The truth about NAD supplements and aging |
Your body contains a molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) that helps power your cells, repair your DNA, and regulate your immune system. And you make less of it every year you’re alive.
That fact has turned NAD supplements, typically sold as forms of vitamin B3, into one of the fastest-growing categories in the longevity market. But Şebnem Ünlüişler, Chief Longevity Officer and genetic engineer at the London Regenerative Institute, says the picture is more complicated than supplement labels suggest.
“NAD+ levels decline with age, and this reduction is associated with impaired mitochondrial function, reduced genomic stability, and increased cellular stress,” Ünlüişler told Medical News Today. Your body can rebuild its NAD stores from dietary precursors like tryptophan and vitamin B3 — but you can't simply eat your way to higher levels. Aging, inflammation, and metabolic stress all work against you.
So can a supplement bridge the gap? Ünlüişler says restoring NAD levels "may support mitochondrial health and metabolic resilience," but adds a firm caveat: “There is no definitive clinical evidence that NAD+ supplementation slows aging or extends lifespan in humans.”
Her advice? Think of NAD supplements as one piece of a larger strategy, not a standalone fix.
To learn more about what the latest research says about this supplement, jump to “Longevity: Can NAD supplements really slow down aging?”
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