Energy conversion
NAD+ picks up electrons from the food you’ve eaten and delivers them to the mitochondria, where they’re used to make ATP.[3]
SCIENCE · EXPLAINER
What is NAD+? The molecule your cells can’t make energy without
NAD+ stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It’s a coenzyme — a molecule that enzymes need in order to work — and it is present in every living cell, from yeast to you.
If a cell were a factory, NAD+ would be the worker who carries parts between stations. Without it, the line that turns food into energy stops, and so do several maintenance crews.
What NAD+ does in your body
DNA maintenance
Enzymes called PARPs use NAD+ when they respond to damage in DNA. They consume it in the process, which is one reason NAD+ demand is constant.[3]
Cell signaling
Sirtuins — proteins involved in how cells respond to stress and regulate metabolism — only work when NAD+ is available.[3]
Why NAD+ levels tend to decline with age.
More demand.
Enzymes that consume NAD+, such as CD38, become more active over time. [5]
Less recycling.
The body’s ability to recycle NAD+ appears to slow. [5]
Direction: down.
Studies in human tissue report lower NAD+ levels with age in liver, muscle, and skin. [5]
age →
age →Conceptual: direction only, not measured values. Source: McReynolds MR et al., Experimental Gerontology, 2020.
You’ll see specific percentages online, like “NAD+ drops 50% by 50.” We don’t repeat them. The measured decline varies widely by tissue and method, and blood NAD+ levels are an imperfect marker. What’s consistent across studies is the direction: down.
So what is an NAD+ supplement,
exactly?
Precursors, not NAD+
NAD+ is poorly absorbed when swallowed, so most supplements use precursors your cells convert into NAD+.
NR or NMN
The two most common precursors. NR has the longer human research record; recent comparisons suggest they perform similarly.[11]
500 mg of NR
The precursor and dose in Lujevit, within the range used in clinical trials.[1][2]
Other delivery routes
Liposomal, patch, and IV NAD+ have thinner evidence and different price points.
What the research shows and what it doesn’t yet
Raising NAD+ with oral NR is well established: randomized, placebo-controlled trials in adults show that 500–1,000 mg per day increases blood NAD+ metabolites and is well tolerated.[1][2]
What’s still unclear is how much that affects how you feel and function. Trials measuring blood pressure, metabolism, or physical performance have produced mixed results.[10] NAD+ precursors deliver on the mechanism. The rest is still an active area of research.
How Lujevit approaches NAD+
Lujevit starts with 500 mg of nicotinamide riboside per serving and adds five compounds chosen for the systems NAD+ works with: CoQ10, quercetin phytosome, trans-resveratrol, pterostilbene and spermidine.* One serving, two capsules, with breakfast.
See the full formula
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Common questions
about NAD+
References [1][2][3][5][10][11] — see the list on the Science page.
