What Is NAD+ And Its Health Benefits?

By Dr. Benjamin Busch, DO, MBA

March 4, 2023

What is NAD+?

All cells in the human body contain nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). It’s a fundamental coenzyme or supporting molecule, for your metabolism and central to a majority of biological processes that occur in your body. NAD+ is essential to the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids in your cells as well as contributing significantly to gene expression in age-related diseases. This molecule performs hundreds of functions, including the production of energy and DNA damage repair.

This life-giving “miracle molecule,” which is synthesized from a few amino acids and precursors of a B vitamin, is an essential component in the healthy function of the mitochondria. It performs a number of functions in the human body, including a vital role in:

Cellular energy production (ATP)
Signaling pathways
Resets circadian rhythm
Fatty acid, cholesterol and nucleic acid synthesis
Energy metabolism
Maintains homeostasis in cellular functions
Stimulates stem cells for regeneration and cellular repair.

Why is NAD+ important?

Without NAD, life would cease to exist.

NAD+ is an essential cofactor molecule that shuttles electrons across the reactive landscape inside of all living cells. It regulates biological processes ranging from energy production to repair. We use the term NAD+ because it has a free electron that is ready to react in the antioxidant and redox signaling of every busy cell. NAD+ becomes NADH when it accepts a hydrogen molecule as it participates in a reaction. NADH is rejuvenated back into the active form, NAD+ ready for the next job. This process happens countless times every second.

Your body keeps a natural reserve of NAD+ that’s depleted by stressors and aging. Low levels have been associated with anxiety disorders, accelerated aging, neurodegenerative conditions, loss of longevity and poor overall health.

Regular supplementation with NAD+ helps boost metabolism, reduce pain, encourage DNA repair, and reduce inflammation. Furthermore, replenishing NAD+ levels within your body can help to halt and even reverse the signs of aging, including the damage caused by the sun on our skin.

NAD+ Infusion Therapy

Directly administering NAD+ through an IV delivers the active molecule to your tissues for immediate benefit. Infusions have better results than taking oral supplementation. IV NAD+ is rapidly available to super-charge the mitochondria of your cells. Energetic cells mean more oomph for you. Because NAD+ plays a central role in energy production and so much more, we make it available to add to most of our infusion therapies.

Vivify Enhanced NAD+ Infusion

ViveWell’s Vivify Enhanced NAD+ infusion was designed with additional ingredients to optimize the neurological benefits of NAD+ beyond what typical infusion centers offer. Our carefully researched nutrient blend boosts brain power, memory and executive functions. It protects against DNA damage, improves longevity and supports age-related neurodegeneration, particularly when combined with phosphatidylcholine.

It’s important to have IV NAD+ administered with trained medical staff who have appropriate safeguards, protocols and equipment to ensure excellent results every time.

Prescription NAD+ for home use

Ready to take the miracle molecule home with you? ViveWell offers prescriptions for injectable NAD+ and nasal sprays for daily use. During your provider consultation, we’ll go over your health goals to make sure you’re on the right track.

While there are plenty of commercially available oral supplements that eventually increase NAD+ levels, with absorption and effectiveness dependent upon each individual’s digestion. Injections and intranasal delivery have the benefit of accelerated absorption and quicker benefits.

Benefits of NAD+

Our cells are amazing. They work around-the-clock to keep you and your body running smoothly, but they depend on proper support, nutrition, and fuel to work optimally. NAD+ is responsible for catalyzing over 500 enzymatic reactions in the body, thus playing a key role in regulating nearly all biological functions in the human body. It’s a kind of superfood for your cells, helping them work better, faster and stronger. Given how important NAD+ is for every cell in your body, it’s not surprising that there are so many benefits.

Major benefits of NAD+ include:

Anti-inflammatory properties
Boosted immunity
Coordinated circadian rhythm
DNA repair
Enhanced brain function
Enhanced cellular repair
Improved healing from injury (especially the regeneration of blood vessels)
Increased energy production and utilization
Reduced neuropathic pain

Several of ViveWell’s services incorporate the benefits of NAD+. In addition to making it available as an add-on to our infusion offerings, we create specific treatment protocols around the latest science, tailored to each patient’s unique health landscape.

