Aging Begins with the Decline of Cellular Function
Why is it effective to work on cells to suppress aging?
Humans obtain nutrients from food. The food digested in the body, with the help of various vitamins and minerals, ultimately becomes the raw material for ATP, the energy that fuels our activities.
The process of creating our bodies from externally absorbed nutrients, expelling waste, synthesizing ATP, and using it for activity is known as “metabolism.”
The mitochondria within cells are responsible for producing this ATP. The energy essential for human life activities is synthesized within the cells.
After birth, humans undergo rapid growth through active cell division, but around the age of 25, the number of cells begins to decline. As cells decrease, so does the production of energy, leading to a decline in metabolism and making the body more susceptible to diseases.
When metabolism slows, life activities become sluggish, the body becomes more vulnerable to external stress, and waste accumulates. This gradual decline over decades is how our bodies age.
Incidentally, obesity is not just a result of overeating but also occurs when the functions of cells and organs deteriorate, making it difficult to fully metabolize food. This is one form of middle-aged weight gain, a phenomenon of aging.
What Nutrients Are Effective for Boosting Metabolism?
So, how can we maintain healthy cells in the body?
Essentially, the only way to boost metabolism is by absorbing nutrients from outside, but simply eating more food, as mentioned earlier, will only lead to obesity.
The key is to focus on replenishing the nutrients needed to keep the metabolic cycle running. At our clinic, we believe that NMN (β-Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) is the crucial nutrient.
NMN is a type of Vitamin B3 that is converted in the body into NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide). The Sirtuin gene, also known as the longevity gene, requires this NAD to activate proteins.
The proteins generated by the Sirtuin gene play many important roles beyond DNA repair, including maintaining organ function, improving mitochondrial function, suppressing inflammation, and regulating sleep rhythms.
NAD naturally exists in the body, but it diminishes with age for various reasons. Studies have shown that the amount of NAD in the body of a person in their 50s is roughly half of what it was in their 20s.
At our clinic, we believe that intravenous administration of NMN and other nutrients can increase NAD, leading to “activation of the Sirtuin gene in the body → improvement of metabolism.” Ultimately, this is expected to invigorate healthy cells and suppress the increase of aging cells.