Photo by Rebecca Morales
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme lighting up the wellness world, popping up in everything from supplements to skincare products. It plays a crucial role in cellular metabolism, energy production, and other biological processes.
While you can get it naturally through such foods as beef, eggs, and salmon, many have turned to professional help to unlock its benefits. Daniela Ezratty, MSN, ACNP-BC, is the owner of Virginia-Highland–based medical aesthetics and wellness practice Ezratty Integrative Aesthetics. She’s prescribed NAD+ to her patients for over five years.
Photo by Rebecca Morales
Ezratty says to imagine your body is a car, and NAD+ is the battery that keeps it running smoothly. “Without it, your engine (cells) wouldn’t have the power to function and eventually things would start breaking down,” she says. “By the time you hit 40, your NAD+ levels have dropped by nearly 50 percent.” She says this can leave you feeling sluggish and foggy and can potentially speed up the aging process.
NAD+ has a long list of benefits: It boosts collagen, reduces wrinkles, enhances hydration, boosts energy, improves memory, activates anti-aging enzymes, supports immune health, and boosts metabolism. It can also help with muscle fatigue, chronic inflammation, anxiety and stress, improved sleep cycles, and increased dopamine levels. Ezratty even says it works just as well for weight loss and fat burning.
Besides eating certain foods, you can get the coenzyme orally, subcutaneously, or intravenously. “NAD+ is not as easily absorbed when taken orally, such as in a supplement,” Ezratty explains, although those under 30 might be successful if they can stay consistent and take it daily.
She prefers to give her patients IV NAD+ therapy, which bypasses digestion and enters the bloodstream immediately. The protocol is three to five initial IVs spaced a week apart, and then quarterly thereafter.
“It’s the most potent method for rapidly increasing NAD+ levels,” she says, noting that it is more expensive and time-consuming than other methods and does require professional administration. Anyone who is an active cancer patient, pregnant, breastfeeding, or who has severe cardiac disease is likely not a candidate for NAD+ therapy, but speak to a medical professional first.
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