TO PUT IT lightly, the supplement world is confusing. Take a walk down the vitamin aisle at the store, and you’ll find endless letters, numbers, and symbols plastered on the bottles without much description, leaving you googling acronyms like BCAAs and CBD. Another mysterious letter combo is rising in popularity: NAD+.
NAD+ supplements jumped to the top of feeds after HaiIey Bieber and Kendall Jenner praised its benefits while getting a NAD-inflused IV drip on an episode of The Kardashians. “I’m going to NAD for the rest of my life and I’m never going to age,” Bieber said.
Are the supermodels onto something? Dietitians explain.
What is NAD+?
To understand what this substance is, we need to channel back into high school chemistry (and physiology).
NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is an important coenzyme that is in every cell in our body. A coenzyme is a compound that latches to large enzymes, which are bundles of proteins that carry out chemical reactions in the body (you can thank enzymes for your breathing, liver function, digestion, and much more). It’s converted from vitamin B3 and tryptophan.
“NAD comes in two forms—NAD+ is the oxidized version which means it lost an electron; this is different from the NADH form (which has an extra electron),” says Halperin. Both versions of the compound are required for several metabolic processes, but work on different chemical reactions, including cellular energy production.
What foods have NAD+?
While no foods have NAD+ specifically, there are foods that contain the precursors to the substance, Halperin says. Tryptophan and vitamin B3 are converted into NAD+ through chemical reactions in the body.
Foods that contain tryptophan and vitamin B3 include turkey, beef, chicken, dairy, fruits, vegetables like avocado, mushrooms, green peas, peppers, and whole grains.
What are the health benefits of NAD+ supplements?
The most touted benefit of NAD+ is its benefit of anti-aging.
Since NAD+ levels commonly decrease with age, its theorized that NAD+ supplements can slow the effects of aging. As of now, there’s no scientific evidence to support this thought, Halperin says.
A handful of small studies tried to investigate the effects of NAD+ supplements on animals with aging-related conditions, like Alzheimer’s, cognitive decline, Parkinson’s, and glaucoma, and have shown mild success. However, there’s no reason to assume these results will be replicated in human studies.
“NAD+ is not currently recommended for any of these conditions,” Halperin says.
What risks are associated with NAD+ supplements?
Side effects associated with NAD+ supplementation include itching, liver damage, nausea, headache, leg cramps and low platelet levels, Halperin says.
Those with liver conditions, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome, cirrhosis, or liver disease, should not take the supplement. There’s also not enough research to indicate if it’s safe to take for those undergoing cancer treatments. The substance also interacts with several medications, including insulin and antidepressants, as well as other supplements.
“It’s also important to avoid using NAD+ supplements if you have a known allergy to it or its ingredients,” she says.
Do you really need an NAD+ supplement?
In case it wasn’t already clear: no.
Very little is know about supplementation of NAD+ and it’s effects. We don’t even know enough about it to determine a safe dosage level.
“Since large scale human trials for NAD+ are lacking, optimal dosing and duration for supplementation has not yet been established,” Halperin says.
But, if you’re really itching to try it for some reason, talk to your doctor first. There’s a lot that’s still not known about NAD+, its side effects, and safe dosages—so it’s best to take it with under doctor supervision.
