Posted on 10/20/2025 7:49:43 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Scientists have released a new expert opinion. The article brings together more than 25 researchers from around the world, including clinicians and internationally recognized leaders in the biology of aging and metabolism, particularly in the study of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺).
Their collective perspective underscores the global effort to understand how this tiny molecule, NAD⁺, could be key to healthier aging and protection against diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
NAD⁺ is often described as a cell's "fuel regulator." It helps our bodies produce energy, repair damaged DNA, and keep cells functioning properly. As we grow older, however, NAD⁺ levels naturally decline. This fall is linked to memory loss, muscle weakness, and many age-related diseases.
"Fine-tuning NAD⁺ metabolism holds promise for delaying age-related health decline as well as disease such as premature aging diseases," says Dr. Jianying Zhang, one of the lead authors. "But to truly unlock its potential, we need to better understand the right doses, long-term safety, and interindividual variability in response to NAD⁺ augmentation strategies."
This study reviews years of research and clinical trials where scientists have tested ways to increase NAD⁺ levels, often by giving patients special vitamin-like compounds such as nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN).
Early results are encouraging, with some trials reporting improvements in memory, movement, and metabolism. The researchers highlight that larger and longer-term clinician studies are needed to validate its clinical efficacies against different conditions.
The article comes at a moment of intense scientific and public interest. Around the world, multiple clinical trials are under way testing NAD⁺ precursors such as NR and NMN. These supplements have also become part of a booming global commercial market, sparking debate about which compound is the most effective and whether the promising results seen in animal models will translate to patients.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
There is a picture at the link with a brief set of benefits across the body.
I’ve been on it for years, the first one was called enada. You have to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
I think NAD is one of the few supplements I have encountered that I am not taking regularly. I am already taking thyroid meds on an empty stomach in the morning. Would it be a problem to mix the two?
Four years ago my doctor said I would need cataract surgery soon. Instead I found 6 supplements I was NOT already taking. Since taking them, my eyes are 75% better with regard to cataract symptoms. I had shrunk from 5’5” to 5’3” which was my height for at least 7 or 8 years. Then 3 years ago I measure at 5’4 inches which I thought was a mistake by Kaiser Permanente, but again last January I was still 5’4”. So I look forward to results this December at my annual physical. While researching cancer for several people I found that one of the new supplements I was taking, Astaxanthin, was reported to cause cancer cells to have a shorter life span and normal cells to live longer. Don’t know if that has made a difference, or if it was a combination of the new supplements. I think my kidney GFR filtering score was also higher, so will be looking at that in December also.
Are you maybe jogging too much? Limiting your daily jogs to just 5-6 miles instead of 10-12 miles might help.
And once you hit your 40s, you may find that your height stabilizes.
You didn't mention your age, so...
Regards,
No, I am not jogging except perhaps to the corner to catch a bus. My KP doctor asked, what exercise I am doing at age 87. Last year I explained that I live in a 4 story house with 9 and 10 foot ceilings. The kitchen and laundry are in the basement, my partner’s private room is on the 3rd floor, mine is on the 2nd floor where the bathroom is located. Main floor and entrance is the first floor. I make a number of trips between floors during the day, often from the kitchen to the 3rd floor with food or laundry. This and a 3 block wal once or twice a week to another property where I make minor repairs, is most of my exercise, except for a 175 mile round trip to a beach property once a month to supervise work by repair men for about a week. I’m sure it has to be the additional supplements I started using 4 years ago, because my activity level has not changed much in this period. I don’t think I am overdoing exercise, just keeping busy, too busy?
Good to hear from you. I currently spend most of my time at the Attack On Europe megathread.
Jogging took an inch off my height.
From a rare melon found only in the south of France......(according to Cindy Crawford)
Bkmk
“Four years ago my doctor said I would need cataract surgery soon. Instead I found 6 supplements I was NOT already taking. Since taking them, my eyes are 75% better with regard to cataract symptoms.”
What are the 6 supplements (including the brand names) that you added, and what dose of each one?
