Opening New Doors for Sports Nutrition and Functional Products

At Natural Products Expo West, Jim Roza, chief scientific officer at Layn Natural Ingredients, discussed the growing interest in NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) as key compounds supporting cellular energy, mitochondrial health, and healthy aging.

Roza explained that NAD is a coenzyme involved in the citric acid cycle—also known as the Krebs cycle—a biological pathway responsible for producing ATP, the molecule that fuels cellular activity. Because ATP provides energy for virtually every cellular function, NAD plays a critical role in maintaining proper cellular performance. Most cells in the human body contain mitochondria, which generate this energy, making mitochondrial function central to overall health.

However, NAD and NMN levels naturally decline with age. Roza noted that additional factors such as environmental toxins, obesity, and insulin resistance can further deplete these compounds. As NAD levels drop, ATP production becomes less efficient, which can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. Over time, this may result in the formation of what Roza described as “zombie cells”—mitochondria that function poorly or become senescent, meaning they no longer contribute effectively to cellular health. Such dysfunction has been associated with a variety of age-related health concerns.

Layn markets NAD alongside NMN as part of what Roza describes as a “dual pathway” approach. NMN acts as a precursor to NAD, helping initiate the biochemical process that ultimately produces ATP. Meanwhile, NAD provides the body with the coenzyme needed for the later stages of that energy-production pathway. Together, the compounds support the citric acid cycle and help replenish declining cellular energy levels.

According to Roza, maintaining adequate energy production is particularly important for organs with high energy demands, including the brain, heart, and muscles. Declines in cellular energy may contribute to conditions such as cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and muscle loss.

While NMN occurs naturally in foods like broccoli, avocados, and mushrooms, Roza noted that obtaining meaningful amounts through diet alone is difficult, making supplementation an increasingly attractive option.

A transcript of Roza’s conversation can be found below.

Nicholas Saraceno: I know Layn is reporting that in regard to its NAD ingredient, it's standardized to greater than 99% purity, which is mind blowing. It's got powder and granular formats that are designed for multiple delivery systems, which here at Expo West, having multiple delivery systems for the consumers is critical. From a product development standpoint, how does this level of purity and formulation flexibility affect applications when it comes to supplements, functional beverages, and sports nutrition products? What have you noticed?

Jim Roza: Okay, let me talk about the purity, first and foremost. The molecule like NMN or NAD is 98%, 99% pure. Basically, it is identical to the NMN or the NAD that’s produced by the body. We got very high purity, and that's important because of the fact that you don't want to worry about any residual matter or anything else that might be present that could be problematic.

For example, like with resveratrol, there is a compound called Imodium, which has a laxative effect, and you have to make sure that if you're purifying resveratrol, you want to make sure that you know that particular compound is up. When you have something that's 98%, 99% pure. number one, you've got a safety issue, security issue, you know, and there's no issue. And then also, it just needs to identical.

NMN is very water soluble, and so it lends itself very well to a drain, plates, gummies, shots, granulated corn, so obviously you can recapture tablets, even in the lozenge. There’re very different formats that you could use. NAD—which is one step removed from NMN—it is molecular neurologic, and it's not as absorbed as well as NMN.

With NAD, I think that lends itself really well to a liposomal format, a lozenge, because when you put something in the lozenge, you can absorb it right to the mucous membrane, and it gets right into the blood system. And there are different formats that you can utilize, such as cyclodextrins and different things to help absorption.

I think it really lends itself to a lot of different nutraceutical delivery systems, all of which of course, is designed to help improve cognition also help to abate some of the negative effects of aging as well. These are items that I think that people once we continue to create awareness about the importance of mitochondrial health, hopefully are going to resonate with nutraceuticals, and I think we're starting to see that already.