Erythrocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide concentration is enhanced by systematic sports participation

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+), and their reduced forms (NADH and NADPH) are the vital cofactors for most cellular oxidation/reduction reactions and therefore influence most critical pathways in cellular metabolism. This study aimed to predict the trends of age-related changes in erythrocyte NAD+ and NADP+ concentrations in elite athletes compared to untrained controls and to assess whether life-long physical training stimulates favorable adaptations in erythrocyte NAD(P)+ concentrations.

Erythrocyte concentrations of NAD+ and NADP+ were measured in 68 elite endurance runners (20–81 years), 58 elite sprinters (21–90 years), and 62 untrained individuals (20–68 years). Linear regression analyses were performed to estimate longitudinal relationships and cross-sectional rates of change between age and erythrocyte NAD+ and NADP+ levels. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences between the studied groups.

In all three groups, the erythrocyte NAD+ and NADP+ concentrations significantly decreased with advancing age, suggesting gradual deterioration of NAD-related regulatory functions in older individuals. However, the concentration of erythrocyte NAD(P)+, regardless of age category, was higher in the athletic groups compared to less active controls.

Our research shows that systematic sports participation, especially of a sprint-oriented nature, can be treated as a natural and effective strategy promoting cellular NAD(P)+ anabolism and thus cells’ energy and redox metabolism.

The study was retrospectively registered in the clinical trials registry on 2021-11-09 (NCT05113914).