Take Control Of Your Health with Omega 3, Vitamin D and NMN

by Guest Author October 06, 2021 5 min read

The problem is that people are educated just enough to believe what they have been taught, and not educated enough to question anything from what they have been taught. - Professor Richard Feynman

Biohacking is about thinking differently and taking responsibility for our health.

In this post:

Keeping chronic inflammation low for healthy ageing.
Diabetes could be main factor in accelerated progression of CV19.
Light through a window for Circadian Rhythm, but not Vitamin D.
Resveratrol works only in the presence of youthful NAD levels.

1. Keeping Chronic Inflammation Low as We Age Could Be One of the Most Important Things to Do for Our Health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia.

Inflammation is a key driver of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) through plaque formation and blockages. One way to mitigate inflammation is increasing dietary intake of marine omega 3 fatty acids while decreasing consumption of seed oils.

A study of 42,466 elderly people (50-81 years old) found higher circulating levels of marine (EPA/DHA) Omega-3s are associated with a lower risk of premature death.

Leading causes of death in Australia, 2019
Image source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Omega 3s, especially EPA and DHA, can increase muscle volume and strength, slow telomere shortening and improve verbal fluency, memory and visual motor coordination. They've also been shown to be good for heart health.

A 2021 meta-analysis of 17 studies found that people with the highest blood levels of EPA and DHA were 10-17% less likely to die prematurely and 9-21% less likely to die from CVD. A dose of 4g of EPA/DHA Omega 3s per day found a greater reduction in CVD events than a lower (<1g) dose.

Increasing intake of Omega 3s is easy by eating more cold water fatty fish like salmon, cod, sardines and mackerel. Alternatively try supplements of Fish oil or micro algae with concentrated EPA & DHA.

Whatever you take, make sure it is not oxidised. Ask to see a lab test result before buying. Increase your Omega 3 intake with these batch tested Vegan Omega 3 for DHA and EPA capsules made from Marine Algae Oil. The ecological choice.

2. Diabetes Could Be the Main Factor in Accelerated Progression of CV19.

Being compelled to stay home is making us older, fatter, sicker, physically weaker and mentally less agile. All of this will contribute to an increase in heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, dementia, suicides and cancer. Are lockdowns doing more harm than good?

In this study from Japan, type-2 diabetes was present in 88% of patients progressing from moderate to severe CV19 requiring ventilation.

"While future pandemics are unpredictable, diabetes can be effectively managed - which could ultimately have far-reaching impacts on patient outcomes especially during times of public health crisis, like the CV19 outbreak"
- lead researcher Dr. Shizuka Kaneko.

Around 1.8 million Australians have diabetes. This includes all types of diagnosed diabetes (1.2 million known and registered) as well as silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (up to 500,000 estimated). 280 Australians develop diabetes every day.

3. Light Through a Window Is Sufficient for Manipulating the Circadian Rythm, but Not for Vitamin D Production.

A 2019 (pre-pandemic) study stated:

"Given our increasingly indoor lifestyles, there is a need to develop and promote strategies to maintain adequate vitamin D status primarily through safe sun exposure and also dietary approaches."

Low Vitamin D levels are correlated with higher risk of viral infection and severity of infection, including COVID-19 (source).

Accumulating evidence strongly supports widespread vitamin D supplementation, in particular of high-risk populations, as well as high-dose supplementation of those infected. Test Vitamin D levels at home.

The UVB rays needed to make Vitamin D are blocked by most windows.

Sunscreen can also block UVB radiation. UVB is scarcer in winter. The more equatorial, the greater the potency of the suns rays. The further, the weaker.

Personal UV dose requirements vary greatly.

Melanin (what darkens skin) is a natural sunscreen. Which is why statistical studies usually find dark skinned populations to be Vitamin D deficient.

A 70 year old produces 4x less Vitamin D than a 20 year old.

Body fat reduces the bioavailability of Vitamin D. The more fat you have, the more is stored and not released into the bloodstream.

How to Boost Vitamin D Intake?

You can make Vitamin D by spending time in direct natural sunlight. While a few minutes exposure each day in summer might be enough, a few hours is needed in winter.

You can also get small amounts of Vitamin D through foods like oily fish, egg yolk, and offal such as liver. Some foods such as milk are fortified with vitamin D.

Supplementing Vitamin D in combination with Vitamin K is best. Vitamins D and K act synergistically for bone and cardiovascular health. (source) 4000 IU / Day of Vitamin D3 is sufficient to bring adults up to adequate levels of 75nmol/L.
To correct moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency, 3,000 to 4,000 IU per day is needed for 6-12 weeks to raise the level of vitamin D quickly, followed by a maintenance dose of 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day. (source)

Note that Australian guidelines suggest only a tenth of that dose, 400IU/Day, but does not consider individual deficiency risk factors described below. It's just a lowest common denominator guideline in dire need of an update.

