How to Boost Your Natural Stem Cells? NAD+, PRP & Fasting Benefits

January 2024

When patients ask me about stem cell therapy, they’re often surprised to learn that we don’t always need expensive treatments to tap into their regenerative potential. Stem cells are essential for our body’s tissue maintenance and regeneration. As a physician specializing in regenerative medicine, I want to share something exciting: stem cells are not only available through costly IVs or injections, but we all have quiescent stem cells, which continuously replenish when we need to repair and regenerate the cells in our bodies.

Understanding Your Body's Stem Cell Potential

As we age, we still have stem cells, but some become senescent, which means they are no longer replicating or behaving properly. However, several natural and regenerative therapies are available to help restore function to our stem cells, so we may stay vital, heal with greater ease, and maintain better health.

NAD+: A Powerful Tool for Stem Cell Health

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is an oxidized form of vitamin B3, or niacin. It plays a crucial role in the regulation and rejuvenation of stem cells. NAD⁺ levels decline with age, contributing to stem cell senescence. Supplementation with NAD⁺ precursors, such as nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), has been shown to enhance stem cell function and promote regeneration. NAD+ is also available as a subcutaneous injection and is used intravenously for conditions like Parkinson’s disease, for anti-aging, and in high doses for addiction.

NAD⁺ repletion improves mitochondrial function, which is critical for maintaining stem cell health. Mitochondria are the “powerhouses” of our cells, generating ATP needed for energy and healing.

The research behind NAD+ is compelling:

Studies have shown that NAD+ prevents stem cell senescence in models of muscular dystrophy
It helps rejuvenate senescent stem cells through a process called autophagy, where cells clean out damaged cellular organs and renew themselves
A similar process called mitophagy occurs when NAD+ helps recycle and repair damaged mitochondria to maintain healthy, young stem cells
The NAD+ precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR) enhances hematopoietic stem cell function by improving mitochondrial function, potentially helping recovery after bone marrow injury from chemotherapy or radiation
After stroke, NAD+ enhances neural stem cell activity, creating new neurons for functional recovery
The NAD+ precursor NMN accelerates bone growth and repair by stimulating skeletal stem cells

What makes NAD+ particularly powerful is how it supports stem cell function through multiple pathways – improving mitochondrial health, reducing oxidative stress, and modulating key signaling pathways involved in stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

PRP for Regeneration of Injuries, Skin and More

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become one of my favorite tools in regenerative medicine. It recruits your body’s reserve of stem cells to regenerate cartilage, tendons, muscles, and bone. Beyond helping with pain and injuries, it’s also effective for hair restoration, improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and addressing sexual function or urinary incontinence.

The process starts with a simple blood draw. We then use a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets from your blood. What makes PRP so powerful is how it works with your own stem cells – releasing specific growth factors and cytokines from platelet alpha granules. These bioactive molecules include:

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)

These growth factors stimulate your mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to develop into specialized cells needed for healing:

Chondrocytes for cartilage repair
Osteoblasts for bone regeneration
Myocytes for muscle healing

The healing process is enhanced because PRP helps new cells migrate to injured areas and promotes the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis). This increased blood flow delivers essential nutrients and building blocks needed for tissue repair.

The Power of Intermittent Fasting

One of the most accessible ways to boost your stem cell function is through strategic fasting. Research shows that fasting helps maintain better stem cell function by stimulating autophagy – the process that recycles and repairs cellular components to maintain youthful capacity. Fasting has also been shown to increase stem cell resilience.

However, there’s an important balance to strike. While fasting helps rejuvenate stem cells, healing tissues need glucose and other nutrients. This is why intermittent fasting can be so effective – it provides benefits of both fasting and nourishment.

Typical intermittent fasting periods range from 12-16 hours between meals, though some studies have explored up to 24-hour fasting periods. A fascinating study compared mesenchymal stem cell injections with intermittent fasting and found that fasting was actually more beneficial for healing injured muscle tissue. This suggests that those without access to stem cell therapy might still achieve significant benefits through lifestyle strategies.

In my practice, I often recommend specific fasting protocols for patients receiving regenerative treatments like PRP, prolozone, or stem cells. I have them fast before injections, then focus on nutritious foods afterward to maximize treatment benefits.

The Fasting Mimicking Diet (also known as Prolon) offers another strategic approach. This researched protocol provides essential nutrients while restricting calories over five days, effectively mimicking fasting’s benefits while maintaining some nutrition. For optimal results, I recommend using this approach five days before regenerative treatments, followed by a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet and proper hydration (about half your body weight in ounces of water daily).

Bringing These Therapies Together

Here’s the fascinating thing about stem cells – whether you receive them through injections or activate your own through natural methods, they work by directing your body’s healing processes. That’s why I’ve found that combining therapies like NAD+, PRP, and smart fasting strategies can be so effective. These approaches work together to support your body’s natural regenerative abilities.

Ready to learn more about how these regenerative approaches might help you? Let’s talk. Contact Nascent Health Clinics for a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your specific needs.