There’s Good News and Bad News About NAD+, the Buzziest Wellness Supplement

Reported by Harper's Bazaar.

Somewhere between legitimate biochemistry and IV-drip theater, NAD+ has become the wellness world's most complicated obsession. According to Harper's Bazaar, the molecule — full name nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide — is found in every cell in the body, where it functions as a kind of molecular freight system, shuttling energy from where it's made to where it's needed. It also activates enzymes tied to DNA repair and cellular stress response. The body naturally produces and recycles it, pulling from vitamin B3 and amino acids like tryptophan. The catch: levels start declining as early as your late twenties, driven by accumulated cellular stress, inflammation, and age-related inefficiency in the body's recycling systems.

That decline is what's fueling a gold rush. The NAD IV clinic market — currently valued at around $511 million — is projected to double to more than $1 billion by 2032. Jennifer Aniston, Hailey Bieber, Gwyneth Paltrow, and the Kardashian orbit have all publicly endorsed NAD therapy in some form. Paltrow has called it "an amazing compound for cellular metabolism and repair." When Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber got drips together on camera, they introduced the treatment to an audience that probably hadn't heard of nicotinamide riboside five minutes earlier. This is what a molecule looks like when it graduates from research paper to cultural moment.

The Science Is Real. The Hype Might Not Be.

Here's where it gets complicated. Eric Verdin, physician-scientist and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, is blunt: "All of the clinical trials that have been done in humans have mostly failed. There's really no evidence that they will benefit your health." Andrew Shao, SVP of Niagen Bioscience — a company that makes a branded NR precursor — counters that randomized, placebo-controlled trials showed a 150 percent increase in NAD+ levels after three weeks of supplementation. But Verdin's point stands: raising a biomarker is not the same thing as improving long-term health outcomes. The FDA has not approved NAD therapies for anti-aging or longevity, and most products on the market are sold as dietary supplements, which means zero required proof of effectiveness before they hit shelves or veins.

The delivery method adds another layer. NAD+ itself is too large to enter cells directly and has to be broken down into precursors first — which is why compounds like nicotinamide riboside (NR) are often marketed as more bioavailable. Direct NAD+ IV therapy is notoriously rough: chest tightness, nausea, and cramping are commonly reported side effects. Even NR drips can produce a wave of pressure and tingling. As for what Verdin thinks of the IV clinic boom? "Instagram medicine — pseudo-scientific. I think all these IV shops, as far as I'm concerned, should be shut down." He's a longevity researcher, and he's calling it a lie dressed up in clinical aesthetics.

NAD+ is a real molecule doing real work inside your cells — the science there is solid. Whether injecting or supplementing it actually translates into a longer, healthier life is a question the research hasn't answered yet, and the wellness industry charging you $300 a drip isn't waiting around for the data.

Read the original at Harper's Bazaar.