What is NAD+ Inject?
NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) is not a peptide but a coenzyme - a cofactor needed in every single cell of your body. It sits in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, drives ATP production and fuels sirtuins and PARP enzymes for DNA repair and anti-aging pathways.
With age the NAD+ level in plasma drops dramatically - often halving by the mid-60s. Injection bypasses the full GI breakdown that makes oral NAD+ precursors so inefficient.
Comparison
NAD+ in different forms
NAD+ and related products, as described in the TPD lexicon. Tap a card to open its entry.
How it works
NAD+ is the central currency of cellular energy. Three main pathways use it:
- Mitochondria: electron transport in the respiratory chain, ATP production.
- Sirtuins (SIRT1-7): longevity enzymes that need NAD+ as cosubstrate.
- PARP enzymes: DNA repair after strand breaks, also NAD+ dependent.
If the NAD+ pool drops, all three pathways suffer simultaneously. Substitution aims to stabilize the level.
Where it acts
Where NAD+ plays a role in studies
Tap a point or a card. Grey = observed, partly with precursors or in animal studies.
- Heart
Pump function after 1 month higher than on placebo (heart failure)7
Observed in trials - Blood plasma
Plasma NAD+ falls with age, breakdown products rise5
Observed in trials - Skin
NAD+ falls with age, in men PARP activity rises at the same time4
Observed in trials - Skeletal muscle (mouse)
The precursor NMN improved mitochondrial metabolism2
Observed in trials - Kidney and urine
More NAD+ and methylnicotinamide in urine after an infusion6
Observed in trials
Known targets3
Compound CHEMBL1234613: three described targets, type of action on each card.
- Gene
- SIRT1
- UniProt
- Q96EB6
- ChEMBL
- CHEMBL4506
- Action
- Needs NAD+ as a cosubstrate and consumes it
- Gene
- PARP1
- UniProt
- P09874
- ChEMBL
- CHEMBL3105
- Action
- Consumes NAD+ when repairing DNA breaks
- Gene
- CD38
- UniProt
- P28907
- ChEMBL
- CHEMBL4660
- Action
- Breaks down NAD+
How to take it
Three application routes in research:
- Subcutaneous: thin insulin needle in the abdomen (keep clear of the area around the navel), the front and the inner side of the thigh or the back of the upper arm, 1x daily. Practical for self-use.
- Intramuscular: in the upper arm, 1x daily. Slightly higher bioavailability than SC.
- Intravenous: clinical setting, often infused over 1-3 hours, 500-1000mg per session.
SC and IM can sting - the sensation fades within seconds.
Dosing
Dosing
Dosing, titration and syringe
Loading the dosing information …
- Getting started and stepping up, drawn as a staircase
- Units on the U-100 syringe for every step
- How long one vial lasts
What the research shows
NAD+ research is the absolute longevity mega-field of the last 10 years:
- Yoshino et al. 2018: NAD+ precursors improve mitochondrial function in aging.
- Mills et al. 2016: twelve months of NMN mitigated age-associated physiological decline in a mouse model (body weight, energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity).
Human data on direct NAD+ injection is smaller than on precursors like NMN and NR. But the mechanism picture is consistent.
Study results
What the trials measured
Interactive: switch tabs, tap points, show or hide arms. Arms are named relative to each other, no dosing advice.
NAD+ in heart failure after infarctions7
180 adults, 7 days of NAD+ or placebo into a vein on top of standard care
Abstract values 45.44 and 42.44 percent, rounded in the chart. Only pump function differed significantly. One hospital in China, registered in the Chinese trial registry.
How long an infusion took8
Mean minutes, review of client records of one clinic, four days each
On NAD+ participants reported moderate to severe gastrointestinal symptoms, a faster pulse and chest pressure, so the infusion ran slower. All symptoms ended with the infusion. Retrospective review, the authors worked for the provider.
Research status
Where the research stands
Registered trials with NAD+ as an injection or infusion. Precursors such as nicotinamide riboside and NMN as well as NAD+ taken orally, as a patch or a nasal spray are not included. As of 26 Oct 2026. 10
- Preclinical Animal models of NAD+ in ageing
- Phase 1 1 trial, 0 completed
- Phase 2 no registered trial
- Phase 3 no registered trial
- Approval not yet
Show all 1 trial on a timelineHide timeline
NCT06919328 · 70 participants (planned), started Oct 2024, primary endpoint planned Apr 2025. Tests several agents.
Bar: start to primary endpoint (planned for running trials). Green = completed, blue = progress until 26 Oct 2026. Phase 1: 1 trial on safety and pharmacokinetics, not shown as bars.
Side effects
- Burning at the injection site - normal, fades quickly.
- Too-rapid dosing up: mild nausea or hot feeling.
- Skin redness at the site for several hours.
Tolerability
Events in the heart failure trial
Out of 100 participants per group, how many had the event over 6 months.
| Event | Placebo | NAD+ into a vein |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attack7 | 1% | 2% |
| Cardiac death7 | 1% | 1% |
| Stroke7 | 0% | 1% |
| Dizziness during infusion7 | 0% | 1% |
Values from the full text (table 3 and results), none of the differences was significant. On placebo there was one case of chest discomfort. Liver and kidney values did not change. In a clinic review NAD+ infusions led to gastrointestinal symptoms, a faster pulse and chest pressure.78
Storage
Store vial dark and cool, ideally in the fridge. NAD+ is light-sensitive, keep original packaging closed.
