Peptide data sheet
NAD+
Longevity · Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide · NAD
Verdict
unprovenThe unproven label reflects a genuine gap: NAD+ is real, essential, and declines with age, and its precursors reliably raise NAD+ blood markers in human studies, but the downstream longevity outcomes people are paying for are not established, and the popular IV route has almost no controlled human data behind it.
Quick answer
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme every cell uses for energy metabolism and DNA-repair signaling. It is not a peptide. It is commonly researched in aging biology because NAD+ levels fall with age, and precursors like NR and NMN are studied for raising it. Human studies confirm precursors lift NAD+ markers, but the real-world longevity benefits people hope for are not established, and it is not FDA-approved as a longevity therapy.
- Class
- Pyridine-nucleotide coenzyme (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) — a small-molecule cofactor, not a peptide
- Half-life
- no single set value; NAD+ turns over rapidly and is continuously recycled inside cells
- FDA status
- Not FDA-approved as a longevity or aging-related therapy. Nicotinamide (a related B3 form) is a recognized nutrient, but NAD+ itself and precursor products sold for longevity are marketed as supplements or for research use, not approved drugs.
- WADA banned?
- No
Which form actually works?
Oral precursors (NR / NMN)
Promising
The best-studied route. Nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) are precursors the body converts toward NAD+, and human studies consistently show they raise NAD+ blood markers. Whether that marker rise turns into the aging, energy, or metabolic outcomes people want is where the evidence thins out.
Intravenous NAD+ (clinic drip)
Unproven
The route wellness clinics sell most aggressively and the one people ask about. Controlled human data on IV NAD+ for longevity is close to absent, infusions are commonly reported as uncomfortable, and cost is high. Popularity here far outruns the evidence.