NAD+ supplements provide your body with precursors to produce nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD. It’s often encountered as a positively-charged ion, so you’ll also frequently see NAD referred to as NAD+.
This molecule plays a pivotal role in your body’s ability to produce energy and accelerate cellular metabolism, and declining levels of NAD+ are thought to play a role in aging.
NAD+ supplements are hugely popular among people trying to extend their lifespan and improve their quality of life as they age. If you want to be able to sustain high energy levels as you get older, check out our NAD+ supplement rankings
Our advisory panel and our research team rank the best health products and supplements based on performance, label accuracy, and the efficacy of the ingredients in the products.
- Best Overall: TRU Niagen
- Best for older adults: Thorne ResveraCel
- Best sublingual spray: Quicksilver Scientific NAD+ Gold
- Best for immune function: Corllia Liposomal NAD+
- HPN Nutraceuticals NAD3 Fountain of Youth
Research
Rankings
Last updated: November 4, 2022
NAD+ supplements considered: 22
Hours of research: 48
Experts reviewed: 9
Scientific papers referenced: 17
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | 1. TRU Niagen
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Best for older adults  | 2. Thorne ResveraCel
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Best sublingual spray  | 3. Quicksilver Scientific NAD+ Gold
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Best for immune function  | 4. Corllia Liposomal NAD+
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 | 5. HPN Nutraceuticals NAD3 Fountain of Youth
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 | 6. aSquared Nutrition Nicotinamide
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 | 7. Toniiq NMN
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 | 8. Double Wood NMN
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 | 9. Genex Formulas NMN
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 | 10. Biom Pharmaceuticals Sublingual NAD+
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1. TRU Niagen
TRU Niagen delivers a high dose of pure nicotinamide riboside, at 300 mg per vegetarian capsule. If you are laser focused on boosting your NAD+ levels quickly, TRU Niagen is a great choice.
Other than the cellulose that makes up the capsule, nicotinamide riboside is the only ingredient in this NAD supplement, making it a great choice for those who want an NAD+ booster and nothing else.
2. Thorne ResveraCel
If you want to combine the anti-aging effects of NAD+ and resveratrol, Thorne ResveraCel is a great option to consider. With a solid dose of resveratrol, plus nicotinamide riboside and quercetin, it’s a robust all-around anti-aging supplement that doesn’t keep its eye off its main objective, which is boosting cellular function via NAD+.
The dose of nicotinamide riboside and particularly resveratrol aren’t the highest on the market, so if you want maximum efficacy, you might want to opt for a different supplement.
3. Quicksilver Scientific NAD+ Gold
Quicksilver Scientific offers one of the best sublingual delivery NAD+ supplements on the market. While capsule-based NAD+ supplements are more effective at boosting NAD+ levels thanks to their ability to deliver higher doses of more powerful NAD+ precursors, sublingual sprays fill an important niche. For older adults who already take a lot of pills, or who can’t reliably swallow pills, a sublingual spray can be much easier to use or to administer by a caregiver. Quicksilver
Scientific NAD+ Gold uses NMN, or nicotinamide mononucleotide, to boost NAD+. This compound has demonstrated better performance than nicotinamide when it comes to sustaining high NAD+ levels, at least in animal studies, so it’s a good choice for a sublingual spray.
4. Corllia Liposomal NAD+
Corllia takes a slightly different tack with this NAD+ supplement, delivering NAD+ directly instead of supplying precursor compounds.
This strategy works because the NAD+ is bound up with trimethylglycine, a lipid and methyl donor that keeps the NAD+ active.
While this formulation is less well-tested than other forms of NAD+, it’s worth a shot if you’re looking for a quick boost to your NAD+ levels, without having to rely on synthesis of NAD+ inside your body.
5. HPN Nutraceuticals NAD3 Fountain of Youth
NAD3 Fountain of Youth by HPN Nutraceuticals takes a multi-ingredient approach, combining niacin and copper in the ionic compound copper nicotinic acid.
Taking a cue from research showing a higher prevalence of copper deficiency in older adults, all of the NAD+ precursors in this supplement are bound up with copper. NAD3 als includes theacrine, which is a known anti-inflammatory compound, and extract from the wasabi plant.
