NAD+ Supplement Benefits: What the Research Shows
NAD+ has become known for energy, cellular health, healthy aging, So let's reviewwhat NAD+ is, why the body needs it, whether supplementing with its precursors raises it, and what that's been shown to do in real clinical trials.
What Is NAD+ and Why Does the Body Need It?
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme found in every cell in the body. It's central to energy metabolism, helping convert the food you eat into usable cellular energy, and it's a required substrate for enzyme families like sirtuins and PARPs, which are involved in normal cellular maintenance processes. Without adequate NAD+, these basic metabolic functions can't run properly. That's the structure/function role we're talking about here: NAD+ supports normal, everyday cellular energy metabolism, not a treatment for any specific health condition.
Does NAD+ Decline With Age?
It's a common claim, and some research has found lower NAD+ in specific tissues with age, a 2022 study, for instance, reported an association between healthy aging and higher NAD+ in skeletal muscle specifically (Janssens et al., 2022).
How NAD+ Supplements Work:
NAD+ itself isn't well absorbed if you take it directly, so supplements instead use precursor compounds the body converts into NAD+. The two most studied are NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) and NR (nicotinamide riboside). They take slightly different metabolic routes to the same destination.
This article focuses on the broader question: what does supplementing with either precursor do, according to published human trials?
What the Human Research on NAD+ Precursor Supplementation Shows
Nicotinamide Riboside: The Martens et al. Trial
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial gave 30 healthy adults ages 55 to 79 either 500 mg of NR twice daily or placebo for six-week periods (Martens et al., 2018, Nature Communications). Blood NAD+ metabolism rose meaningfully with NR compared to placebo, and the effect was more pronounced in people who started with lower baseline levels. NR was well tolerated: only two of the 30 participants dropped out for side effects, and both cases happened during the placebo phase, not the NR phase. A secondary finding, a modest trend toward lower systolic blood pressure and arterial stiffness, didn't reach statistical significance after correcting for multiple comparisons, so it's a signal for future research rather than a proven effect.
NMN and Muscle Insulin Sensitivity: The Yoshino et al. Trial
A separate randomized, placebo-controlled trial gave 250 mg of NMN daily for 10 weeks to postmenopausal women with prediabetes who were overweight or obese (Yoshino et al., 2021, Science). The researchers measured how efficiently muscle tissue took up glucose in response to insulin, and found a meaningfully greater increase in the NMN group compared to placebo, alongside changes in muscle-related cell signaling. It's an interesting, specific finding in a specific population: this study measured a biomarker of muscle insulin signaling, not a treatment outcome for diabetes or prediabetes, and the study authors themselves said more research is needed before drawing conclusions about diabetes prevention or management.
Safety and Tolerability
Across the trials above, both NMN and NR were consistently well tolerated at the doses studied, with no serious treatment-related adverse events reported and no meaningful impact on standard safety labs like liver and kidney function. As with any supplement, talk to a healthcare provider before starting, especially if you're pregnant, nursing, or managing an existing health condition.
Where We Fit In
We have NAD+ support options built around the ingredients discussed above, including NMN Pro 1000™, which uses Uthever® NMN. You can see our full NAD+ support lineup or browse the NMN collection directly. Our products are third-party tested and manufactured in FDA-registered, GMP-certified facilities, with certificates of analysis available on request.
NAD+ Supplements: Frequently Asked Questions
Do NAD+ supplements actually raise NAD+ levels?
The best-controlled human trials to date, using NR and NMN specifically, show meaningful increases in blood NAD+ metabolism compared to placebo.
Is NMN or NR better for NAD+ supplementation?
Neither has been conclusively shown to outperform the other across the current research. .
Are NAD+ precursor supplements safe?
In the clinical trials reviewed here, both NMN and NR were generally well tolerated at studied doses, with no significant safety signals in short- to medium-term trials, but you should alwayscheck with a healthcare provider before starting, particularly if you're pregnant, nursing, or managing an existing condition.
References:
Martens, C. R., et al. (2018). Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03421-7.
Yoshino, M., et al. (2021). Nicotinamide mononucleotide increases muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic women. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.abe9985.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of oral nicotinamide mononucleotide supplementation safety and metabolism-related outcomes. Nutrients (2026). DOI: 10.3390/nu18142251
Trętowicz, M. M., et al. (2026). Whole-blood NAD+ levels do not reflect healthy ageing. Nature Metabolism.
DOI: 10.1038/s42255-026-01540-w
Janssens, G. E., et al. (2022). Healthy aging and muscle function are positively associated with NAD+ abundance in humans. DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00174-3
Huang, H. (2022). Uthever® NMN clinical study DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2022.851698