Thanks for posting and for taking the time to answer.
First let me describe how I know my cataracts are diminished. Four years ago if I looked at a street lamp, rays of light would shoot out in all directions far enough to touch the ground. Around traffic lights there would be a colored cloud looking like a swarm of gnats spreading out about 10 feet from the red and green lights. Auto headlights rayed out 10 feet making night driving difficult, so my partner mostly drove. Daylight driving was affected by the sun’s glare.
These symptoms gradually improved so that now street light rays are less than 10 feet, traffic light “gnats” are less than 2 feet as is auto light glare. I have excellent night vision. and during growing season drive over 170 miles alone to care for and enjoy my beach property. I do prefer to drive later at night when there are fewer oncoming car lights.
In addition to the 6 supplements I added to my regular morning and evening handfuls, as I learned about Covid I have also intermittently use Quercetin bought at Walmart. These capsules contain 500 mg Quercetin as an ionophore for the 50 mg of zinc which is a virus fighter. I use this as a prophylactic when I expect to be exposed to people with Covid virus when shopping, traveling, or going to a movie or restaurant. I sometimes use a mask as well. The 6 selected supplements I take morning and evening for cataracts include Astaxanthin, Zeaxanthin, Lutien, Blueberry, Eyebright, and Bilberry. I used to get Astaxanthin 4 mg at Walmart, but haven’t found it there recently, I did discover it might be helpful for cancer as well. Mostly I use Puritan’s Pride, but Samson’s, Life Extension and others as well carry some or most of these supplements. I recently added saffron. All doses taken morning and evening
Astaxanthin (PP), 10 mg
Zeaxanthin (PP) 4 mg, or (Swanson) with Astaxantin, 4 mg each
Lutein (PP) 20 mg
Blueberry/Eyebright (PP) 1000 mg/500 mg, with Marigold/Grape Seed, 200 mg/100 mg
Bilberry Fruit Extract (PP) 250 mg/1000 mg as fruit or extract
Bilberry Eyebright Vision Complex (Swanson) 350 mg/43.75 mg, with Quercetin/Rutin, 105 mg/70 mg
As I said, I mostly use Puritan’s Pride as their phone service is available to midnight, and I am a night person. Their prices are reasonable and they have most of what I want. I am not comfortable buying on line. Sometimes they are out and I use another source if I don’t want to wait for back order service. Sometimes I buy at Yes natural foods store when I am out of something and want it quick. As you can see getting all this together can be a bit of work, but I am happy with the results. You should CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR especially if you are being treated for some serious condition. Unfortunately, doctors often don’t know much about nutrition or complementary medicine. Fortunately, over 50 years ago when I first started using supplements regularly and for new health problems my doctor said, “I don’t know much about supplements, but you seem to be healthy, and I am seeing you regularly, so I don’t see a problem now.”
I recently went with a friend to her consult with an Oncologist as she wanted to try adding supplements to treat her rare cancer along with chemo. I mentioned the good things I had read about Astaxanthin’s capacity to make cancer cells die younger (apoptosis) and normal cells live longer. The Oncologist was completely disinterested. She decided to take the supplements I suggested after doing a lot of on-line research about them herself. There had been shrinkage of her rare cancer, but one hot day she passed out in a doctor’s office and went straight to the hospital. They never allowed her to take her supplements and she died after several months. My brother had been improving from his metastatic liver cancer with the supplements I recommended and the chemo his doctor advised. They were even considering minor surgery to remove some of the cancer tissue. Then he told me with enthusiasm he had just taken his 4th Covid shot. My heart sank, I had just read a very disturbing small study on Covid shots and their effect on the IgG portion of our immune system. I did not want to discourage my brother, but 2 weeks later when I called him he was on a much more unpleasant chemo, an extremely expensive drug, and on a rapid glide toward death. On the other hand a good friend with prostate cancer who was taking my recommended supplements, and 6 weeks of radiation plus anti-testosterone has completely recovered with a PSA of 0.01.
