The comedian Andy Kaufman used to lip-sync part of the 1950s "Mighty Mouse" cartoon theme song: "Here I come to save the day!"

Well, another mighty mouse — several, actually — recently made their debut in a study published in the journal Nature, titled "Nicotinamide Riboside Preserves Cardiac Function in a Mouse Model of Dilated Cardiomyopathy."

One day they might save the day, too, for your heart and brain.

Mitochondria, the power plants in each cell of your body, enable every cell's healthy metabolic activity. If they can’t deliver the energy your body needs, various organ systems suffer.

It's now known that as we age those mighty mitos may not get the support they need from a coenzyme called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, shortened to NAD.

But according to that Nature study, boosting NAD by taking its precursor, nicotinamide riboside (a form of niacin or vitamin B-3) may help repower the mitochondria and protect aging organs and the brain.

The researchers reported that mice with heart problems have lower NAD levels — as do humans with heart diseases.

Furthermore, they said that giving mice more nicotinamide riboside improves their heart health by restoring NAD levels.

And even more amazing, once the mice had more fuel for their mitochondria, they became Mightier Mice.

The NAD boost also improved memory impairment, which is very encouraging.