Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, better known as NAD+, is a vital coenzyme found in every living cell of the human body. Interventions that increase NAD+ may slow aspects of the aging trajectory, making it a popular supplement among celebrities. Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber, Joe Rogan, Kendall Jenner, and Gwyneth Paltrow are among those who have publicly endorsed it as a supplement.
As a medical intervention, NAD+ therapy can offer benefits beyond cosmetic improvements. My own journey from being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis — after suffering from its symptoms for six and a half years — is not only a lesson in the power of NAD+ to treat a potentially life-changing condition. It’s a testament to the limits of mainstream medicine when a patient’s most appropriate solution lies outside the boundaries of prescription drugs.
One Nurse’s Journey
Seven years ago, without warning, I began experiencing a range of symptoms: redness, inflammation, and bad rashes on my hands, joints, and face. Beneath the outward signs, I began experiencing an internal falling sensation like vertigo. An MRI on my neck revealed a bulging cervical spine disk between the C5 and C6 vertebrae. The doctor who read my scans thought I was in a car accident.
That was the first of many incorrect hypotheses I heard from doctors in the years that followed. Some dismissed my skin rash as “mild eczema.” Others suggested Raynaud’s disease, which typically causes numbness in the extremities. Everyone had a different answer; no one seemed to know how I could escape the maze.
In the meantime, I had to work. Eventually, I could no longer open my hands because the swelling was so severe. I lost sensation in my left hand for hours at the beginning of the day — a major problem when your job requires holding a syringe and administering injections. The mental toll of the struggle led to symptoms of depression.
The pivotal day was when a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) diagnosed me with psoriatic arthritis. Within less than two hours of meeting with her, she recommended intravenous NAD+ IV infusions.
About NAD+
NAD+ plays a central role in energy metabolism, cellular repair, gene expression, and healthy aging. Without adequate NAD+, cells cannot efficiently produce energy or maintain normal biological functions. The primary function of NAD+ is to facilitate redox (reduction-oxidation) reactions. It serves as an electron carrier in various metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.
In these processes, NAD+ accepts electrons and becomes NADH, which then helps generate ATP, the body’s main energy currency, inside mitochondria. This makes NAD+ essential for sustaining physical energy, brain function, and overall cellular vitality.
NAD+ levels naturally decline with age. Lower NAD+ levels have been associated with reduced mitochondrial function, increased inflammation, metabolic disorders, and age-related diseases. As my own health journey demonstrates, IV infusions of NAD+ can lead to a variety of sudden changes — in my case, long-overdue relief from the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.
Benefits of NAD+
Autoimmune diseases, such as psoriatic arthritis, are associated with inflammation — the target symptom of NAD+ infusions — and do not discriminate which of the body’s cells are affected.
Although commercial clinics increasingly provide intravenous NAD+, scientific evaluations of their safety and effectiveness are limited.
One retrospective study published in February drew on patient EMRs to show that those who received IV infusions of NAD+ demonstrated a significant reduction in HbA1c and High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) — noteworthy, real-world evidence of infusion tolerability and short-term safety.
Celebrity testimonials have their place, but more scientific rigor is needed to establish the full range of NAD+ benefits for a variety of needs. Its potential extends beyond IV infusions for chronic autoimmune conditions; over-the-counter supplements are a popular delivery method and warrant further study.
Conclusion
Because it’s naturally occurring in the body, NAD+ is not the kind of supplement insurance companies are likely to cover, even though its benefits might be more powerful than prescription medicines. For me, that meant six years of taking Tylenol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat my pain before I was given a proper diagnosis.
I was also prescribed methotrexate (a drug used in higher doses to treat certain types of cancer, or to halt the growth of ectopic pregnancies) in a healthcare facility before a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine prescribed NAD+. What my own story — and the more highly-publicized celebrity testimonials both demonstrate — is that NAD+ therapy shows potential across a range of conditions, but more research is needed to fully understand who benefits most.
