10 Ways to Increase Your NAD+ Levels

Aging isn’t only about getting older. It’s also about your cells running out of key resources.

One of these resources is NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a molecule that powers cellular energy production and DNA repair processes. As we age, our NAD+ levels can decrease by up to 50%, which accelerates age-related health issues.

But there’s good news. Science has found ways to increase NAD+ levels.

This complete guide gives you 10 simple, research-backed strategies to boost your NAD+ and and keep your body resilient as you age.

What is NAD+ and Why Does it Matter?

NAD+ serves as the critical energy currency for your cells. It’s a molecule that powers virtually all the metabolic processes throughout your body.

Your cells use NAD+ to:

• Power mitochondria, your cellular energy generators
• Repair DNA damage before mutations can form
• Control gene activity through sirtuins, proteins associated with longer life
• Direct stress responses that defend cells
• Maintain communication between cells and organs

As we age, our bodies experience a steady drop in cellular and tissue NAD+ levels. This drop in NAD+ is directly connected to many diseases associated with aging, such as cognitive decline, cancer, metabolic disorders, muscle loss (sarcopenia), and overall frailty¹.

What Causes NAD+ Levels to Drop?

NAD+ levels naturally decrease with age, but certain lifestyle habits significantly increase the demand for it, speeding up its depletion:

• Aging: This is the primary driver. As years pass, our bodies naturally become less efficient at producing and recycling NAD+.
• Alcohol: Your body needs NAD+ to process alcohol, leaving less available for normal repairs. Even a few drinks can temporarily reduce your NAD+ levels.
• Overeating: When you consume excess calories, your body uses more NAD+ for metabolism.
• Chronic stress: When you’re stressed for long periods, your body activates repair systems that use up NAD+ to fix DNA damage.
• Poor sleep: Poor sleep disrupts your body’s natural daily cycles that regulate NAD+. 
• UV exposure: Excessive sunlight exposure damages skin cells, triggering repair processes that consume lots of NAD+.
• Inflammatory diets: Processed foods, refined sugars, and certain cooking oils can cause inflammation and cell damage, using up NAD+ during repairs.

Being aware of these factors can help you make changes to maintain your body’s natural NAD+ production.

10 Ways to Increase Your Body’s NAD+ Levels

Here are ten science-backed ways to increase NAD levels, combining natural approaches with effective dietary supplements.

Important Note: Before making significant changes to your diet, exercise routine, or adding supplements, always consult with a healthcare professional. They can help you create a safe and effective plan tailored to your individual needs, supporting your cellular health and longevity journey.

1. Exercise Regularly

Exercise is one of the most powerful natural ways to boost NAD+ levels.

HIIT workouts are especially good at boosting NAD+ levels². Regular moderate activities like walking, biking, or swimming also help maintain healthy NAD+ levels³.

Your muscles store large amounts of NAD+, so strength training is helpful. Studies show aerobic exercise is approximately 9% more effective at increasing NAMPT⁴, which is the key enzyme that produces NAD+.

For maximum NAD+ benefits, try:

• Strength training: 3 times weekly
• Aerobic exercise: 30-45 minutes, 4-5 times weekly
• HIIT: 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times weekly
• Regular movement throughout each day

Remember that consistency is more important than intensity. Regular moderate exercise gives better long term NAD+ support than occasional hard workouts.

2. Focus on Diet and Nutrition

Several foods can increase NAD+ metabolism by providing building blocks and supporting its production:

• Vitamin B3 Sources: Foods rich in B3 (niacin, niacinamide, or nicotinamide riboside) directly support NAD+ production. These include milk, fish, turkey, mushrooms, green vegetables, and whole grains.
• Tryptophan-Rich Foods: Tryptophan can be converted to NAD+ in the body. Good sources include milk, turkey, fish, eggs, and nuts.
• Polyphenol Foods: Resveratrol found in red grapes, blueberries, and dark chocolate activates sirtuins and may increase mitochondrial NAD+⁵. Quercetin in apples, onions, and green tea helps block CD38, an enzyme that uses up NAD+.
• Diet Recommendations: Limiting processed foods and refined sugars helps maintain NAD+ levels because high sugar intake increases NAD+ demand. The Mediterranean diet with its fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and moderate protein appears especially good for NAD+ metabolism as we age.

3. Practice Fasting and Calorie Restriction

When you eat might matter as much as what you eat for NAD+ levels. Time-restricted eating patterns create metabolic conditions that naturally elevate NAD+ levels.

Fasting activates AMPK, your cellular "starvation sensor," which increases NAD+ by:

• Boosting the NAMPT enzyme that recycles NAD+⁶
• Shifting metabolism from carbohydrate to fat burning⁷, improving the NAD+/NADH ratio

This change is important because excess NADH can prevent NAD+ enzymes like sirtuins from working properly⁸.

