The Holy Grail, the Philosopher’s Stone, the Fountain of Youth. Humans have chased immortality for millennia. In 2025, our obsession is alive and well, but the antiaging movement is focused more on scientific fixes than mythological ones. The latest hero ingredient: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD).
If you’ve never heard of NAD before, it skyrocketed in popularity after a 2022 episode of The Kardashians in which Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber were filmed getting NAD intravenous drips together. “I’m gonna NAD for the rest of my life, and I’m never gonna age,” Bieber said in the episode.
No, that’s not exactly how NAD works, but this key player in cellular health is tied to many body-wide health benefits. Research hints that it can support brain health, immunity, skin health, and even chronic disease prevention. But what the heck is it? And how do you actually get more of it? (Spoiler: Not all “NAD” supplements are created equal.) Read on as we traverse the budding (and somewhat convoluted) world of NAD—a front-runner in the regenerative medicine movement.
What is NAD?
For the purposes of this article, we’re focusing on NAD+, the chemical’s oxidized form, which performs many important functions in the body. “NAD+ is a coenzyme that plays a key role in keeping our cells functioning at their best,” says Caroline Thomason, RD, a Washington, D.C.–based registered dietitian.
Essentially, NAD+ works on the microscopic level to help your cells turn food into the energy your body needs to function, and it helps repair DNA to support healthy cellular aging. NAD+ doing its job in your body can support energy levels and exercise and illness recovery; it also provides other specific benefits like improved brain and heart health. (More on those in a bit.) Its role in DNA repair and stem cell activation can also support your body’s ability to repair tissues (like muscles) and control inflammation.
What does NAD+ have to do with aging?
NAD+ is often cited in the context of “mitochondrial health,” a new antiaging buzzword making the rounds on influencer and expert social media feeds. To understand why, we have to make a pit stop in ninth-grade bio class. (A short visit, I promise!)
Your body is made up of billions of tiny cells, each working hard to help you do literally everything—pump your heart, move your legs, remember your to-do list, and digest your lunch. Most types of cells have something called mitochondria, tiny organic power plants whose main job is to make energy to power the cell. Since NAD+ works directly in your mitochondria to help make energy, “NAD+ has direct impacts on mitochondrial function,” explains David Katz, MD, MPH, an expert in lifestyle medicine and nutrition.
The well-being of your mitochondria is believed to impact the aging process. “As we age—and especially during and after menopause—mitochondrial function tends to decline, contributing to fatigue, slower metabolism, and even brain fog,” explains Thomason. Mitochondrial volume (the total number of mitochondria in a cell) also naturally declines as we get older—especially in menopausal women, thanks to decreased estrogen levels—exacerbating those unwanted side effects. (The fewer mitochondria making energy, the less energy you have!)
Why all this slowness, you ask? You can (partly) blame the natural dip in NAD+ levels that comes with aging. “This decline is linked to lower energy, reduced fertility, premature skin aging, and diminished resilience to stress and illness,” says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and award-winning nutrition expert—issues already very familiar to women in the menopausal transition.
Since NAD+ is important to your mitochondria, and since mitochondria in turn are so important to your body and how it ages, experts believe that boosting your NAD+ to support mitochondrial health could help turn back time, no Cher anthem required. “Supplementing the NAD+ pathway has the potential to offset this decline and preserve more youthful energy levels,” Katz says. Other possible perks: reduced inflammation and improved immunity.
What are the other benefits of NAD+?
Along with the antiaging boons outlined above, here is a short list of the potential benefits of NAD+:
- Heart health: The menopausal transition increases heart disease risk, but NAD+ could combat that. In fact, this 2021 review found NAD+ restoration to be protective against heart failure, high blood pressure, and heartbeat irregularities—all cornerstones of heart disease.
- Skin health: “NAD+ supports healthy skin barrier function and cellular repair. Restoring levels may help improve skin elasticity, hydration, and resilience to UV damage and inflammation,” explains Amidor. (You still have to wear sunscreen, though.)
- Immune health: By reducing bodily inflammation, NAD+ appears to boost immune health, as illustrated by studies linking the coenzyme with reduced risk for chronic illnesses like heart disease, prediabetes, and cancer.
How to get it
Yes, NAD+ seems to have a lot of potential, although more research is needed to solidify its theoretical benefits. But actually increasing your levels is a tall order. Unlike many other supplement ingredients, it’s really hard to obtain NAD+ itself from food, says Thomason. Rigorous exercise may also naturally support NAD+ production, but not necessarily in mind-blowing ways.
This is where supplements would come in—but there’s a catch. Despite the presence of many NAD+ supplements on the market, Amidor says you shouldn’t pop straight NAD+ to boost your body’s levels. “It’s a common misunderstanding, but NAD+ itself is not bioavailable and cannot enter the cell directly,” she explains. That’s true with the oral versions and likely also with the intravenous options touted by celebrities, she says. (Sorry to all the IV Beliebers out there!)
Instead, experts say those interested in NAD+ can supplement with a precursor, meaning an ingredient that helps your body make NAD+ on its own. The best currently available option is nicotinamide riboside (NR), which is a form of niacin that has been shown to increase NAD+ levels, says Katz. (Technically, there’s another NAD-boosting supplement, called nicotinamide mononucleotide or NMN, but it’s been excluded from the FDA’s legal definition of a dietary supplement because it was first authorized for investigation as a drug.) That said, research into NR and all the other NAD+ precursors is still ongoing and requires a lot more rigorous human trials. “We are still a ways from a complete understanding of all of the situations in which supplementation is clearly warranted, for what specific outcomes, and at what dose,” says Katz.
If you really want to try a supplement (and your doc has given you the green light), remember: NR, not NAD+. Make sure you’re getting the right type by looking for the words “nicotinamide riboside” on the supplement facts panel. (Words like “support,” “boost,” and “regenerate” can also tip you off that it’s a precursor, but you still should confirm on the panel.) And prioritize products tested by a third party to ensure safety, effectiveness, and purity (since the FDA has limited regulations on dietary supplements). Thorne NiaCel 400 ($70) and Tru Niagen Pro 1,000mg ($116) are two solid but pricey options recommended by the experts in this article.
Intravenous NR is an option, too, says Amidor; very preliminary evidence suggests that it can raise NAD+ levels faster than an NR supplement and with fewer side effects than a NAD+ drip. (We need way more research in humans to be sure, though.) And it’s expensive: A monthly drip can run you upward of $375. Unless you have a lot of expendable income, it’s likely not worth shelling out this much for such tenuous perks.
The net-net is that NAD+ has a lot of exciting potential for health and longevity, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to overall health and antiaging—one that we don’t quite fully understand. And for many of us, the possible benefits of supplementation might not outweigh the cost of these products. Looks like the search for the Fountain of Youth is still ongoing.
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