A coenzyme is a molecule in your body that enhances the action of an enzyme. You can’t have a coenzyme without an enzyme.

What is an enzyme? An enzyme is a protein that works to mediate or speed a specific chemical reaction, also known as a catalyst. 

Take saliva, for example. Saliva contains an enzyme known as salivary amylase. Make note that most enzymes end with the suffix, -ase.

Amylase helps to break down starches and carbohydrates from the food we eat into smaller molecules so that our stomach and small intestine can more easily digest them. Without it, the digestive process would be a lot slower, leaving your stomach acid and intestinal enzymes to do all the work.

Amylase assists the chemical process known as digestion. However, amylase does not have a coenzyme working with it. Amylase has a cofactor known as calcium to help catalyze the breakdown of food.

Coenzymes vs. cofactors

Coenzymes can be called cofactors, but not all cofactors are coenzymes. All compounds that help enzymes are called cofactors. What makes a coenzyme different from a cofactor is its chemical makeup.

• Coenzymes are non-protein organic molecules. “Organic” is defined by whether they have a carbon atom. Most coenzymes are vitamins or derived from vitamins in your diet.

• Cofactor is a general term to include coenzymes, but true cofactors are non-protein molecules that are inorganic, meaning they do not have a carbon atom. True cofactors are usually metal ions such as iron, zinc, and cobalt that must be supplemented in the diet.

Enzymes need cofactors and coenzymes.

Enzymes could not function effectively without the help of coenzymes or cofactors. It’s possible that without the help of a coenzyme, certain enzymes would cease to function completely, possibly leading to detrimental effects on an organism’s livelihood.

Likewise, a coenzyme cannot function alone. Enzymes give coenzymes their sole purpose.

However, the attachment between a coenzyme and an enzyme is not permanent. Coenzymes are built to bind with an enzyme loosely to be easily reused several times within its cycle.

This touch-and-go process is best illustrated in the electron transport chain, an important series of enzymes that a coenzyme called NAD+ works alongside to produce our body’s energy. 

NAD+ and the electron transport chain reside within our mitochondria, the “powerhouse of the cell.” The enzymes involved sit within the mitochondrial membrane, awaiting their faithful coenzyme, NAD+.

NAD+ acts as a continuous delivery system, loosely docking with the electron transport chain and accepting a payload of negatively charged electrons. After the exchange, NAD+ becomes NADH.

However, the integrity of NADH is not lost. It releases its electrons, turning the molecule back to NAD+ and recycling its use over and over.

What are the most important coenzymes?

Two of the most important coenzymes in your body are NAD+ and coenzyme A.

As we discussed, NAD+ is a vital electron carrier that essentially powers the mitochondria’s ability to produce energy. But what about coenzyme A? 

Coenzyme A’s primary role is to help our body’s production of fatty acids. Fatty acids are vital for maintaining the integrity of our cell membranes, the protective barriers that repel damaging compounds and invaders in our cells.

How do I support my coenzymes?

The construction of coenzymes requires a steady diet of water-soluble vitamins, specifically vitamin C and the vitamin B family.

Water-soluble vitamins require daily intake, as they are not able to be stored in the body. Let’s look at NAD+ and coenzyme A specifically, two of the most important coenzymes your body needs.

NAD+ is built from a steady diet of vitamin B3. Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, can usually be found in foods like liver, chicken, turkey, beef, nuts, avocado, whole grains, and fish. However, NAD+ supplements can be an easier and more efficient way to get the most out of your daily vitamin B3 intake.

Coenzyme A is derived from vitamin B5. Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, can be found in foods like fortified cereals, beef, chicken, mushrooms, dairy milk, yogurt, avocado, potatoes, broccoli.

Don’t let enzymes get all the credit.

Enzymes without a coenzyme or cofactor are called apoenzymes. Apoenzymes are usually inactive, like an abandoned factory.

Many diets focus on heavy intakes of protein to support the construction of these enzymes. But an equal focus is needed on water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin B3 and B5, to help keep these enzymes moving.

Coenzymes are the heavy lifters that keep the machines turning in your body.

Healthy aging sounds like an endeavor that everyone can get behind. None of us are fond of the aging process, developing wrinkles and grey hair. We all are looking for solutions that can postpone or reverse the common signs of aging.  

But the idea of healthy aging is not to be confused with anti-aging. Aging is inevitable. There are no methods or products that can effectively turn back time. And the search for the proverbial "fountain of youth" continues to escape us.  

Healthy aging is a focus on preserving your capabilities of having a fulfilling lifestyle as you get older. 

Healthy aging is about doing what you love. 

It's not about simply being healthy. Healthy aging is ensuring an individual can enjoy a high quality of life in their later years. The focus centers on retaining productivity, meaning, and purpose as you age.  

