NADH is the abbreviation for the biological substance nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.
The “H“ stands for high-energy hydrogen and indicates that it is the reduced form of
coenzyme 1, another term for NADH.
Enzymes catalyze biological processes and create products in our body which we need to
survive. They can be compared to production machinery in a factory which transposes one
material into another one. In living cells they catalyze the breakdown and turnover of food
components into smaller units, ultimately converting food into water and energy. Enzymes
can perform their work only if an additional essential factor combines with the enzyme itself.
This factor is called a coenzyme.
Without a complementary coenzyme, the majority of enzymes will not work. Hence a
coenzyme is a necessary component for an enzyme to become active. Unlike DHEA and
melatonin, NADH is not a hormone but a coenzyme. You can compare enzymes and
coenzymes with an engine and its fuel. The enzyme is the engine and the fuel is the
coenzyme. Without its coenzyme the enzyme will not work. The deficiency of a needed
coenzyme will actually slow down the enzymatic production process. A deficiency of NADH
will result in an energy deficit at the cellular level, the symptom of which is fatigue. For the
body to be deficient of NADH is the same as a car running out of gasoline. The more NADH
a cell has available, the more energy it can produce. Unfortunately, the level of NADH in our
body declines with aging and so do the NADH-dependent enzymes, in particular those for
energy production…
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