Chronic exposure to acetaldehyde from alcohol, cigarette smoke, auto exhausts, and Candida creates a deficiency of vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, and niacin (resulting in a lack of NAD/NADH). A moderately severe B1 deficiency leads to a group of symptoms characterized by mental confusion, poor memory, poor neuromuscular coordination, and visual disturbances. The coenzyme form of niacin, NAD, is normally recycled continually during cellular energy production. Yet, when NAD helps detoxify AH, this recycling of NAD is blocked, and the alternate form of NAD called “NADH” accumulates, impairing cellular biochemistry in many ways. Thus, chronic AH exposure from Candida will likely produce a functional, niacin/NAD deficiency, but to supplement NAD would seem to exacerbate the NADH buildup.
This partial quotation would seem to give the solution
to NADH buildup: “Treatment of the human
Neverrtheless, heavily processed foods are typically low on many nutrients, and NADH is no exception. Vegetarians tend to be quite low on NADH, since they do not eat meat. Stress, old age, fatigue, and disease will lower our natural supplies of NADH making it an important supplement. A deficiency of NAD/NADH produces fearful feelings, apprehension, suspiciousness, and worrying excessively with a gloomy, downcast, angry, and depressed outlook. NADH has been shown to improve mental and physical health by increasing production of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, benefiting Parkinson’s disease. Dopamine is needed for our short-term memories to work properly, and it is required for good muscle tone. Without enough dopamine in our bodies, our muscles will get stiff and hands may tremor when used (familial tremor). NADH also helps produce another type of neurotransmitter called noradrenaline. This substance makes us feel alert and leads to better concentration. Both dopamine and noradrenaline are chemicals that can raise our spirits, so if either substance is in short supply depression usually results. NADH leads to increased levels of both of these “feel good” neurotransmitters, so it can be helpful in reducing depression.
It is interesting to note that according to two biochemistry books, “Harper’s Biochemistry”, twenty-fourth edition (pg 602) and “Textbook of Biochemistry”, Thomas M Devlin, editor, Third Edition (pg 560), there are three separate paths for the synthesis of NADH. One starts with niacin, another with niacinamide, and a third involves the conversion of tryptophan to NADH catalyzed by vitamin B6. I would thus conclude that the best approach would be to enhance all three paths at the same time. This would involve supplementing with niacin, niacinamide, vitamin B6, and tryptophan at the same time (along with supporting nutrients). I could only guess as to the right distribution between these, but I would expect that by combining them, far less would be needed than the megadoses for niacin (up to 3g/day) or B6 (up to 1.2g/day) that were used by Hoffer (niacin) and Pfeiffer (vitamin B6). It would seem reasonable that adding a significant amount of tryptophan as a supplement to the B6 treatment would greatly enhance the production of NADH.
In this same energy producing circuit is CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10). To ensure the body can make adequate CoQ10, supply adequate tyrosine, pantothenic acid, P5P, and vitamin C. Headaches, insomnia, depression, agitation, and inability to concentrate may also occur unless the vitamin B-complex is supplemented significantly, preferably in its coenzyme form. CoQ10 may need supplementation also for it is usually at barely adequate levels in the diet to begin with (the best form is the oil gel cap. It is three times more bioavailable than the usual forms of CoQ10). Candida produces a harmful toxin, however, its main deleterious effect is avid binding of CoQ10. If fighting Candida, supplement CoQ10. Additionally, you may have normal blood thyroxin levels (T4) even though your basal metabolic rate is low and thyroxin cannot get into cells because of chronic acetaldehyde poisoning, as a result, blood tests are almost always an inaccurate measure of thyroid function with Candida.
Coenzyme A combines with acetate in all cells to form Acetyl Coenzyme A, the active form of Pantothenic Acid, perhaps the most pivotal single biochemical in all cellular biochemistry. Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5) is one of the most critical vitamins for normal brain function. It supports the adrenals and the pancreas, and helps the colon grow the beneficial bacteria. The disulfate form of pantothenic acid, pantethine, bypasses cysteine conjugation and decarboxylation. This might account for some of the clinical benefits seen with pantethine supplementation. (The amino acids methionine and cysteine are utilized in the formation of Coenzyme A, heparin, biotin, glutathione, and lipoic acid, and lipoic acid is required to breakdown pyruvate into Acetyl Coenzyme A.) Both sugar and fat must be transformed into Acetyl Coenzyme A to power the Krebs cycle that produces 90% of all the energy used by every cell in the body, including brain cells. Unfortunately, AH has a strong affinity to combine with Acetyl Coenzyme A suppressing its activity in a dose-dependent fashion. The energy-producing activity of cells falls in parallel with the declining levels of Acetyl Coenzyme A as the concentration of AH increases. Acetyl Coenzyme A is also necessary for the production of acetylcholine, the memory, learning, and concentration neurotransmitter.