Rather than viewing older age as a sunsetting of activity, healthy aging builds upon the idea that you can continually do the things you love, add more goals, and explore future endeavors. 

Healthy aging is about functional ability. 

Healthy aging is the recent focus of The World Health Organization (WHO) for the upcoming decade (2021-2030).   

The WHO defines healthy aging as "the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age." 

Functional ability is an individual's capability to: 

• meet their basic needs 

• learn, grow, and make decisions 

• be mobile 

• build and maintain relationships 

• contribute to society 

These capabilities are determined by two things: 

1. Intrinsic Capacity—all physical and mental capacities of an individual, including their ability to walk, think, see, hear, and remember. 

2. The Environment—all the surrounding factors that can impact an individual, including the home, community, and societal elements (i.e., relationships, health policies, support systems.) 

Functional ability is about maintaining independence so that you can continue to grow and enrich your life and other people's lives.  

Healthy aging is not the absence of diseases. 

One way the WHO pushes the agenda of healthy aging reform is through social policy, particularly one that sheds the traditional model of addressing diseases to maintain functional ability. 

An article published in The Journal of Gerontology highlights the WHO's innovative model of "shifting from disease-centered frameworks toward more function-centered paradigms." 

Being free of disease is not the focus of healthy aging, and the WHO seeks to open the experience to be more inclusive. Everyone and anyone can experience healthy aging. 

In Frontiers in Medicine, Giulia Belloni and Matteo Cesari from the University of Milan look at how viewing frailty and intrinsic capacity from a functional perspective could positively change healthcare. 

Belloni and Cesari state,  

"Under this perspective, both frailty and intrinsic capacity may help clinicians at understanding the complex health needs and priorities of older people as well as trigger tailored actions to promote healthy aging." 

Healthy aging is a lifestyle. 

A bountiful amount of research identifies how we can pursue a healthy aging lifestyle. Here are a few things to be mindful of when building out a healthy aging regimen: 

1. Physical Exercise 

Physical exercise is the cornerstone of any healthy aging program. It's never too late to incorporate a physical routine. 

Scientific evidence suggests that regular physical activity is beneficial for retaining your physical independence. And exercise can be vitally important to reduce the risk of physical impairments at an older age.  

For example, in a review published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, regularly engaging in balance and functional exercises reduced participants’ rate of falls by 24%.  

Exercise can also benefit an individual's heart function. A paper published in The American Journal of Cardiology underlines how the benefits of leisure-time physical activities, or LTPA, reduce the risk of a coronary event, particularly for participants over 65. LTPA includes sports, recreational walking, stretching, biking, and the like. 

Regular exercise not only helps you live longer, but it also helps you live better. Research published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that previously sedentary seniors experienced psychological benefits after incorporating exercise.  

Edward McAuley, leader of the research team behind the study, said,  

"The implications of our work are that not only will physical activity potentially add years to your life as we age, but the quality of those years is likely to be improved by regular physical activity," 

2. Healthy Diet 

Eating right is not just about your weight. Researchers have found correlations between physical problems and micronutrient deficiencies, especially at an advanced age.  

An article published in Nutrients highlights the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in older populations. The study showed that vitamin D, folate, vitamin B12, and iron deficiencies were common amongst older adults. 

Poor diet is the most common culprit of this problem, but environmental factors may be the more significant underlying reason for dietary changes.   

A review published in Advances in Nutrition points out that dramatic lifestyle changes, a frequent occurrence with older adults, can make proper nutrition difficult.  

 Things like changing family and support dynamics, loss of taste and smell, loss of appetite, dental problems, and lack of access to fresh food can easily contribute to a poor diet.  

Also, many age-related conditions make absorption of necessary nutrients more difficult.  

The review expresses, "Aging-related inefficiencies in absorption and utilization mean that the requirement for some essential nutrients increases, despite lower energy needs." 

Supplementation can be an easy solution to help fill the nutrition gaps left by sub-optimal diet. And earlier adoptions to these routines could help better promote a healthy aging lifestyle. 

Healthy aging requires social engagement. 

The WHO looks at healthy aging as both an individual and communal approach. It's a reassertion that you can continue to be an active part of society. And it calls for more social responsibility to accomplish this goal. 

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) adds to this need for a social change by emphasizing that healthy aging is looking at age's influence in our lives rather than focusing on longevity.  

An AGS white paper explains,  

"This new focal point necessitates replacing our current cultural emphasis on staying young with ‘age-friendly concepts of engagement, participation, contribution, interconnectedness, activity, and optimal function.’" 

Healthy aging is not just a policy but a positive perspective that requires more awareness every day. It requires an active community that boldly refuses to let their age define them, motivating others to embrace their golden years with positivity.  

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a novel form of vitamin B3 that helps improve the way you age. Known as the “healthy aging” ingredient, nicotinamide riboside works by counteracting the effects of aging in your cells. 

