Why Diterpenes Are Not NAD+ Precursors
Diterpenes have entirely different structures and metabolic fates. Their metabolism involves Phase I reactions (primarily hydroxylation and oxidation) and Phase II conjugation reactions with glucuronic acid, cysteine, or methylation—processes completely unrelated to the nicotinamide-based biosynthetic pathways that generate NAD+. There is no biochemical mechanism by which diterpenes could serve as substrates for NAD+ synthesis.
If you’ve encountered information suggesting diterpenes support NAD+ metabolism, it may be confusing their general antioxidant and mitochondrial support effects with direct NAD+ precursor activity—a critical distinction in cellular biochemistry.
Who mentioned diterpenes?
One person mentioned Gingko Biloba, but it wasn’t in any context around NAD+.