What Is NAD+ and Why Is It Called the Anti-Ageing Molecule?
Written by Laura Woodley, Qualified Naturopath
If you've been paying attention to the longevity and wellness space, you've probably come across NAD+. It's been called "the molecule of youth", featured in research from institutions like Harvard Medical School, and it's gaining serious mainstream attention. But what actually is it, and does the evidence justify the hype?
What is NAD+?
NAD+ stands for Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide. It's a coenzyme found in every living cell in the body, and it plays a central role in energy metabolism — essentially, it's what allows your cells to convert food into energy. Without NAD+, your mitochondria (the cell's energy generators) can't function properly.
Beyond energy, NAD+ is involved in DNA repair, regulating your circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle), and activating proteins called sirtuins, which are strongly linked to healthy ageing and longevity.
Why does NAD+ decline with age?
Here's the problem: NAD+ levels drop significantly as we get older. By the time you're 50, you may have only half the NAD+ levels you had at 20. This decline is associated with many hallmarks of ageing — reduced energy, slower recovery, declining cognitive function, and increased DNA damage accumulation.
It's also depleted by lifestyle factors like poor sleep, alcohol, and chronic stress — so modern life accelerates the decline further.
How to support NAD+ levels
The body makes NAD+ from precursors — particularly Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) and Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN), which are more directly converted to NAD+ than older precursors like niacin. Supporting NAD+ through supplementation with these precursors is currently one of the most actively researched areas in longevity science.
Our Anti-Ageing formula includes NAD+ precursors alongside complementary ingredients to support cellular energy and healthy ageing. As one of our customers, Ben, put it: "The main ingredient I'm interested in is the NAD+, which has gained a lot of promising research over the years — certainly one I plan to continue taking for its apparent anti-aging benefits on a cellular level."