How? The micronutrient focuses on supporting the health of tiny power plants in your cells, known as the mitochondria. 

There’s no miracle pill that reverses aging, but scientists began investigating mitochondria to better understand the aging process. 

A review published in BioMed Research International shows we make fewer mitochondria as we age. And scientists have also attributed mitochondrial dysfunction as one of the hallmarks of aging.  

There are several processes behind the inner workings of our mitochondria that keep them functioning properly. One of which is the critical coenzyme called NAD+. 

NAD+ functions as an essential delivery mechanism for the cell. 

If the mitochondria were the cell’s power plants, NAD+ acts as the delivery trucks that send critical supplies in the docking bay. Their payload provides the resources needed to maintain mitochondrial function. 

Several studies show how nicotinamide riboside efficiently elevates NAD+. Here’s a look at a few ways you can supplement NR in your diet. 

1. Milk 

Almond milk, oat milk, and other milk substitutes are heralded as a better alternative to cow’s milk. However, cow’s milk does have one thing going for it that other milk substitutes don’t: higher amounts of nicotinamide riboside. 

Cow’s milk used to be an early treatment for pellagra, a rampant disease prevalent in the early 1900s, particularly in the rural American South. 

Researchers found that pellagra resulted from a severe NAD+ deficiency, and cow’s milk could be used as a treatment due to its vitamin B3 content. Cow’s milk has a concentration of tryptophan and vitamin B3 variants known as nicotinamide and nicotinamide riboside.

Typically, if you find one form of vitamin B3 in foods, you will find others as well. The three forms of vitamin B3 are niacin, nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside. 

Niacin is the most common form of vitamin B3 and was later used as the primary method to treat pellagra in favor of its higher bioavailability. 

But researchers didn’t stop looking into cow’s milk and its vitamin B3 contents after the pellagra epidemic ended. 

Later research continued to see how nicotinamide riboside increases NAD+ levels far more efficiently than niacin. Also, NR was absent of niacin’s unsightly side effect of skin flushing.   

Scientists looking to investigate natural sources of NR began to revisit cow’s milk. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition measured how much NR is found in cow’s milk. 

The study looked at organic and conventional milk to see if there was a difference in NR quantity, testing four different brands for each. The results are shown in the table below: 

The unit of measurement is in micromoles (μmol).  

In chemistry, a mole is a scientific standard of measurement for measuring quantities in microscopic entities such as atoms or molecules. A micromole is even smaller than a mole, measuring 10-6 (one-millionth) of a mole.  

For organic milk, the nicotinamide riboside amount measured an average of 1.9 micromoles (μmol) per liter. Alternatively, conventional milk measured a little higher at 3.9 micromoles per liter.  

Roughly, if we were to convert these results into milligrams, an eight-ounce glass of conventional milk approximately equals 0.23mg of nicotinamide riboside. 

Clinical studies behind Niagen®, a patented form of nicotinamide riboside, recommend a daily intake of 300mg to get the most out of the ingredient. If milk were your only source of NR, you would need to drink over 1,300 glasses of conventional milk to equate to a 300mg supplement. 

2. Brewer’s Yeast 

As mentioned earlier, if you find one variant of vitamin B3 in a particular food, you will likely find others. 

Brewer’s yeast is a common subject for researchers investigating NAD+ because of its high niacin content. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows nicotinamide riboside was also found in yeast. 

A review published in Biomolecules shows how nicotinamide riboside and its vitamin B3 relatives in yeast are the subject of emerging new science in the field of longevity, albeit still in its research infancy. 

The review states,

“The metabolism of NAD+ precursors and its impact on cell longevity have benefited greatly from studies performed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is one of the most established model systems used to study the aging processes of both proliferating (replicative aging) and non-proliferating cells (chronological aging).” 

Due to the high concentration of niacin in yeast, it’s probable that yeast has a higher concentration of NR than milk. Unfortunately, no one has studied the measurements of NR in yeast enough to verify this speculation. 

Nevertheless, the quantities would likely still be an insignificant amount compared to 300mg of Niagen®. 

Natural vs. Synthetic Sources 

There is still much studied when it comes to natural sources of NR. Foods that are also rich in niacin or nicotinamide may have a certain concentration of nicotinamide riboside. However, as shown in the milk study, the amount of NR in these foods is likely too minuscule to make any meaningful impact on your body.  

As we know it, science points to supplementation as the best way to achieve the quality benefits of healthy aging from NR. A study published in Scientific Reports shows that daily supplementation of 300mg of Niagen® can increase NAD+ by up to 50% after two weeks.  

On the other hand, incorporating a diet with an enormous amount of milk or yeast is unrealistic and disproportionately unhealthy. Most importantly, such a change in your diet only amounts to a mere drop in the bucket in elevating your NAD+ levels.