The English Version
Imagine a hybrid vehicle, it has a combustion engine and a battery that work together to run it. A living thing is similar where fuel (sugar, fat and protein) is burnt to charge up a molecular battery, known as ATP, with NAD behaving like a charger. These ATP “batteries” are what cells use to do most of their work, so boosting NAD levels in a living thing is like having more charge, or a bigger battery, in a hybrid to get more mileage.
The Pure Science Version
Biology tells us that niacin and nicotinamide, known as "vitamin B3", are essential pieces for energy generation.
B3 is a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a coenzyme that is found in every cell and is essential to cellular health and metabolism. It enables mitochondrial functionality and the production of life on Earth’s energy currency, the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
A textbook style diagram is shown here where NAD reacts with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to make ATP during glycolysis.