It’s a good bet if you want to stave off copper deficiency as well as increase NAD+ levels, but nicontinic acid isn’t the top-performing NAD+ booster on the market.
6. aSquared Nutrition Nicotinamide
Nicotinamide is a simple and inexpensive compound related to vitamin B3 that’s a mainstay in many middle of the pack NAD+ supplements, which is fairly representative of where aSquared Nutrition Nicotinamide sits.
It has the added benefit of providing 100 mg of resveratrol, which is a little on the low end of what’s recommended but is likely still adequate to get some antioxidant effects.
7. Toniiq NMN
Toniiq makes one of the best NAD+ supplements that uses nicotinamide mononucleotide as its NAD+ precursor. These ultra-simple capsules provide 150 mg of nicotinamide mononucleotide each, with a few binders and stabilizers as well.
If you know you want nicotinamide mononucleotide it’s a solid choice, but right now the most recent research is indicating that other precursors like nicotinamide riboside might be a better way to go.
8. Double Wood NMN
Double Wood NMN is a pretty standard NAD+ supplement that uses NMN as its source of NAD+ precursors. The supplement design is super clean, though the dosage is middle-of-the-road. The middling dosage and use of NMN means this supplement lands a bit lower in the rankings.
9. Genex Formulas NMN
Genex Formulas is a nicotinamide mononucleotide-based formula, which provides 125 mg of this vitamin B3 derivative in each capsule. Genex Formulas claims that nicotinamide performs best when paired with resveratrol, but puzzlingly, does not actually include any in the supplement.
There are also a few binders and stabilizers included in the capsule. Both of these reasons knock Genex Formulas NMN down in the rankings.
10. Biom Pharmaceuticals Sublingual NAD+
Biom Pharmaceuticals is one of the few companies to provide actual NAD+ in their supplement. Capsule-based supplements can’t do this because NAD+ isn’t bioavailable in the stomach, but Biom Pharmaceuticals is banking on sublingual absorption of NAD+ into your bloodstream.
It’s an interesting idea, but most of the scientific research right now indicates that the most effective way to boost NAD+ is with precursors, not NAD+ itself.
Category winners
Best NAD+ overall: TRU Niagen
TRU Niagen takes our top overall spot thanks to its use of nicotinamide riboside as its source of NAD+, which has extremely high bioavailability. Whether you’re using NAD+ for longevity, cognitive performance, or for boosting your energy levels, TRU Niagen is an excellent all-around pick.
Best NAD+ for cognitive function: TRU Niagen
Our overall winner is also our recommendation for using NAD+ for boosting cognitive function, for two reasons. First, the high dosage and high bioavailability make it a reliable way to boost NAD+ levels quickly. Second, the simple formulation means you don’t have to worry about any extraneous ingredients interacting with other nootropic compounds you are taking.
Best NAD+ for immune function: Corllia Liposomal NAD+
For an NAD+ function to boost immune function and fight infections, Corllia Liposomal NAD+ is a nice choice because it delivers activated NAD+ directly, instead of NAD+ precursors. This property is a handy way to get activated NAD+ into your body quickly without waiting for NAD+ synthesis to kick in inside your body.
Best NAD+ for older adults: Thorne ResveraCel
Thorne ResveraCel provides nicotinamide riboside for NAD+ alongside the powerful antioxidants quercetin, resveratrol, and betaine. This potent combo is great for older adults looking to fight inflammation and oxidative damage, and it doesn’t skimp on the NAD+ dosage even though it has other active ingredients.
Best NAD+ for longevity: TRU Niagen
Longevity is one of the most exciting use-cases for NAD+, and for this purpose TRU Niagen is definitely the way to go. The high-dosage nicotinamide riboside formulation has no extra ingredients to worry about, and is a great choice for augmenting NAD+ levels in your cells.
Best sublingual NAD+ spray: Quicksilver Scientific Liposomal NAD+
Sublingual NAD+ spray is great for older adults who already take a lot of pills or who struggle with swallowing, but is also well-suited for users who need a rapid influx of NAD+ (for example, before a short but intense cognitive task). Quicksilver Scientific is our pick for sublingual sprays thanks to its highly bioactive NMN source of NAD+.