ViveWell NAD+ infusion services

Anti-aging and reversing neurodegeneration
Autoimmunity and inflammatory conditions
Brain rejuvenation
Chronic pain and fatigue
Mental health support
Metabolic health
Overall health and well-being

Anti-aging and reversing neurodegeneration

Longevity, vitality and health are valuable attributes to enjoying a fulfilling life experience. Many people find that they lose energy and mental clarity as the years pass. Aging causes some parts of the brain to shrink, leading to loss of memory and the ability to accomplish complex mental activities. Why? NAD+ protects your brain from this neurodegeneration but levels of this vital anti-aging nutrient decline with time.

There are several brain benefits of rejuvenating with NAD IV therapy:

Increased concentration and mental clarity
Enhanced memory
Improved hearing and vision
Improved balance
Improved mood

NAD+ protects your brain from neurodegeneration while restoring brain function by providing energy to the brain’s cells and slowing down the aging process. How does NAD+ slow down aging? It helps to lengthen telomeres and protect DNA from the damage that leads to the symptoms of aging. Our Vivify Enhanced NAD+ Brain Rejuvenation Protocol includes a series of infusions with NAD+ and essential nutrients that serve to protect your brain from the effects of aging and helps build cellular resilience against life’s continual stressors.

Book a consultation to begin creating your personalized treatment plan.

Autoimmunity and inflammatory conditions

Many people are suffering from autoimmune diseases that cause pain and discomfort due to chronic inflammation throughout the body. NAD+ therapy has the potential to stop the damaging effects that inflammation causes and builds resilience from autoimmune disease. This natural molecule can alter the immune system and turn what could have been destructive cells into protective cells. Studies also show that NAD+ blocks the pathway that leads to inflammation and can reverse the progression of disease by restoring damaged tissue.

Inflammation can damage your DNA and cause the death of cells. Chronic conditions, like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, and degenerative diseases related to aging have been connected with depleted levels of NAD+. For this reason, clinicians have advised supplementing with nutrients related to vitamin B3 — a precursor of NAD+ — to improve symptoms related to low levels of NAD+. NAD+ replacement therapy may also help repair the damage caused by constant inflammation and protect the body’s cells while repairing DNA damage.

Add NAD+ to many of our healing infusions, or book a consultation to begin uncovering a personalized treatment plan for your chronic health questions.

Brain rejuvenation

NAD+ therapy has the incredible ability to rejuvenate the brain. Neurodegenerative disorders — like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease — that are marked by inflammation, oxidative stress and DNA damage can be treated with NAD+ to reverse these effects. Furthermore, if you’re suffering from brain fog, poor memory and generalized mental fatigue, NAD therapy can help to enhance your cognitive functioning and energize your mental faculties.

Our specialized Brain Rejuvenation Protocol consists of a series of infusions of NAD+ and vital nutrients that protect your brain from the effects of aging, enhances stress resilience and improves overall mental clarity. Book your consultation today to get started.

Chronic pain and fatigue

Pain is an essential biological function of self-preservation. However, this pain can become chronic and cause undue psychological and physical suffering. In fact, more than 20% of the world’s population suffers from chronic pain. This equates to 1.5 billion people who are living with pain. Low levels of NAD+ in the body are associated with chronic pain and fatigue conditions, like fibromyalgia and arthritis and can be treated with supplementation. Sadly, traditional medical interventions rarely are able to resolve chronic pain and people who suffer from it have to depend on pain management as opposed to relief.

However, because of our scientific focus on cellular level oxidative stress, inflammation and evidence-based therapies, we offer enhanced NAD+ protocols along with other leading-edge treatments to offer hope to those who suffer from chronic pain, to rejuvenate the body and restore health.

Mental health support

NAD+ infusions with ketamine provide the necessary coenzymes that help to provide energy and resilience to stress during recovery and healing from chronic mental health disorders or pain. When given in conjunction with ketamine infusions, NAD+ provides a synergistic benefit to ketamine therapy, which already causes the brain to create new neural connections. Adding NAD+ directly increases stem cell production to accelerate the brain tissue regeneration. Let’s get you on the road to a happier and healthier life.

Furthermore, research has shown that raising your NAD+ levels can help to manage and treat addictive behavior, including reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. If you struggle with addiction, consider NAD+ intravenous therapy.

Learn more about mental health support at ViveWell.