Dr. Werbach’s study demonstrated that people with colitis have markedly decreased Coenzyme A activity in the mucosal surface of their colons, even when the blood levels of pantothenic acid are normal. Dr. Atkins concluded, based on his success with these patients, that pantethine bypasses the block in converting pantothenic acid to Coenzyme A. But also, that pantethine is a growth factor for lactobacillus bulgaricus and bifidobacterium that we know help control yeast overgrowth.
By upping levels of a body enzyme, pantethine counteracts brain fog, certain allergic sensitivities, and some consequences of alcoholism. In people with candidiasis, the enzyme fights off a toxic byproduct called acetaldehyde. The pantethine-stimulated enzyme also detoxifies formaldehyde, an all too frequent offender for chemically sensitive individuals.
Acetaldehyde accumulations in tissue are responsible for weakness in muscles, irritation, and pain. Dr. Atkins states, “For all conditions that a doctor might prescribe prednisone—allergies, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, and other autoimmune diseases, pantethine can be safely, effectively substituted. I routinely use it for all of those conditions on hundreds of my patients, and it’s valuable in weaning them off steroidal drugs, or certainly in allowing a lower dose.”
In summary, Dr. Atkins is saying that pantethine, without toxic consequences, can reduce cholesterol, counteract oxidation, stimulate the growth of friendly bacteria, and fight allergies, inflammation, autoimmune disruptions, and alcoholism, however, in long term use, it can drain the system of needed nutrients and adversely affect drug dosage. Of significant benefit would be increased vitamin D supplementation, preferably from two tablespoons of cod-liver oil.
In case you wondered, Dr. Cooter and Dr. Schmtt suggest 300 micrograms of Molybdenum per day in three divided doses, and further suggest staying on it for at least 4 months. Dr. Atkins suggests 450 to 900 milligrams daily of pantethine with an equal amount of pantothenic acid.
There are three major stages of energy-producing metabolism. The first stage is called glycolysis. It is the anaerobic (without oxygen) stage. It degrades glucose (from the blood) into lactic acid, or alcohol, or pyruvate. When the next two, aerobic (oxygenated) stages of metabolism are operating, the anaerobic stage produces pyruvate exclusively which then feeds into the Krebs cycle and the following respiratory chain. The first anaerobic step, glycolysis, produces two ATP molecules (the currency of energy in the cell) per molecule of glucose. The following two aerobic steps produce an additional 36 molecules of ATP. When the aerobic stages are not operating, the primary product is lactic acid and sometimes alcohol, but not pyruvate. Lactic acid buildup and excessive alcohol production are common in ASD. It can be seen that anaerobic metabolism will result in greatly reduced energy available to the cell, and will result in a voracious appetite for glucose just to supply the small amount of energy required for its reduced state of metabolism. This anaerobic metabolism is the process of cancer cell formation. A cancer cell is anaerobic. Toxic metals could be a root cause for genetic damage, causing anaerobic metabolism, and thus cancer. Removing them from the body could help in the prevention of cancer.
Candida converts sugars into ethanol. Unused alcohol converts into acetaldehyde. If you have adequate amounts of glutamine, selenium, niacin, folic acid, B6, B12, iron, and molybdenum, aldehydes continue to be metabolized into acetic acid, which can be excreted, or converted further into acetyl coenzyme A. If these nutrients are in poor supply, aldehydes begin collecting in the body’s tissues. So, when we are fully nourished, Candida furnishes the body with a necessary part of the Krebs energy cycle necessary for the health and maintenance of all cells. When our digestion is unbalanced, we incompletely convert sugars into poisons, and they stay poisons in our human system. When our digestion is balanced, or we give it what it needs in terms of supplements, a potential poison is transformed into a source of energy—aldehyde poison becomes acetyl coenzyme A!