My Morning Supplements: NAD+ Boosters and Sirtuin Gene Activators

by Nils Osmar. Updated October 24, 2022 Medical Disclaimer

I should preface this by saying that I take lots of supplements. The types I take include:

• NAD+ boosters and sirtuin gene activators
• Glutathione and nitric oxide boosters
• Testosterone boosters
• hGH boosters
• AMPK boosters

I take the NAD+ boosters and sirtuin activators early in the day, and the others later. I time my supplements to go along with my periods of fasting and feasting, which correlate with the activation AMPK or mTOR.

Fasting in the morning…

We all wake up with an enzymatic process called AMPK activated. It’s “on” because it’s been hours since our evening meal. (Fasting activates AMPK; eating food, particularly meals high in protein, leucine, or high glycemic carbs, tends to activate AMPK’s opposite number, mTOR.) (Think of AMPK and mTOR as two sides of a teeter totter; when one goes down, the other tends to go up, under most conditions.)

Having AMPK activated has many health benefits. It’s has been dubbed the “longevity pathway” because animals kept in an AMPK state much of the time live longer than those that are not.

mTOR (the growth pathway) is important too, to support immune health and prevent dementia and sarcopenia. But studies suggest that it’s beneficial to have AMPK activated most of the time.

I like fasting in the morning as a way of maintaining the AMPK activation that will have kicked in at some point during the night. I may do water fasting, or drink a fasting mimicking smoothie. I like extending the AMPK activaton till around noon or 1 pm. Fasting in itself is a sirtuin gene activator and raises NAD+ levels, so I take my NAD+ boosting supplements during my fasting hours.

My regimen

I usually get up around 6 a.m. and have some coffee (an AMPK activator which also promotes a cell-cleaning process called autophagy). See study: Caffeine Enhances Endothelial Repair by an AMPK-Dependent Mechanism Coffee is also associated with an improvement in all-cause mortality. See study: Coffee consumption and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a meta-analysis

I sometimes take some Ca-AKG (an immediate-release form of CaAKG) with my coffee. (IR Ca-AKG takes about a half hour to clear from our systems after taking it.)

Around 8 a.m, I’ll take the supplements below. I’ll either take them with water or along with a fasting mimicking smoothie which is also designed to support autophagy and AMPK activation.

The smoothie

The smoothie, made up mainly of water, a half avocado, a half tomato, and a scoop of Ora green powder, has almost zero leucine or protein or carbs, so won’t interrupt autophagy or take us out of an AMPK state. I drink it along with…

My NAD+ boosting and sirtuin-activating supplements

1. NMN (DoNotAge) – 1500 mg. NMN has been found to increase NAD+ levels. High levels of NAD+ have been found to boost memory, improve mental clarity, improve mood and concentration, boost neurological function, reduce symptoms of depression, and facilitates DNA repair. We can raise NAD by taking NAD precursors, fasting, taking saunas and cold showers, and exercising. For me, I’ve found that taking NMN+ is an effective way of restoring it to youthful (young adult) levels. (NMN can be pricey… as high as $12 per gram… or inexpensive. Powders are always cheaper than capsules. I buy DoNotAge’s 100 gram bag of NMN, which costs about $1 a gram with their discount code.)
2. Resveratrol (DoNotAge) – 500 mg (three days a week)
3. SIRT6 Activator (DoNotAge) – 2 to 4 capsules (The sirtuin 6 gene is associated with a significant extension of lifespan in lab animals). DoNotAge has stated that they test every strain of seaweed they put in SIRT6 Activator to verify that it actually is activating the SIRT6 gene, which is deeply associated with life extension. It’s only available by subscription on their website. Some other companies also make fucoidan extracts, but don’t guarantee it’s activating SIRT6. (You can also activate sirtuin 6 to some extent by eating lots of wakame, a type of seaweed. I make it a regular part of my diet). (Note: the sirtuin 6 gene works best in the presence of NAD+., so I take it at the same time as NMN.)
4. Glucosamine. Glucosamine is a potent AMPK activator, and is associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality. I take four capsules of Jarrow Formulas Glucosamine + Chondroiton, providing 1500 mg. of glucosamine) See study: Glucosamine/Chondroitin and Mortality in a US NHANES Cohort
5. Black Elderberry Extract (Gaia Herbs) – It’s rich in cyanidin, another compounds that activates the sirtuin 1 gene. I take 1 teaspoon as an ingredient in the fasting mimicking smoothie,

Optional morning supplements

The ones below either boost NAD levels, activate the sirtuin genes, or support mitochondrial health. I’ll sometimes take them with my NAD+ boosters:

1. MCT OIL: improves NAD+/NADH ratio (I usually mix a scoop of MCT oil powder in my coffee) (There’s also evidence that the ketones our bodies make when we use MCT oil may be protective against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.) I’m not currently taking MCT oil
2. TMG (DoNotAge)  – 500 mg (optional; I take it once or twice a week.) (If I’m taking a green powder with my NMN, I’ll skip the TMG, because the green powder, like the supplements, restores our methyl groups which are used up when NMN is metabolized.)
3. Quercetin and Fisetin. Fisetin and Quercetin are both senolytics, meaning that they both activate the sirtuin genes and kill senescent cells. I don’t take them every day but will take a “blast” of 5 capsules of each once a month or so. There are lots of good companies for these two compounds; I’m getting mine currently from DoNotAge.
4. Rutin – also activates sirtuins.
5. Alpha Lipoid Acid – improves NAD+/NADH ratio (1200 mg).
6. Pau D’Arco– rich in D. lapachone; improves NAD+/NADH ratio.
7. PQQ (Health Through Nutrition) – 20 mg
8. Astaxanthin – BioAstin – 3 or 4 capsules
9. Sulforphane (DoNotAge).

Then later…

After taking the supplements above, I’ll wait two or three hours, then get ready to work out

Pre-workout supplements

I take a few supplements, including creatine, right before my workout. (Creatine is another AMPK activator – see this article.) I’ll write more about my pre-workout supplements in a separate article.

I then take a very hot shower to warm up my muscles, then work out….

….. upper body three days a week, lower body and core the other three.

After my workout…

… I’ll stop worrying about AMPK activation, and eat a high protein lunch/breakfast, deliberately activating mTOR. (Remember that we need both AMPK and mTOR activation.) I take my other supplements with my meals:

• Glutathione and nitric oxide boosters
• Testosterone boosters
• hGH boosters

Note: When taking testosterone and hGH boosters, I’m not trying to raise them to supra-normal levels, just to the levels naturally found in healthy, athletic young adults.

I often also take a contast shower (alternating hot and cold — ending on cold) in the afternoons.

Then at night…

• …. I’ll take my AMPK boosters (moving back into an AMPK state).

Not medical advice

This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplements, just reporting on what I’m doing. All supplements can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen.  See full Medical Disclaimer

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