Who should buy NAD+?
NAD+ supplements have potent anti-aging effects, and are best-used for people who want benefits across the range of health factors that aging affects.
Older adults who want to protect themselves from degenerative diseases. Researchers point to evidence indicating that boosting your body’s levels of NAD+ may help protect your brain from degenerative diseases, and might even inhibit some of the harmful effects of cholesterol (1).
Because of this kind of evidence, NAD+ supplements belong squarely in the arena of supplements that are great for older adults, alongside better-known supplements like fish oil, vitamin B12, and eye vitamins.
People who want to preserve cognitive function later in life. The connection between NAD+ and aging comes from the fact that many of the stresses of aging, like DNA damage, oxidation, and inflammation, increase your body’s demand for NAD+.
That includes deterioration in the brain. Research in mice suggests that supplements which can boost NAD+ levels can be protective against many of the hallmark health deteriorations that come along with age, including cognitive decline.
People who want to avoid age-related weight gain and metabolic damage. One study published in Nature Communications in 2016 noted that mice fed a supplement that boosts NAD+ levels were able to resist weight gain, even on a high-fat diet, avoid hearing loss, prevent peripheral nerve damage from diabetes, and even sustain the function of their stem cells as they got older (2).
People who want more energy. NAD+ is a core source of energy for your body, and many people find that an NAD+ supplement is just what they need to clear up brain fog, improve focus, and keep their energy levels strong all day.
All of these findings indicate that NAD+ is one of the most exciting emerging supplements for older adults to look into.
How we ranked
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide isn’t something you can consume effectively in a supplement, but you can take supplements that provide precursors that allow your body to boost NAD production. To this end, we geared our rankings towards supplements that provided ingredients that have been shown to be effective at boosting NAD+ levels inside the body.
Highly effective molecular precursors for NAD+. The precursors we looked for included tryptophan, nicotinamide riboside, nicotinic acid riboside, niacin (also known as vitamin B3), and nicotinamide mononucleotide. As the names suggest, these are all related but different compounds, and all of them can serve as precursors to NAD+ (3).
When formulating our rankings, we required that any NAD+ supplement under consideration have at least one of these NAD+ precursors. We also required that the supplements on our list be primarily focused on boosting NAD+ production in your body.
This didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t have ancillary ingredients with other uses (for example, general-purpose antioxidants), but this did mean that we excluded supplements whose focus was only broadly on anti-aging, or vitamins for older adults that happened to include NAD+-boosting compounds.
Powerful anti-aging dosage. After filtering the candidates to include only those focused on NAD+ production with effective NAD+ precursors, we turned our attention to dosage.
While NAD+ supplementation is a fairly new area of research, there are still a few research papers that indicate what level of dosage is required to achieve substantial boosts in NAD+ levels in the blood.
There’s also some preliminary evidence on safety at different doses of some NAD+ precursors, which we used to target supplements that provided doses of NAD+ precursors that were likely to be both effective and safe.
Synergistic supplement blends and clean supplement design. We then turned our attention to the other ingredients in the supplements. Perks like other antioxidants were nice to have, but the overarching goal in this step was to reward supplements with minimal unnecessary ingredients like binders and fillers.
These supplements with clean, minimalist ingredient design saw a boost in their rankings, while those that were bloated with binders and stabilizers dropped or were eliminated entirely.
Effective method of delivery for rapid NAD+ level elevation. In addition to the ingredients, we also considered the method of delivery. The most effective way to deliver NAD+ supplements is in a capsule, but some people require or prefer a spray or dropper. This method of delivery is called a “sublingual supplement,” meaning below the tongue (which is how you administer it).
Sublingual NAD+ supplements are best-suited for older adults who have trouble swallowing, or who already have to take a lot of pills and capsules. Our top NAD+ supplements were all capsule-based, but we made sure to include a few of the top-performing sublingual sprays in our rankings.
With capsules, we had a slight preference for vegan-friendly cellulose over gelatin capsules, but in most cases the top supplements already were using vegetable-derived cellulose.
