Ageing is primarily caused by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is responsible for metabolism, DNA repair, and overall aging and longevity. In due course of time, producing energy and NAD becomes a tough job for ageing cells. Studies were conducted and research found that when an enzyme named eNAMPT was transferred from a younger mouse to older mouse, they were able to boost NAD levels which eventually slowed down the rate of ageing. Researches call it “a pathway towards healthy ageing”. Looking more detailed into the NAD production process, researchers have found that hypothalamus, the part of brain which regulates metabolic processes, temperature, thirst, hunger, and sleep-wake cycles, also produced NAD using eNAMPT. As a result of the study, older mice which were provided with eNAMPT had an improved lifespan of 2.8 years, while the control group which was provided with saline solution only had lived for a span of 2.4 years. “These are old mice with no special genetic modifications, and when supplemented with eNAMPT, their wheel-running behavior, sleep patterns and physical appearance -— thicker, shinier fur, for example — resemble that of young mice.", says Dr. Shin-ichiro Imai. Scientists are not yet sure how helpful this can be in the case of humans, but they sure know that more studies done on eNAMPT could prove it to change the case of ageing. (Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com)
