Dozens of researchers from around the world have shared their collective review of the role played by the tiny molecule NAD+ in slowing ageing and protecting against diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
NAD+, often called the “youth molecule”, is the “fuel regulator” of our cells, keeping them functioning properly, repairing damaged DNA, and helping the body produce energy, the researchers explain in their review published in the journal Nature Aging.
As people grow older, NAD+ levels naturally decline, with this drop linked to memory loss, muscle weakness, and many age-related diseases.
“Fine-tuning NAD+ metabolism holds promise for delaying age-related health decline as well as diseases such as premature ageing diseases,” said Jianying Zhang, one of the lead authors of the review. “But to truly unlock its potential, we need to better understand the right doses, long-term safety, and inter-individual variability in response to NAD+ augmentation strategies.”
The review assessed years of clinical trials in which scientists tested ways to increase NAD+ levels, often by giving patients special vitamin-like compounds like nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN).
Multiple clinical trials are also currently underway to test NAD+ precursor molecules like NR and NMN in promoting healthy ageing.
Some early results, the scientists say, are encouraging, with trials reporting improvements in memory, movement and metabolism.
There is also a booming global commercial market of supplements linked to NAD+, sparking debate about its effectiveness and whether many of the promising results seen in animal studies translate to humans.
“NAD+ is fundamental to life, yet there is still confusion and noise in the field about which supplements work best and how they should be used,” said Evandro Fei Fang-Stavem, another author of the review.
“NAD and NADP influence numerous diseases as well as the processes of ageing, and are emerging as targets for clinical intervention.”
Scientists now call for larger and longer-term clinician studies to validate these findings against different conditions.
“Our article consolidates the evidence and provides a scientific roadmap to guide both ongoing research and future clinical use,” Dr Fei Fang-Stavem said.
Researchers say more collaboration and rigorous testing will be crucial to turn this molecule into safe and effective treatments for ageing and age-related diseases.
“We emphasise the need for further large-scale studies to determine optimal dose, administration routes and frequency, as well as long-term safety and inter-individual variability in response,” the researchers wrote.