Holistic focus on quality. After weighing all of these criteria in our rankings and eliminations, we were left with our final rankings of the best NAD+ supplements on the market. These are your best bet for effectively boosting your body’s NAD+ levels to improve your energy levels and cellular health.
FAQ
Q: What are the most effective NAD+ supplements?
A: Right now, the latest scientific evidence indicates that the best NAD+ supplements are the ones that are based on nicotinamide riboside. This NAD+ precursor is rapidly absorbed, and has been shown to increase NAD+ levels in the blood and the concentration of NAD+ metabolites in the heart.
NMN, or nicotinamide mononucleotide, has shown promise in animal studies, but when it comes to human studies, the best evidence we have right now points towards nicotinamide riboside. That’s why our top-ranked NAD+ supplements, like Elysium Basis and TRU Niagen, are nicotinamide riboside-based.
Q: What is the best sublingual NAD+ supplement?
A: Sublingual, or under the tongue, supplements are an easy way to take NAD+ precursors if you or the person you are caring for can’t or doesn’t like to swallow pills.
We particularly liked the formulation and easy delivery of Quicksilver Scientific NAD+ Gold: the spray bottle was easy to use, and the nicotinamide mononucleotide formulation is likely to be effective.
Sublingual NAD+ supplements are good for the special niche populations, but for most people who take an NAD+ supplement, a capsule-based product is a better fit: you get a more consistent dosage, better value, and you get access to the most effective precursors of NAD+.
Q: Should you take NAD+ in the morning or at night?
A: Based on some of the early pharmacokinetics studies of NAD+, it probably does not matter what time of day you take your NAD+. That’s because your NAD+ levels stay elevated for quite a long time after a single dose of NAD+. A paper published in the journal PLoS ONE 2017 described how one daily dose of the NAD+ supplement nicotinamide riboside was able to sustain consistently high blood NAD+ levels (even though the elimination half-life of NAD+ itself was rather short) (4).
If you feel like you get a boost in NAD+ levels, taking it right away in the morning might be a good idea, but taking it at night is fine, too—safety trials of NAD+ supplements have found no effects on sleep quality (5).
Q: Is NAD+ an anti-aging supplement?
A: NAD+ supplements are definitely anti-aging in the sense of holding the potential to improve the aging-related decline in cellular function: as you get older, metabolic abnormalities become more common, and in aging and deteriorating brains, NAD+ levels are lower.
Boosting NAD+ levels with an NAD+ supplement could be a way to reverse some of these aging-related declines. NAD+ supplements focus on some of the core mechanisms of aging, as opposed to superficial aging treatments like wrinkle cream, which only target a specific manifestation of the aging process (in that case, loss of collagen in the skin).
Q: Is niacin or niacinamide better for NAD+?
A: Both niacin and niacinamide are easily absorbed by your body, and your body can convert niacin into niacinamide. While both of these forms of vitamin B3 have been studied for their potential to boost NAD+ levels, neither of them are the most-researched compounds for increasing NAD+ these days. Instead, much of the focus is now on nicotinamide mononucleotide and especially nicotinamide riboside.
These NAD+ precursors are not only more effective at increasing NAD+ levels, but do not seem to have the same side effect profile of niacin and niacinamide. While niacin and niacinamide are safe at low to moderate levels, higher levels can cause flushing, itching, and nausea. At least according to research so far, nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside appear to have better safety profiles.
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Recap
NAD+ supplements provide your body with the precursors it needs to increase levels of NAD+, a core molecule for cellular energy production and cellular health.
NAD+ supplements are particularly useful for older adults, and may help you control your weight, protect yourself from degenerative damage to your nervous system, and reduce DNA damage and inflammation.
The most effective way to boost your NAD+ levels is with a daily supplement that includes at least 100 mg of nicotinamide riboside, since this precursor to NAD+ has been demonstrated to directly increase NAD+ levels in studies on humans.
Importantly, nicotinamide riboside increases levels of NAD+ and its metabolites in the areas of your body that need it the most, like your heart.
If you want to boost your energy production, improve your resistance to the negative effects of obesity, and possibly even sustain better cognitive function into old age, an NAD+ supplement might be able to help.
For BodyNutrition‘s #1 NAD+ recommendation, click here.