Several fasting methods can boost NAD+ effectively:

• 16:8 Pattern: Eat all meals within an 8-hour window daily (usually skip breakfast, have a late lunch and early dinner)
• 5:2 Pattern: Eat normally five days a week while cutting calories by 75% for two non-consecutive days
• Prolonged Fasting: Do occasional 48+ hour fasts (typically once a month)

4. Supplement with NAD+ Precursors

Taking NAD+ precursor supplements offers a straightforward way to increase cellular NAD+ levels. This becomes more important as we age since our natural production decreases.

Research strongly supports three main precursors:

• Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN): NMN converts to NAD+ in just one enzyme step. Clinical research found that taking a daily NMN dosage between 300-900mg increased blood NAD+ levels, with 600mg giving the best results⁹. Participants showed better physical performance and improved health without any safety concerns.
• Nicotinamide Riboside (NR): NR is a smaller molecule than NMN and enters cells through specific carriers. Human studies have confirmed that NR safely increases NAD+ levels when taken at doses between 250 and 1000mg daily¹⁰.
• Niacin (Nicotinic Acid): Niacin is vitamin B3 and the most affordable NAD+ precursor. Research published in Cell Metabolism in 2020 showed that niacin supplements increased blood NAD+ levels up to 8 times¹¹, potentially helping conditions linked to low NAD+.

Always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement.

5. Manage Daily Stress

Chronic stress increases body inflammation, which quickly depletes NAD+. During inflammatory responses, immune cells produce more CD38, an enzyme that breaks down NAD+¹².

Stress hormones like cortisol also alter metabolic pathways, disrupting the balance between NAD+ production and consumption.

Stress management techniques help maintain NAD+ levels:

• Mindfulness meditation reduces inflammation markers connected to NAD+ depletion
• Deep breathing exercises activate the "rest-and-digest" nervous system, lowering stress hormone production
• Social connections reduce biological stress markers that deplete NAD+
• Time outdoors lowers stress hormones and inflammation markers

6. Use Saunas and Cold Therapy

Heat and cold exposure can raise NAD+ levels through specific processes in your cells.

When you take a sauna, the high temperature activates special heat shock proteins that repair cell damage. These proteins trigger enzymes that produce NAD+ directly¹³ and even protect your heart¹⁴.

Cold exposure works differently. It activates brown fat, a type of fat that burns energy instead of storing it. This process increases NAD+ by stimulating the NAMPT enzyme¹⁵.

For maximum benefits, try:

• Traditional sauna sessions (170 to 190°F) for 15 to 20 minutes
• Infrared sauna sessions (120 to 140°F) for 20 to 30 minutes
• Hot baths (104 to 108°F) for 20 minutes if saunas are not available
• Cold showers (50 to 60°F) for 1 to 3 minutes or ice baths (50 to 59°F) for 2 to 5 minutes

7. Try a Ketogenic Diet

Ketogenic diets can increase NAD+ levels through key metabolic changes. These low carb, high fat diets make your body burn fat instead of glucose, producing ketones for fuel.

This metabolic shift increases the NAD+/NADH ratio in your cells¹⁶. When you eat fewer carbs, your body makes less NADH during glycolysis. This leaves more NAD+ available for important cell functions like sirtuin activation and DNA repair.

If you want to try ketogenic approaches for NAD+ benefits without completely changing your diet, consider these options:

• Short ketogenic periods (1-2 weeks every three months)
• Cyclical ketogenic eating (5 keto days, 2 moderate carb days)
• Ketone supplements with lower carb intake

Remember that long term strict ketogenic diets can be difficult for many people. Cyclical approaches might be more sustainable for improving NAD+ levels.

8. Optimize Your Sleep

NAD+ levels rise and fall with sleep patterns, showing a strong relationship between sleep habits and NAD+ function¹⁷.

Sleep allows your body to repair itself, a process that relies heavily on NAD+. Research shows that your circadian rhythm directly influences NAD+ levels¹⁸.

To preserve NAD+ levels and optimize natural rhythms:

• Keep regular sleep hours to synchronize NAD+ production
• Get sunlight in the morning to reset your body clock that affects NAD+ creation
• Reduce blue light exposure at night to protect melatonin and NAD+ cycles
• Schedule meals earlier since late night eating disrupts NAD+ metabolism

9. Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol severely lowers NAD+ levels in your body, particularly when blood alcohol levels are high or during excessive drinking episodes¹⁹. Your body needs NAD+ to process alcohol, which changes it into NADH and disrupts the balance between these important molecules.

