the passing of a metabolic factor from mothers to children in breast milk. One such molecule is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD. This is a critically important coenzyme that can be derived from vitamin B3 (niacin), or the body can make it using the amino acid tryptophan from protein. It is essential to mitochondria for energy production but also plays a role in the maintenance of DNA and epigenetics. Low levels of this enzyme are known to impair mitochondrial function and cause epigenetic changes, and have been associated with aging and many diseases.
