{"id":488513,"date":"2026-02-20T21:43:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/488513\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T21:43:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:43:14","slug":"can-nad-supplements-really-slow-down-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/488513\/","title":{"rendered":"Can NAD supplements really slow down aging?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"closeupShare on Pinterest<\/a>Is the hype around NAD supplements for longevity justified? Here is what an expert has to say. Image credit: Tar\u0131k K\u0131z\u0131lkaya\/StocksyNicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a molecule derived, among others, from vitamin B3.Recent studies have highlighted the role it plays in maintaining body systems \u2018youthful\u2019, which has led to the suggestion that NAD supplementation could help slow down aging and boost longevity.But how much truth is there behind these claims? Longevity expert \u015eebnem \u00dcnl\u00fci\u015fler weighs in.<\/p>\n

Recent studies on aging have latched onto a \u201cplayer\u201d in longevity that had hitherto received little attention: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD for short.<\/p>\n

NAD<\/a> is a molecule sometimes derived from vitamin B3<\/a>, also known as \u201cniacin,\u201d and it occurs in every living cell of the human body.<\/p>\n

It plays complex roles for health but the latest research \u2014 including a study published in the journal\u00a0Nature Metabolism<\/a> in December 2024 \u2014 emphasizes the role that NAD depletion plays in aging, further suggesting that replenishing NAD stores may help slow down aging<\/a> processes.<\/p>\n

This has raised questions about whether\u00a0NAD+ dietary supplements<\/a>\u00a0could be an effective tool for boosting longevity.<\/p>\n

To find out what roles NAD actually plays in the body, and whether or not supplements could really help in the quest for rejuvenation, Medical News Today quizzed \u015eebnem \u00dcnl\u00fci\u015fler<\/a>, Chief Longevity Officer and genetic engineer at the\u00a0London Regenerative Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is NAD?<\/p>\n

\u201cNicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a central cellular coenzyme required for mitochondrial energy production, DNA repair, and regulation of stress response pathways including sirtuins and PARPs,\u201d \u00dcnl\u00fci\u015fler told us.<\/p>\n

This makes it extremely important for cellular health, given that mitochondria<\/a>, commonly referred to as \u201cthe powerhouses of the cell,\u201d are what provides each cell with energy, and are also crucially involved in cell signalling \u2014 the communication between them \u2014 and eventually cellular death.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, sirtuins<\/a> are proteins that play key roles in inflammation and DNA repair, and PARPs<\/a>, which is short for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases, are similarly involved in the regulation of immune responses and maintaining cellular health.<\/p>\n

What role does NAD play in aging processes?<\/p>\n

Given that NAD is so intricately involved in cellular processes and cellular health, it follows that it is also a key factor in the most basic aspects of aging processes.<\/p>\n

In the body, \u201cNAD+ levels decline with age, and this reduction is associated with impaired mitochondrial function, reduced genomic stability, and increased cellular stress, all of which are linked to biological aging processes,\u201d explained \u00dcnl\u00fci\u015fler.<\/p>\n

But what does this mean in terms of replenishing NAD stores? Is it possible to easily reverse this natural process?<\/p>\n

Can we derive NAD from dietary sources?<\/p>\n

The longevity expert noted that this molecule is not one that we can easily obtain from food, which complicates matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cNAD+ itself is not significantly absorbed from food, but the body synthesizes it from dietary precursors such as tryptophan and vitamin B3 forms including niacin, nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough NAD+ is continuously recycled in the body, aging, inflammation, and metabolic stress can lower its availability,\u201d detailed \u00dcnl\u00fci\u015fler.<\/p>\n

Can NAD+ supplements help slow down biological aging?<\/p>\n

Dietary supplements that are a source of NAD, namely forms of vitamin B3, could indeed help boost the availability of this key molecule in the body, said \u00dcnl\u00fci\u015fler:<\/p>\n

\u201cSupplementation with precursors such as NR [nicotinamide riboside] or NMN [nicotinamide mononucleotide] has been shown to increase NAD+ levels in humans, while intravenous NAD+ is used in some clinical contexts, though long term outcome data remain limited.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, some caveats remain.<\/p>\n

What are the caveats of NAD supplementation?<\/p>\n

There is no \u201cmiracle cure\u201d for aging, and while vitamin B3 supplements can play a positive role in health, we should be wary of treating them as a panacea.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrent evidence indicates that restoring NAD+ levels may support mitochondrial health and metabolic resilience,\u201d said \u00dcnl\u00fci\u015fler.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, there is no definitive clinical evidence that NAD+ supplementation slows aging or extends lifespan in humans,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n

For those who are curious to try it, \u201cit should be considered a metabolic support strategy within a broader longevity framework rather than a standalone anti-aging intervention,\u201d she advised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestIs the hype around NAD supplements for longevity justified? Here is what an expert has to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488514,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[128,49,48,84,8624,395,7340],"class_list":["post-488513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-aging","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-longevity","tag-nutrition","tag-supplements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}