{"id":5562,"date":"2026-11-10T07:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=5562"},"modified":"2026-10-16T17:46:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T21:46:31","slug":"which-supplements-are-best-for-boosting-nad-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/which-supplements-are-best-for-boosting-nad-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Supplements Are Best For Boosting NAD+ Levels?"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Unexpected Benefit Of NAD+ Boosters<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>NAD+ is required for cellular energy production and hundreds of other essential cellular reactions. \u00a0However, NAD+ levels decrease as we age. And, less than 5% of NAD+ in the blood is taken up by the cell, so we can\u2019t make up for the age-related deficit by supplementing with NAD+.<\/p>\n

Because there are clear benefits of NAD+ for an ageing population and its potential benefits for longevity, NAD+ boosting supplements have become very popular. But which of the NAD+ boosting supplements is best for increasing cellular NAD+ levels?<\/p>\n

There are lots of NAD+ boosters on the market, but the three most popular, and one that isn\u2019t used for this purpose, are shown above.<\/p>\n

When you look at the figure, it is easy to see that each of the molecules circled in red are precursors of NAD+. But let me explain the figure in more detail. The large molecule shown in each panel of the figure is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or NAD+ with the positive charge shown in red.<\/p>\n

Panel A<\/strong> shows nicotinic acid or niacin (abbreviated as NA<\/strong>), a form of vitamin B3. It is found at low levels in most multivitamins and B complex supplements. However, it is not suitable for use as a NAD+ booster because high doses are associated with skin flushing and uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms.<\/p>\n

Panel B<\/strong> shows nicotinamide (abbreviated as NAM<\/strong>) or niacinamide, another form of vitamin B3. This is the form of vitamin B3 used when higher doses are appropriate because it does not have the same side effects as niacin (nicotinamide).<\/p>\n

Panel C<\/strong> shows nicotinamide riboside, abbreviated as NR<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Panel D<\/strong> shows nicotinamide mononucleotide, abbreviated as NMN<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As I said above, there are other NAD+ boosting supplements on the market, but NAM, NR, and NMN are the most popular. There are individual studies suggesting that each of these compounds may be a useful NAD+ booster, but they have never been directly compared in a single human clinical trial.<\/p>\n

The authors of the current study ( S Christen et al, Nature Metabolism, vol 8: 62-73, 2026<\/span><\/a>) decided to fill this void by comparing all three NAD+ precursors under identical conditions in a clinical study.<\/p>\n

How Was This Study Done?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"clinical<\/a>The authors of this study recruited 65 participants (32 men and 33 women) with an average age of 35 years and an average BMI of 21.4 for females and 23.7 for males. In other words, this was a relatively young population at a healthy weight.<\/p>\n

The exclusion criteria for this study included:<\/p>\n