NAD+ coenzyme

NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a molecule found in every living cell. Think of it as cellular currency—it helps the body convert food into usable energy and also supports repair and stress-response systems. Nature+1

Why beginners should care

If mitochondria are your “power plants,” NAD+ is the tool they use to turn fuel into energy efficiently. Without enough NAD+ (or a healthy NAD+/NADH balance), the system runs less smoothly. PMC+1

Job A: Energy metabolism (classic role)

NAD+ helps shuttle electrons during:

• glycolysis

• the TCA (Krebs) cycle

• fatty acid oxidation

• and ultimately supports ATP production through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Nature+1

Shortcut: NAD+ helps you turn food into energy you can actually use.

Job B: Cell “maintenance mode” (modern role)

NAD+ is also a substrate for enzymes involved in:

• sirtuins (cell stress response, metabolic regulation)

• PARPs (DNA repair)

• enzymes like CD38 that consume NAD+ as part of signaling. PMC+1

Shortcut: NAD+ doesn’t just help make energy—it helps manage damage and adaptation.

Research literature consistently links lower NAD+ status with aging and metabolic stressors (obesity, chronic stress, etc.), partly because NAD+ demand goes up (repair/stress enzymes) and recycling can get less efficient. Nature+1

This is why NAD+ shows up in “longevity” conversations. But keep your feet on the ground: a mechanism is not a miracle.

Your body can produce NAD+ from vitamin B3 family inputs:

• Niacin (nicotinic acid, NA)

• Nicotinamide (NAM)

• Nicotinamide riboside (NR)

• Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)

A major route is the salvage pathway, which recycles NAM back into NAD+, and the enzyme NAMPT is a key rate-limiter in that process. PMC+1

Big idea: Most of the time, your body tries to recycle NAD+ efficiently—especially when lifestyle supports it.

The boring answer that works: exercise

Multiple human studies show exercise upregulates NAMPT and is associated with higher NAD+ metabolism signals in tissues (muscle, immune cells). PMC+2PMC+2

If you do nothing else, do this:

• walk daily

• strength train 2x/week

• keep sleep consistent

That’s the foundation your mitochondria recognize.

Supplements: NR and NMN (what we can say honestly)

• NR (nicotinamide riboside) has human data showing it can increase NAD+ levels (in blood and in some studies even brain NAD+ after an acute dose). Nature+1

• NMN is widely used; regulatory status has been messy, and in late 2025 the FDA signaled NMN may be lawfully marketed as a dietary supplement in the U.S. (still: quality varies by brand). Venable+1

The truth people skip

Raising NAD+ levels ≠ automatically getting younger, leaner, smarter, or more energetic. A lot of “benefits” people promise are not conclusively proven in large, long-term human outcome trials.

If your goal is mitochondrial function and steady energy, start with inputs that support NAD+ recycling and demand:

Daily basics

• Consistent sleep/wake time

• Morning daylight (circadian alignment)

• Protein-forward meals + fewer sugar spikes

• Walking after meals (10 minutes)

• 2x/week strength training (short sessions count)

Optional supplement discussion (educational)

• If considering NR/NMN: prioritize third-party testing, transparent COAs, and avoid brands making disease-treatment claims.