increases levels of stem cells in our body. This combination assists in the generation of new blood vessels resulting in improved blood flow to damaged tissues which correlates with improved physical and cognitive function,” says Globig.

A curated program, one of its kind in the world, this experience is a medical advancement. The non-invasive HBOT has proven to increase energy, improve physical performance, enhance memory and improve cognitive function. Aviv Clinics provides a lifestyle change to help support all of the improvements of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

The Aviv Medical Program was developed by Dr. Shai Efrati, Director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at the Shamir Medical Center, one of the leading teaching hospitals in Israel. Over 200,000 hyperbaric sessions have been conducted in Tel Aviv and serve as the foundation of research for the Aviv Medical Program. Over 7,500 people have received treatment applying Dr. Efrati’s protocols.

In today’s world, where modern medicine is constantly evolving, it is a true achievement in healthcare to see Dr. Efrati and the Aviv team of doctors and clinicians create a true escape from the hazards of society to focus on regenerative and restorative healing.

The investment in one’s health and wellness is a focus of the community around Aviv Clinics.. Aviv Clinics’ Central Florida location provides a lifestyle of social connectivity for those near retirement. Aviv Clinics helps you find a home to rent as you spend three months investing in your health. With a focus to improve the aging process through the personalized treatment plan, Aviv Clinics caters to anyone wanting to improve cognitive function. Professional football players who may have experienced a concussion, a CEO, and any working individual who wants to focus on memory improvements can come to Aviv Clinics for a respite from the busy hustle and bustle of everyday life for a personalized plan of self-improvement.

“From our perspective, aging is a disease. In order to achieve regeneration we are taking people into a hyberbaric chamber to increase blood oxygenation to high levels and then do a rapid decline. This decline triggers all of the regenerative cascade that we need in order to rejuvenate tissue,” said Shai Efrati, M.D. and cofounder of Aviv clinics. www.aviv-clinics.com