Exercise, Sleep, Nutrition — and Why Supplements Still Matter for Healthy Aging
You might be thinking…there has to be a way to increase redox molecules and NAD+ in the body with nutrition, exercise, and better sleep.
And, you’re right—our bodies are designed to make and recycle both redox signaling molecules and NAD+ naturally. Things like nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, and even time outdoors all influence how well that process works. But there’s also a strong case for supplementation, especially as we get older. Let’s break it down:
1. Redox Molecules & Aging
- What they do: Redox signaling molecules act like the body’s “cellular communication system,” helping cells detect stress, repair damage, and coordinate defenses.
- Natural decline: As we age, our ability to produce these molecules declines significantly (research suggests by more than 50% by middle age). That’s one reason recovery slows, energy dips, and resilience isn’t what it once was.
- Lifestyle helps, but only so far: Exercise, real food, and quality sleep all boost redox balance, but they can’t fully counteract the age-related production decline. That’s where supplementation (like ASEA Redox) seems to make sense—essentially “topping off” the communication system so the body can keep responding like it did when it was younger.
2. NAD+ & Aging
- What it does: NAD+ is essential for energy production in mitochondria and for activating repair enzymes like sirtuins. Think of it as both the “fuel igniter” and the “repair switch.”
- Natural decline: NAD+ levels drop by as much as 50% by age 50–60, and that decline accelerates with chronic stress, poor sleep, or illness.
- Lifestyle helps:
- Exercise stimulates NAD+ biosynthesis.
- Sleep and circadian rhythm keep NAD+ cycling properly.
- Nutrition (like B3 vitamins, tryptophan, polyphenols from foods like blueberries, olive oil, and grapes) supports the precursors.
- Supplementation: Molecules like NMN or NR (precursors to NAD+) can directly raise levels, and some researchers believe maintaining NAD+ may slow aspects of aging and improve resilience.
3. Why Supplementation Still Matters
Even if you’re diligent with lifestyle habits, there are limits because:
- Aging naturally lowers the ceiling on how much your body can produce.
- Modern stressors—environmental toxins, processed food, lack of deep rest—chip away at reserves.
- Repair demands increase—the older we get, the more our body has to fix and maintain.
Supplementation is less about “replacing lifestyle” and more about giving your cells the raw materials and signaling support they need to keep doing their job well—so lifestyle works better.
The way I see it:
- Lifestyle practices = building the foundation (exercise, real food, sleep, mobility).
- Supplementation = keeping the cellular machinery running closer to “younger” levels so you can actually benefit from that foundation.
Read more about how Redox Molecules and NAD+ work together in the body »