Metabolic health

According to the CDC, 1 in 3 adults in the United States have metabolic syndrome. A healthy metabolism is driven by cellular mechanisms that efficiently produce energy from food with the help of NAD+. This coenzyme, or enzyme helper, drives metabolism forward to provide energy to all of our cells and maintain balance in health. Boosting NAD+ levels can improve symptoms related to disordered metabolism, such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.

A healthy metabolism has a direct influence on your ability to lose weight. NAD+ levels are affected by activity levels and eating habits. For this reason, it is important that you eat healthy and exercise regularly. If you are struggling with weight loss, you may be feeling discouraged with the challenge even though you are trying your best to shed the pounds. Sometimes, it is not what you are doing that is the problem, but something that is unbalanced internally. NAD+ levels may drop because of chronic stress or illness despite naturally depleting with age. This can lead to metabolic imbalances and reduced energy levels. Thankfully, if your body has low levels of NAD+, replacement therapy, along with other strategies, can improve how your body functions.

We can enhance your metabolism with enhanced NAD+ therapy in conjunction with our weight management protocol.

Overall health and well-being

Eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep are all lifestyle choices you can make to improve your life. Nonetheless, excessive stress and living in excess can drain your energy and affect your health in negative ways. NAD+ is a natural coenzyme necessary for the healthy functioning of our bodies’ cells with low levels being associated with poor health outcomes. Recent scientific evidence reveals that raising your level of NAD+ enhances the function of major organs, including improving cardiac, kidney, and liver health.

Beyond enhancing organ function, NAD+ has the capacity to increase your resilience to stress while protecting your cells from genetic damage. This is due to its action upon powerful enzymes known as sirtuins — longevity genes that protect your cells against inflammation caused by acute and chronic stress. Living with stress is a natural component of life. However, you can build resilience against stress and support your immune system by maintaining healthy levels of NAD with our enhanced treatment protocols designed to rejuvenate the body and restore health.

NAD therapy is an all-natural, safe, and holistic method of replenishing the body. Many people suffering from chronic immune and fatigue disorders, addiction, and age-related diseases find relief and recovery from this emerging therapy. Our enhanced NAD+ infusion treats the cellular causes of decline by delivering NAD+ with vital nutrients to help rebuild and repair cellular mechanisms.

NAD+ supplementation pricing

Brighten your day, improve your energy and vitality at a cellular level with this amazing coenzyme that works in over 500 body processes.
100 mg of NAD | $50

