A few weeks ago, I explained what NAD+ is and why it is so important for longevity. Here is the post if you want it. And today I will show you my results.
This NAD+ test was very generously supplied to me free of charge by donotage.org. Also, in partnership with donotage.org, I will do 3 further NAD+ experiments. More about this shortly.
Btw, this NAD+ test is mailed to you; you sacrifice some blood, drip it on a paper, close it up, and mail it back. Should you be interested in testing your own NAD+, you can use coupon code LT151 and get a 10% discount.
The normal range for NAD is 62-160 ug/gHb. I am therefore inside this range, yet at the very bottom.
How does my NAD+ compare to that of other men?
The average NAD+ level of 1,518 men with an average age of 43 (almost my age) in this research study was more than twice as high as my NAD+.
Why?
I don’t know, but I intend to find out. It could have to do with my diet (vegetarian), creatine levels, or testosterone.
Is it good or bad that my NAD+ level is relatively low?
As far as I can tell from the research I have done, it is probably not a good thing. I will therefore try to find out why, and then try to increase my level.
What’s next?
As mentioned above, in partnership with donotage.org, we will do several experiments to try to find out why my NAD+ levels are lower than the average for men of my age. Next week, I will provide more information about these experiments.
For any new readers: I am trying to live to (at least) 151. To get there, I follow 2 main principles:
Live a super-healthy life (based on what science deems positive for longevity)
Measure what’s going on in my body and tune any metrics that are off to become optimal
I also summarize interesting news and stories from the longevity space. And I share everything worth sharing with you.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, I would be very grateful if you gave it a ‘like’ (the ❤️ at the top).
Have a good day,
Johan
Disclaimer: The links to donotage.org are affiliate links. Which means that if you purchase a product after clicking on the link, I may receive a payment.
Here is an overview of all the tests I have taken so far:
Hi Jess. The conversion is quite complex, so I asked chat GPT and grok to do the conversion. Here is grok's answer:
To convert from micrograms per gram of hemoglobin (μg/gHb) to micromoles per liter (μmol/L), you need to account for the substance’s molecular weight, the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood, and the units involved. This type of conversion often comes up in medical or biochemical contexts—like measuring hormones, vitamins, or metabolites relative to hemoglobin and then expressing them in a standard concentration. Let’s break it down step-by-step.
### Step 1: Understand the Units
- **μg/gHb**: Micrograms (μg) of a substance per gram of hemoglobin (gHb). This is a mass-per-mass ratio tied to hemoglobin content.
- **μmol/L**: Micromoles (μmol) of a substance per liter (L) of solution (typically blood or plasma). This is a molar concentration.
### Step 2: Key Factors Needed
1. **Molecular Weight (MW)**: The substance’s molecular weight in grams per mole (g/mol). You need this to convert mass (μg) to moles (μmol).
2. **Hemoglobin Concentration (Hb)**: The hemoglobin level in blood, typically in grams per liter (g/L). Normal ranges are around 120–160 g/L (women) or 130–170 g/L (men), but you’d use a specific value if known.
3. **Unit Conversion**: Adjust from grams of hemoglobin to liters of blood and from micrograms to micromoles.
### Step 3: Conversion Formula
The general process is:
1. Convert μg/gHb to μg/L by multiplying by the hemoglobin concentration (g/L).
2. Convert μg/L to μmol/L by dividing by the molecular weight (g/mol) and adjusting for unit prefixes (μg to μmol).
Formula:
\[
\text{Concentration (μmol/L)} = \frac{\text{Concentration (μg/gHb)} \times \text{Hb (g/L)}}{\text{MW (g/mol)}} \times 1
\]
- The “× 1” is because μg (10⁻⁶ g) to μmol (10⁻⁶ mol) cancels out when dividing by g/mol, simplifying the units.
### Step 4: Example
Let’s say you’re converting a substance with:
- Concentration = 50 μg/gHb
- Molecular Weight = 100 g/mol (e.g., a hypothetical compound)
- Hemoglobin = 150 g/L (a typical value)
1. Convert to μg/L:
\[
50 \, \text{μg/gHb} \times 150 \, \text{g/L} = 7500 \, \text{μg/L}
\]
2. Convert to μmol/L:
\[
\frac{7500 \, \text{μg/L}}{100 \, \text{g/mol}} = 75 \, \text{μmol/L}
\]
### Step 5: Notes
- **Substance-Specific**: You didn’t specify a substance, so I can’t plug in an exact MW. For example, testosterone’s MW is ~288 g/mol, vitamin B12’s is ~1355 g/mol—results vary widely.
- **Hb Variability**: If you know your hemoglobin level (e.g., from a blood test), use it. Otherwise, 140 g/L is a decent average estimate.
- **Context**: If this ties to your earlier questions (e.g., testosterone or sleep-related markers), let me know the substance for precision.
### Quick Answer
To convert:
\[
\text{μmol/L} = \frac{\text{μg/gHb} \times \text{Hb (g/L)}}{\text{MW (g/mol)}}
\]
Plug in your values: the μg/gHb number, the substance’s MW, and your Hb in g/L. Got a specific case in mind? Give me those details, and I’ll run it for you!
How do you convert the units from DoNotAge (ug/gHb) to the units in the research study mentioned (μmol/L). I have a different issue with my results - mine were far too HIGH (I've been supplementing). My level is at 200 ug/gHb (upper normal limit is 160) but they use such a weird unit that I can't find any other research or charts that match this unit to compare with others - and I'm slightly worried that mine is far too high. I'd love to know how to convert to more traditional measurements... - thank you so much!! good luck in your journey!