A lot of people have been interested in NAD+ in the last few years. People who are famous, athletes, biohackers, and regular people who want to be healthier have all said that NAD+ is very important for living a healthy life.
A lot of people want to learn more about this molecule because it plays a big role in how cells work and other things in the body.
Some people have interesting ideas about how NAD+ can make you look and feel younger, but this molecule is also very important for metabolism, which doesn’t get enough credit.
What does NAD+ have to do with metabolism? Is there any scientific proof for this? Do NAD+ supplements help your metabolism work faster?
Let’s get going.
What does NAD+ stand for?
NAD+ is made from the oxidized molecule Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide. All living cells have this coenzyme. It is a coenzyme, which means it helps enzymes work.
It is important for a lot of things that happen in the body, like making energy, fixing DNA, and keeping cells healthy and alive for longer.
NAD+ can also help with stress, inflammation, getting over an illness, and other bad feelings. People like to take it because it helps cells, fights oxidative stress, and fixes DNA. It also hides the signs of aging better.
Working out, eating a healthy diet, and keeping an eye on how much you eat can all help you get more NAD+. Our bodies make NAD+ by themselves.
Getting to Know How Metabolism Works
Metabolism is what your body does to turn the food and drink you eat and drink into energy. Your cells go through both anabolism and catabolism at the same time.
- Catabolism is the process by which your body breaks down larger nutrients, like proteins and carbohydrates, into smaller, easier-to-use forms that your cells can use as energy.
- Anabolism is the opposite, where small molecules change into bigger, more complex ones. Important for getting stronger, healing from injuries, and storing energy.
Your metabolism is always working, which is good for your health. When your metabolism is working well, it uses the energy you give it to help you stay at a healthy weight and help cells grow.
Some people have a metabolism that is naturally slower or faster, but that’s not the only reason they have trouble staying healthy. Your age, how much muscle you have, and how much you work out will all affect your metabolism.
The Science Behind NAD+ and How It Changes Your Metabolism
The steps in metabolic pathways change molecules into things that your body can use to get energy. NAD+ is very important for these processes to work right.
NAD+ is very important for making energy and giving you more energy. This happens because it makes more ATP, which is the molecule that moves energy where it is needed.
The mitochondria are the cells’ powerhouses. They make most of the ATP in your body. NAD+ helps keep mitochondria healthy and moves electrons around.
NAD+ is also involved in other metabolic pathways, like:
- Glycolysis: This turns sugars into energy. A study from 2020 showed that NAD plays a very important role in this metabolic pathway.
- The Krebs cycle is a series of reactions that happen in the mitochondria to produce energy. NAD+ helps by taking in electrons and turning into NADH, which is NAD that has lost some of its electrons. This NADH then moves electrons to help make ATP.
This and other studies from 2021 have shown that NAD+ may help the body use energy more efficiently. People with diabetes and other metabolic disorders may benefit from getting more of it.
Age and Levels of NAD+
Sadly, as people get older, their bodies start to slow down. Scientists say that as you get older, your NAD+ levels drop because this happens in your cells.
This decline seems to start after you turn 30 and get worse quickly after you turn 40 and beyond. This decline seems to be happening because of the normal wear and tear of life. Cells need NAD+ to do a lot of things. Many other enzymes, such as PARPS, CD38, and SARM1, are using up more and more NAD to keep your body running.
These enzymes stop NAMPT from working, which is necessary for your body to make NAD. As you get older, this changes how your body works. When NAD synthesis stops working, your levels of NAD also go down. This will hurt your mitochondria’s health and slow down your resting metabolic rate. This means that your body won’t be able to turn the food you eat into energy as quickly if you don’t move around.
All of these things, along with the fact that people tend to be less active and lose muscle as they get older, make their metabolism slow down.
Can NAD+ make metabolism go faster?
Researchers are still in the early stages of looking into the benefits of NAD+ because it is only now becoming more well-known.
Some studies seem to support the idea that NAD+ could boost your metabolism, which is a good thing. A study from 2015 found that NAD+ might help the body use energy differently and make it easier for the body to get the energy it needs. A different study from 2021 found that low NAD+ levels can make it hard for the body to break down food.
According to this study from 2025, both supplements and hard exercise may help NAD+ metabolism.
Raising NAD+ levels may be a good way to speed up metabolism, especially in older people.
Many studies, including these, show that NAD+ is very important for many metabolic processes. We hope that the recommendations for NAD+ treatment will become clearer as more research is done and more people are included.
Scientists learn more about NAD+ and how it affects metabolism every day.
More NAD+ in your body might help it work better. You might feel better and reach your physical and mental peak if you eat well, exercise, and take supplements.
Before you start taking supplements, you should talk to a doctor to make sure you’re doing it right.
There are a lot of safe, scientifically proven products at our store, nadpluspens, that can help your skin, give you more energy, and ease your pain.