Marketers say NAD+ pills and infusions can boost longevity. What's the evidence?

 I'm doing this, haven't seen any negatives and won't be waiting years for true results to come in. Don't follow me, I'm not medically trained, I just reads lots of abstracts.

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Marketers say NAD+ pills and infusions can boost longevity. What's the evidence?

Scientists carrying out research on the compound nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide — or simply NAD+ — are running into an unusual problem these days: A little too much publicity around their subject of study.

Enthusiasm for NAD+ boosting supplements, injectables and IV infusions has overtaken the wellness and longevity world, attracting A-list celebrities and biohackers — and sparking all manner of claims about its ability to boost energy, combat aging and enhance recovery.

"Initially it was exciting," says Christopher Martens, director of the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research who is leading research in this field. "I think now the cart may be well ahead of the horse."In fact, the market for NAD+ products is booming. This optimism has roots in legitimate science. But does the evidence really support dishing out hundreds or thousands of dollars to pump your body full of this molecule?

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The claim 

NAD+ is often billed as a kind of cure-all — a potent substance that can reverse aging, deliver flawless skin and produce "clean energy." Others tout its benefits for sleep, mental clarity and recovery.

Wellness clinics that market NAD+ therapies are apt to describe it as a "fountain of youth" that works on a cellular level to enliven mitochondria — the energy-producing factories of the cell — and repair our damaged DNA.

The evidence

NAD+ is a crucial molecule that has many functions in the body. It's deeply involved in how our mitochondria produce energy and helps our cells survive and stay healthy, including by repairing our DNA.

The field of longevity research has homed in on NAD+ as a potential therapy because of evidence that our levels decline as we get older, which may also contribute to the risks of age-related diseases, says Dr. Shalender Bhasin, who directs the Boston Pepper Aging Research Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"As a hypothesis, as an idea, it's very attractive," says Bhasin. "But we are still in the early stages of human studies and the health benefits of augmenting NAD+ are yet to be established in large human studies."