Personally I have never had much trouble with supplements except once when I failed to take the appropriate amount of magnesium with the extra calcium I had added. I researched the symptoms of sudden depression, found the proper 2 to 1 ratio of CA to MG, and quickly recovered my happy temperament. At age 87 my only meds are levothyroxine for low thyroid, and eye drops for injury in one eye. People with a more complicated health status should be much more careful than I am. One should learn how the body works and how to do on-line research on anything new you add to your body, even medicines or unusual foods.
Additional thoughts: RFK Jr. should order a much larger trial of Covid shots and their effect on the IgG immune system looking at number of shots and time between vaccines. Other immune system components should also be studied. Maintaining a BMI of 25 or lower is important for health as I discovered after my BMI rose to 27.5 from nervous nibbling as a result of worrying about my friends and family with cancer. A 3 1/2 month bout of bronchitis with violent coughing resulted in damage to my optic nerve. So, be wise and be well.
CM, I am sorry I never got back to you with the details on my Cataract supplements and doses. I spent over 2 hours writing just the part of comment #ll at this thread regarding eyesight and that was with all my supplement bottles in the same room, not on a different floor. I also have learned a few more things about eye treatment. Unfortunately, when I told my opthalmologist about the major improvement in my cataracts with these 6 supplements he was unimpressed, even hostile. He said they had not done double blind tests on these herbs. My thought was, Who the heck has ever done a double blind study on 6 items at one time? I have encountered a few studies combining two items, but let’s face it the drug companies don’t want the competition.
My advice to others is find a competent, open minded, doctor, study nutrition yourself, and keep adding things that might help problems to see if they work. So long as you are having an annual checkup problems with new supplements are likely to be caught in good time. If you do have a health problem, go to Google and enter the URL “nutrition and supplements to help cataracts, heart disease, cancer, or your problem of the day.” Then do further searches for information about any specific thing that sounds promising.
gleeaikin, thanks for all the information on the supplements that you took to treat your cataracts. It’s very kind of you to have gone to the trouble to share all these details with us. Very interesting!
As to NAD+ and the Krebs cycle, Dr. Mercola recommends “It is now beyond obvious to me why no one is promoting niacinamide. This is because it costs less than one cent a day and as a result there is simply no money to be made in promoting it. Ideally you buy niacinamide powder and use 1 to 1/2 of 1/64th of a teaspoon three times a day (25-50 mg).”
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/12/03/nad-plus-optimal-health.aspx
The Oncologist was completely disinterested.The difference between uninterested and disinterested is as follows:
"Uninterested" refers to a lack of interest or concern; a person who is uninterested is bored or indifferent.
"Disinterested," in contrast, means impartial or unbiased; a disinterested person has no stake in the outcome.
I hence believe that you intended to say that your oncologist was "uninterested."
Regards,
Actually, a better word might be dismissive. As a professional with a hospital to protect, if she could treat her own Illness, then the hospital was going to lose the business of providing her with a nutrition counselor, and other regular visits for care and treatment. This paid to the hospital and personnel through her insurance and/or Medicare.
I found some NADH, 20mg. It is labeled Maximum-Strength, Fast-Acting. Instructions are to dissolve one lozenge under the tongue, limit swallowing until it has dissolved completely. There are no instructions about on an empty stomach. This version is called Beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Does anyone know if this is a safe level for a healthy 87 year old who does not have bad reactions from all kinds of supplements taken at the recommended amount? The product was from Swanson.
I was glad to see that several here were interested in the details I provided. If you are just starting to have the symptoms, it might be ok and cheaper to take lower doses of the ones I told you I take. If anyone decides to try this or help someone else try it, I hope you will remember my FR name and PM me about progress or results or non results. It was probably 6 months before I saw a noticeable change 3 years ago. The improvements I described have been more or less stable for the past year. Good luck with your health efforts.
20 mg seems a small amount, from what I have read. I would take one with food each day and see how it works for you.
Since this is reduced in our bodies by half at 50 years of age, it would seem we have room to try out supplementing.
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