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Your Organ Is Burning!

Your Organ Is Burning!

And other weird facts about your skin and the sun.

sun burning

We need the sun. It’s how we grow food, stay warm, and survive on this planet we call home. But as usual, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. There’s a lot of information out there about what helps with protecting our skin from the sun. But how do we know which of it is true? We did some digging into the research and what we found may surprise you.

Your organ is burning

Our skin makes up 14% of our body mass, making it the largest organ in our bodies. The two main layers of the skin are your epidermis (what you see when you look at your skin) and the dermis layer (which houses nerves, hair follicles, and other important features). Both of them can get a sunburn.

Length of the wave matters

UVB rays are probably the most infamous because they’re both carcinogenic and cause sunburns. But UVB rays are only one of three UV rays from the sun, UVC having the shortest wavelengths and UVA the longest.

The earth’s atmosphere filters out almost all the UVC rays, so we don’t have to worry much about those. But the B and A rays are longer, so they do reach our skin, and in some sneaky ways.

The sun can reach your DNA

Sunburns aren’t the only type of sun damage. As the longest wavelength, UVA rays can wreak havoc on our cells, damaging all kinds of molecules like proteins and even DNA without leaving a visible trace.

Your shirt can save you

One study in 2014 looked at 50 garments and determined that cotton and polyester T-shirts offered excellent protection from ultraviolet rays, while linen shirts offered little to no protection at all.

Sunscreen seriously helps

In 2013, a study showed that people who wore sunscreen daily over the course of four years, had 24% less photodamage compared to those who didn’t. Another study from 2016 showed an even more significant improvement in skincare from wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen every day for an entire year.

This means, that even though people are embracing natural oils in skincare, you might still need that extra layer of sunscreen, especially since most oils found in cosmetics don’t offer any significant sun protection.

Green glass is your friend

Research shows that while smooth ordinary glass still transmits about 74% of UVA rays, all glass blocks UVB rays, with laminated, and green glass completely blocking UVA radiation.

Melanin is only part of the story

The famous melanin is produced by skin cells known as melanocytes. These cells are the main barrier between us and our environment. After UV rays hit our skin, melanocytes increase melanin production and release it into nearby skin cells to protect them. Our ability to actually release this protection depends on our natural skin tone.

A sunburn is your skin inflamed

The redness we see and the heat we feel after a sunburn are signs of inflammation. Increased blood flow happens about 24 hours after excessive sun exposure, followed by an accumulation of immune cells in the burn area after about 48 hours.

This molecule matters

Our bodies have ways of signaling when and where damage occurs. A molecule called NAD (pronounced en-aye-dee) is an essential part of one of these signaling processes.

Some of these signaling proteins use up a ton of NAD when they’re activated. Which is a problem because they’re not the only ones who require NAD. Our bodies use NAD whenever we eat, drink, sleep, or breathe.

It stands to reason that our cells could do a better job if they had enough access to this vital molecule, whether it’s after a long day in the sun or not.

How We Know NAD Declines With Age?

How We Know NAD Declines With Age?

This clinical study got scientists thinking about NAD and healthy aging.

How We Know NAD Declines With Age

The Massudi article from 2012 is often cited when looking at the potential of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to improve human health as we age. That’s because there’s a lot of promising research around the connection between lower NAD levels and the aging process as a whole.

Here are just a few of the reasons why teams like Massudi’s are interested in the effects of NAD levels on human health:

  • NAD levels decline by up to 50% in human skin tissue between the ages of 40–60
  • NAD depletion may play an important role in the aging process [1]
  • Preclinical studies show a correlation between lower NAD levels and some age-related health conditions
“A strong negative correlation was observed between NAD+ levels and age in both males and females.”
         — MASSUDI, H., ET AL., 2012

 

Read all the science and research surrounding NAD at: AboutNAD.com

8 Ways Your Body Makes Energy You've Probably Never Heard Of

8 Ways Your Body Makes Energy You've Probably Never Heard Of

Next time you’re feeling low on energy, don’t turn to caffeine, turn to ATP. 

Next time you’re feeling low on energy, don’t turn to caffeine, turn to ATP

Energy is life. Our bodies are an intricately complex system built for the essential work of generating and dispersing energy. And our mitochondria are these little energy-making machines inside almost every single one of our cells. But believe it or not, we’re the ones in control of how much energy they make. Our lifestyle habits have a huge effect on how much energy our cells create. The more active we are, the more energy our cells require, which then causes our mitochondria to increase its density to match those needs. But the reverse is also true. A sedentary lifestyle can signal to the body to create less energy, and actually inhibit our body’s natural production of its most vital energy resources.

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on at a cellular level when it comes to energy. 

1. MitochondriaMitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell

You may remember these being referred to as the “powerhouse of the cell,” and it’s true. Without these little “organelles,” we couldn’t turn food or drinks into the energy we need to survive. 

2. The Matrix

This “mitochondrial matrix” is where we release stored energy.

The matrix is real, it’s a gel-like material, and it’s inside of every single one of your cells (with mitochondria). This “mitochondrial matrix” is where we release stored energy.  

3. Citric Acid Cycle

Citric Acid Cycle


This series of very fortunate chemical reactions is used to release some of that stored energy in the matrix. It’s so important, it goes by two names (aka the Krebs Cycle). 

4. Prokaryotic Ancestry

Even our cells have an ancestry, in this case specifically our mitochondria


Even our cells have an ancestry, in this case specifically our mitochondria. These leftover bits from the single-cell, simple organisms are the reason why mitochondria can divide and replicate themselves independently of the cells they’re in. This allows the mitochondria to adjust their shape and structure depending on our cell’s metabolic needs.

5. Fission

When mitochondria divide, it’s called fission - Tru Niagen


When mitochondria divide, it’s called fission, and it’s just one of the many ways they maintain our cells’ ability to create energy.

6. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)


This molecule IS energy. Whenever you’re tired, you don’t need more caffeine, you need more ATP. Creating it is basically a highly advanced, microscopic game of hot potato. Our cells toss electrons from the carbs, fats, and proteins we consume over to oxygen molecules. Which allows the other essential ATP creation processes to complete. 

7. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)

This molecule is found in every living cell and helps generate ATP


This molecule is found in every living cell and helps generate ATP. NAD is an essential part of the process, but also changes in supply depending on our lifestyle habits and needs.

8. Cellular Respiration

This complicated multi-step process uses ATP, the Citric Acid Cycle, and NAD to continually break down sugar


This complicated multi-step process uses ATP, the Citric Acid Cycle, and NAD to continually break down sugar from our food and drinks and turn them into the energy we need to stay healthy. 


Energy creation begins and ends with our cells. 
Sure, daily exercise is great for that midday boost and sometimes we only have time for a caffeine rush. But if we really desire to feel more energetic throughout the day and for the rest of our lives, we shouldn’t settle for a quick fix. We need to pay attention to the parts of our bodies that create that energy and find better ways of giving them the resources they need to function at their best (so we can too).