Glutathione
An antioxidant your body already makes that helps the liver clear waste and helps cells handle everyday chemical stress.
Learn about GlutathioneWellness & vitality
NAD+
Also known as: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
A helper molecule found in every cell that cells use to turn food into energy and to run repair enzymes.
- Type
- Coenzyme
- Full name
- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
- Category
- Wellness & vitality
- FDA status
- Not FDA-approved
Overview
What it is
NAD+ stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It is a coenzyme, which is a helper molecule that enzymes need in order to work. Every cell in your body makes and uses it.
NAD+ is not a peptide or a drug. It is a basic helper molecule that every cell already makes and uses constantly.
Interest grew from two areas of research: sirtuins, a family of enzymes tied to cell repair, and PARP enzymes, which fix damaged DNA. Both consume NAD+ to do their work.
Levels appear to fall with age in several tissues. That finding is what moved NAD+ from biochemistry textbooks into clinics, usually as an infusion or as precursor supplements taken by mouth.
Benefits
What it supports
- Supports how cells produce energy day to day
- Supports focus and mental clarity goals within a provider-led program
- Supports sleep quality, stress recovery, and daily rebound
- Supports metabolic goals alongside the enzymes that handle cell repair
Mechanism
How it works
1
Turning food into usable energy takes a constant handoff of electrons between molecules. NAD+ is the carrier that makes those handoffs possible, which is why it shows up in nearly every energy pathway.
2
It is also the fuel for repair enzymes. Sirtuins and PARP enzymes both spend NAD+ each time they work on damaged DNA or adjust how genes are read.
3
That dual role, energy plus repair, is the reason NAD+ appears in conversations about tiredness, focus, and aging all at once.
4
How much of an infusion actually reaches the inside of cells is still debated. The molecule is large, and some researchers argue precursors taken by mouth are the more direct route.
Context
Who it's for
Adults dealing with brain fog or afternoon slumps who want a provider evaluation first
People whose sleep or stress recovery feels off and who want to understand the cell-energy angle
Adults focused on metabolic goals and the enzymes involved in cell repair
People weighing NAD+ against MOTS-C or SS-31 before a visit
Landscape
In the landscape
How this therapy compares to related options—not a recommendation.
- Glutathione
An antioxidant focused on clearing waste and handling chemical stress. Different job, often discussed alongside NAD+.
- MOTS-C
A peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA that acts as a signal. NAD+ is a helper molecule, not a signal.
Provider-directed
What providers review
- Energy levels, sleep, and what you are hoping to change
- Metabolic and liver lab results where they apply
- Medicines and supplements you take now
- Your health history and any past infusion therapy
For therapies that require medical evaluation, every protocol is designed by a licensed provider.
Suitability for NAD+ is determined by a licensed provider after evaluation.
In this area
Related therapies
Other compounds that support overlapping wellness goals.
MOTS-C
A rare peptide written in the DNA of mitochondria, the parts of the cell that make energy, and studied as a message from them to the rest of the cell.
Learn about MOTS-CSS-31
Elamipretide, a peptide that gathers at the inner wall of mitochondria and binds a fat called cardiolipin that the wall needs to work.
Learn about SS-31Questions
NAD+ FAQ
Good to know
Regulatory & considerations
NAD+ given by infusion or injection is not FDA-approved. That means the FDA has not reviewed it for safety or effectiveness for the uses described here. It is prepared by compounding pharmacies rather than sold as an approved drug, so quality and strength can differ by source.
Therapies that require medical evaluation are sourced from FDA-regulated 503A compounding pharmacies.
For therapies that require medical evaluation, every protocol is designed by a licensed provider.
NAD+ infusions and injections are not FDA-approved. They are prepared by compounding pharmacies, so strength and quality can differ by source.
Infusions given too quickly commonly cause flushing, chest tightness, nausea, and cramping. Slowing the drip is the usual fix, which is one reason it is done under supervision.
Long-term safety data in healthy adults is thin, and the human evidence for anti-aging claims is early.
NAD+ is a coenzyme, not a peptide. It helps enzymes work rather than switching on a receptor.
Shop NAD+
See current pricing and availability for NAD+ in our shop. If a medical evaluation is needed, a licensed provider guides you through it.
Individual results vary. General information on this site is not a substitute for professional medical advice.