References

VanLinden, M. R., Skoge, R. H., & Ziegler, M. (2015). Discovery, metabolism and functions of NAD and NADP. The Biochemist, 37(1), 9-13. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/10409238.2015.1028612
Nikiforov, A., Kulikova, V., & Ziegler, M. (2015). The human NAD metabolome: Functions, metabolism and compartmentalization. Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology, 50(4), 284-297. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4673589/
Yuan, X., et al. (2020) NAD+/NADH redox alterations reconfigure metabolism and rejuvenate senescent human mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. Communications Biology, 3(774). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01514-y
Sara Amjad, S., et al. (2021). Role of NAD+ in regulating cellular and metabolic signaling pathways. Molecular Metabolism, 49. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877821000351
Igarashi M., et al. (2019) NAD+supplementation rejuvenates aged gut adult stem cells. Aging Cell, 8(3):e12935. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6516145/
Rajman L, Chwalek K, Sinclair DA. (2018) Therapeutic potential of NAD-boosting molecules: The in vivo evidence. Cell Metabolism, 27(3), 529-547. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6342515/
Haze JJ. Toward an understanding of the rationale for the use of dietary supplementation for chronic pain management: the serotonin model. Cranio. 1991 Oct;9(4):339-43. doi: 10.1080/08869634.1991.11678381. PMID: 1687935. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1687935/
Brigham and Women’s Hospital. (2014, October 7). New pathway discovered regulating autoimmune diseases. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 12, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141007092346.htm
Navas, L.E. & Amancio Carnero. (2021) NAD+ metabolism, stemness, the immune response, and cancer. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 6,(2). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-020-00354-w
Schultz, Michael B. & David A. Sinclair. ( 2017). Why NAD+ during aging: It’s destroyed. Cell Metabolism, 23(6), 965-966. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5088772/
Wang X., He H.-J., Xiong X., Zhou S., Wang W.-W., Feng L., Han R. and Xie C.-L. (2021) NAD+ in Alzheimer’s disease: Molecular mechanisms and systematic therapeutic evidence obtained in vivo. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9(668491). Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.668491/full
Covarrrubia, A.J., Perrone, R., Grozio, A. & Verdin, E. (2021). NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 22, 119-141. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41580-020-00313-x
Sun, C., et. al. (2020). Re‐equilibration of imbalanced NAD metabolism ameliorates the impact of telomere dysfunction, The Embo Journal, 39(21). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7604620/
Rajman, L., Chwalek, K., & David A. Sinclair. (2018) Therapeutic potential of NAD-boosting molecules: the in vivo evidence, Cell Metabolism, 27(3), 529-547. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6342515/
Chini, C. C., Tarragó, M. G., & Chini, E. N. (2017). NAD and the aging process: Role in life, death and everything in between. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 455, 62-74. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5419884/
Sison, S. L., & Ebert, A. D. (2018). Decreased NAD+ in dopaminergic neurons. Aging (Albany NY), 10(4), 526. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5940114/
Blankfield, A. (2013). Article Commentary: Kynurenine Pathway Pathologies: Do Nicotinamide and Other Pathway Co-Factors have a Therapeutic Role in Reduction of Symptom Severity, Including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FM). International Journal of Tryptophan Research, 6, IJTR-S11193. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.4137/IJTR.S11193
Braidy, N., et al. (2019). Role of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and related precursors as therapeutic targets for age-related degenerative diseases: Rationale, biochemistry, pharmacokinetics, and outcomes. Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, 30(2), 251-294. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6277084
Isa, A. S. & Chetty, S. (2022). Physiology and pathophysiology of chronic pain (Part II): how does pain become chronic? South African Journal of Anesthesia and Analgesia, 28(1). Retrieved from https://www.sajaa.co.za/index.php/sajaa/article/view/2497
Ramos, C. S., Thornburg, M., Long, K., Sharma, K., Roth, J., Lacatusu, D., … & Jacobs, R. J. (2022). The therapeutic effects of ketamine in mental health disorders: A narrative review. Cureus, 14(3). Retrieved from https://www.cureus.com/articles/89385-the-therapeutic-effects-of-ketamine-in-mental-health-disorders-a-narrative-review
Corriger, A., & Pickering, G. (2019). Ketamine and depression: a narrative review. Drug Design, Development and Therapy, 13, 3051. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6717708/
Braidy, N., Villalva, M. D., & Sam van Eden. (2020), Sobriety and satiety: Is NAD+ the answer? Antioxidants, 9(5), 425. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7278809/
Feder, A., Parides, M. K., Murrough, J. W., Perez, A. M., Morgan, J. E., Saxena, S., … & Charney, D. S. (2014). Efficacy of intravenous ketamine for treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(6), 681-688. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054358920300405
NIH. (2022, May 22) What is metabolic syndrome? Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/metabolic-syndrome
Connell, N. J., Houtkoope, R., & Patrick Schrauwen. (2019). NAD+ metabolism as a target for metabolic health: have we found the silver bullet? Diabetologia, 62(6), 888–899. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6509089/
Okabe, K., Yaku, K., Tobe, K., & Takashi Nakagawa. (2019). Implications of altered NAD metabolism in metabolic disorders Journal of Biomedical Science, 26(34). Retrieved from https://jbiomedsci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12929-019-0527-8
Katsyuba, E., Mottis, A., Zietak, M., De Franco, F., van der Velpen, V., Gariani, K., … & Auwerx, J. (2018). De novo NAD+ synthesis enhances mitochondrial function and improves health. Nature, 563(7731), 354-359. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6448761/
Modir, S., & Munoz, G. (Eds.). (2018). Integrative Addiction and Recovery. Oxford University Press.
Song, S. B., Park, J. S., Chung, G. J., Lee, I. H., & Hwang, E. S. (2019). Diverse therapeutic efficacies and more diverse mechanisms of nicotinamide. Metabolomics, 15(10), 1-28.
Hong, G., Zheng, D., Zhang, L., Ni, R., Wang, G., Fan, G. C., … & Peng, T. (2018). Administration of nicotinamide riboside prevents oxidative stress and organ injury in sepsis. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 123, 125-137.
Sims, C. A., Labiner, H. E., Shah, S. S., & Baur, J. A. (2021). Longevity pathways in stress resistance: targeting NAD and sirtuins to treat the pathophysiology of hemorrhagic shock. GeroScience, 43 (3), 1217-1228.