When NAD+ levels fall, your cells struggle to produce energy, fix damaged DNA, regulate genes, and combat oxidative stress. This can cause liver problems and other alcohol related health complications.

Limiting or avoiding alcohol helps preserve your body's NAD+ supply, leading to better cellular function and improved health overall.

10. Practice Sun Safety

UV radiation quickly reduces NAD+ levels in skin cells, with noticeable drops just one hour after exposure²⁰. This creates a cellular competition as UV damage activates both NAD+ production and consumption processes at the same time.

Studies show that when protective substances are added after UV exposure, cells can quickly restore NAD+ levels within minutes²¹. This shows how the body can replenish this important molecule with proper support.

To maintain NAD+ levels:

• Use quality sunscreen (zinc oxide with SPF 30 or higher is effective)
• Wear sun protective clothing
• Avoid direct sunlight during peak hours

These basic protective steps help preserve higher NAD+ levels, supporting cellular energy production, DNA repair, and overall health.

Your Blueprint for Boosting NAD+

While NAD+ has promising health benefits, optimizing your body's NAD+ levels isn't about finding a single magic bullet, it's about building a holistic strategy. 

While individual actions help, combining positive lifestyle changes often yields the best results. Think of it like this:

• Fuel Wisely: Eat a diet rich in NAD+ precursors and consider supplementation.
• Move Regularly: Engage in consistent exercise.
• Consider Timing: Explore intermittent fasting or caloric restriction (if appropriate for you).
• Manage Stress and Sleep: Prioritize effective stress reduction and adequate rest.
• Limit Drainers: Reduce alcohol intake and avoid excessive sun exposure.

Even small, consistent efforts in these areas can work together, creating a powerful synergistic effect that enhances NAD+ production and use.

Remember, your ideal approach depends on factors like your age (as NAD+ naturally declines over time), current health, and specific goals. Always consult healthcare professionals before making significant diet, exercise, or supplement changes.

FAQs

Are There Any Side Effects to Increasing NAD+ Levels?

Most NAD+ boosting methods are safe when done correctly. However, potential side effects can include:

• Mild digestive discomfort with supplements
• Temporary fatigue during initial lifestyle changes
• Potential interactions with existing medications

Always consult a healthcare professional, especially if you:

• Have pre-existing health conditions
• Are taking prescription medications
• Have a history of metabolic disorders

Can Young People Benefit from NAD+ Optimization?

Younger individuals typically have higher natural NAD+ levels, so focus on preventative strategies like:

• Consistent exercise
• Balanced nutrition
• Stress management
• Adequate sleep

Is There a Way to Test My NAD+ Levels?

Unlike common health markers, NAD+ isn't measured in standard blood tests. Specialized intracellular NAD testing reveals actual cellular NAD+ concentrations, showing whether your supplements and lifestyle changes work. 

Jinfiniti's Intracellular NAD Test provides this data, helping optimize your strategy with confidence. Testing before and after starting supplements confirms you're getting results from your investment.

Can I Overdo NAD+ Boosting?

Like many biological processes, NAD+ follows a principle of balance:

Potential risks of excessive NAD+ boosting:

• Metabolic imbalances
• Potential interference with natural cellular processes
• Unnecessary financial strain from over-supplementation

Recommended approach:

• Start with lifestyle modifications
• Introduce supplements gradually
• Test your NAD+ levels periodically
• Monitor your body's response
• Work with a healthcare professional to find your optimal strategy

What Other Supplements Might Support NAD levels?

Beyond the main NAD+ boosters, these supplements may help support NAD+ levels in your body:

• Resveratrol: Found in red grapes, resveratrol activates SIRT1, an enzyme powered by NAD+. Taking 100-500mg daily may help your body use NAD+ more efficiently.
• Quercetin: This plant compound blocks CD38, which normally breaks down NAD+. Taking 500-1000mg daily might help preserve your NAD+ levels.
• Apigenin: Present in parsley and chamomile tea, this blocks PARP1 (an enzyme that depletes NAD+). A typical dose is 50-100mg daily.
• TMG: When taking NAD+ precursors, methylation pathways can become unbalanced. TMG (500-1000mg daily) helps maintain this balance.
• Zinc: NAD+ production requires zinc. Since many adults have low zinc levels, adding 15-30mg daily can support NAD+ synthesis.

As always, consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplements.

Does Gut Health Impact NAD+?

An interesting finding from 2024 research shows gut bacteria may play a role in how our bodies process NAD+²². Basically, when you take NAD+ supplements orally, they undergo major changes through the gut microbiome.

For those taking NAD+ boosting supplements, these findings suggest that focusing on improving gut health might help maximize benefits.

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