The safety profile of vitamin D supplementation is similar for doses of 400 or 4000IU.

Vitamin D supplementation
Vitamin D3 sources, biosynthesis and possible factors affecting absorption. Downward arrows show factors that are associated with decreased vitamin D absorption and synthesis.
Image source

Active Vitamin D improves immune function, regulates calcium and phosphate, turns on hundreds of genes, suppresses inflammation, makes vitamin-K dependant proteins and enables them to work. Magnesium activates Vitamin D.

Get 7 types of Magnesium in 1 Supplement

Vitamin K foods include green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach, turnip greens, collards, Swiss chard, mustard greens, parsley, romaine, and green leaf lettuc, vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

Vitamin K is also made by the bacteria in the lower intestinal tract.
Shop for Vitamin D3 + K2 Supplements

4. NMN as an Anti-Ageing Supplement

Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) supplementation has shown favourable outcome on several age-related disorders associated with the accumulation of chronic oxidative stress, inflammation and impaired mitochondrial function.

The protective effects of NMN treatment on neurovascular function can be attributed to mitochondrial rejuvenation, a critical mechanism to restore neurovascular health and improve cerebral blood flow in aging.

Taken orally, NMN is rapidly absorbed and converted to NAD+. A recent study showed that the administration of NAD+ is associated with an increase in sirtuin activity. Increasing sirtuin activity stabilizes telomeres and reduced DNA damage.

In numerous studies, supplementation with NMN has increased NAD+ biosynthesis, suppressed age-related adipose tissue inflammation, enhanced insulin secretion and insulin action, improved mitochondrial function, improved neuronal function in the brain, and more. (Source)

Lifespan book

Resveratrol and NMN are critical for the activation of sirtuin genes.

Sirtuins play a key role in functions that help us to live longer – particularly DNA repair.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol with very high antioxidant potential. It is abundant in grape skin and seeds. Food sources of resveratrol include wine, berries, and peanuts.

As Lifespan author David Sinclair puts it:

"Resveratrol is the accelerator pedal for the sirtuin genes (increasing their activation), and NMN (a precursor to NAD) as the fuel. Without the “fuel”, resveratrol won’t be as effective."

The reason that resveratrol won’t work effectively without NMN, is that sirtuin activation requires youthful NAD levels, but by 50 years old we have about half the level of NAD we had in our 20s. NAD being a molecule that is essential to energy production in our cells.

Supplementing NMN + Resveratrol as part of your daily regime could offer energy revitalization, protection from the aging process by maintaining healthy DNA, improvements in cognitive health, a decreased risk of cardiovascular complications, and improved cellular metabolism.

The Science Behind NMN | Lifespan Book by David Sinclair

Guest Author

This article was contributed by a guest author with expert knowledge in their field.

Also in Biohacking Blog

The Carnivore Diet: A Comprehensive Look at Its Pros, Cons and Supplementation Needs

by Kunal K April 24, 2024 5 min read

Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet focuses on consuming primarily animal products, emphasising the high intake of wild game or pasture-raised meats while largely excluding plant-based foods. This diet has garnered attention for its potential health benefits, such as improved well-being and satisfaction, but also raises concerns about nutrient deficiencies in areas typically covered by plant foods, like vitamin C and magnesium. To counter these deficiencies, adherents often supplement with vitamins B12, D, and omega-3 fatty acids. While the diet may positively impact metabolic health and diabetes management, it also carries risks related to increased consumption of red meat and its potential effects on cardiovascular health.

Magnesium, Insulin Resistance, Prediabetes and Diabetes

by Kunal K April 18, 2024 3 min read

Magnesium

It takes 10-15 years or prediabetes before clinical Type 2 diabetes is typically diagnosed. That is to say, it takes years of overconsumption of simple carbs, processed foods combined with a high stress (sympathetic-dominant) lifestyle. It's a long process with plenty of time to intervene using something as simple as 410mg of magnesium a day, before the body (and mind) break down irreversibly.

Akkermansia Muciniphila Probiotic

by Kunal K March 26, 2024 1 min read

Keep Chronic Inflammation Low for Healthy Ageing

1. Keeping Chronic Inflammation Low as We Age Could Be One of the Most Important Things to Do for Our Health.

2. Diabetes Could Be the Main Factor in Accelerated Progression of CV19.