How To Boost NAD Levels To Fight Inflammation, Improve Recovery, and Slow Aging
Dr. Charles Brenner, discoverer of nicotinamide riboside (NR), explains NAD's critical roles in energy production, DNA repair, and inflammation. Clinical trials show NR supplementation significantly reduces inflammation markers and may benefit exercise recovery, peripheral artery disease, and age-related conditions.
Summary
This comprehensive discussion covers NAD biology and supplementation with Dr. Charles Brenner, who discovered nicotinamide riboside (NR). NAD functions as the cellular "wiring" for high-energy electrons, enabling energy production, biosynthesis, and repair processes. Brenner explains that NAD operates in four forms (NAD+, NADH, NADP+, NADPH) to facilitate fuel conversion, building cellular components, and repair mechanisms. While blood NAD levels don't necessarily decline with age, tissue NAD becomes depleted through inflammatory processes, disease states like obesity and metabolic syndrome, sleep disruption, and chronic stress. Eight randomized clinical trials demonstrate NR's anti-inflammatory effects, with participants showing significantly reduced inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-10). The supplement shows promise for peripheral artery disease, with patients improving six-minute walk tests while placebo groups declined. Exercise naturally upregulates NAD biosynthetic enzymes, and NR appears to enhance workout recovery, leading professional sports teams like the New England Patriots to use it. Brenner clarifies why direct NAD supplementation doesn't work (phosphate groups prevent cellular uptake), while NR effectively enters cells and converts to NAD. Safety data from clinical trials up to 3 grams daily appears favorable, with Australian studies showing nicotinamide actually reduces skin cancer risk. The optimal dosing appears to be 500-1000mg daily, particularly beneficial for those with inflammatory conditions, intense exercise regimens, or metabolic stress.
About this episode
Many symptoms attributed to aging are also consistent with chronic inflammatory stress and impaired NAD metabolism. Dr. Charles Brenner explains the mechanisms, the human data, and what interventions actually move the needle. He also cuts through the crowded world of NAD boosters, including oral NAD pills, NMN, NR, and NAD IV drips, clarifying what actually raises NAD in humans and what emerging research suggests about NR for lowering inflammation and improving recovery. Get weekly breakdowns of cutting-edge research with actionable strategies for longevity, resilience, and cognitive health: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:58 Why disease states disrupt NAD levels 00:06:42 How coronavirus infection impacts NAD levels 00:09:55 Can diet and supplements artificially inflate NAD levels? 00:11:49 Why blood NAD might not show the full picture 00:13:20 How obesity and insulin resistance drain NAD resources 00:16:01 Does poor sleep disrupt NAD levels? 00:16:53 The anti-inflammatory effects of nicotinamide riboside (NR) 00:21:38 Can a single lifestyle change restore NAD? 00:24:22 Cognitive benefits of NAD precursors 00:27:58 Should you measure your NAD levels? 00:30:59 Does exercise boost NAD—and if so, which type? 00:33:01 Can NAD precursors speed exercise recovery? 00:35:35 Is acute sleep loss enough to lower NAD? 00:37:07 Does NR supplementation during pregnancy benefit offspring? 00:41:42 Safety of nicotinamide riboside during pregnancy 00:43:48 Could NR supplementation support fertility? 00:44:58 Shift work and jet lag—can NAD precursors help? 00:47:41 Morning or night—when should you take NR? 00:50:41 NAD supplements vs. precursors—what actually boosts NAD? 00:54:28 NAD IV drips—real benefits or just hype? 00:55:36 Oral vs. IV nicotinamide riboside—what’s more effective? 00:57:06 Do oral NAD supplements genuinely raise NAD levels? 00:58:58 NMN vs. NR—does being ‘one step closer’ really matter? 01:02:06 Does the gut microbiome influence NAD production? 01:04:44 Could NR supplementation enhance immune function? 01:08:02 Can NR supplementation improve peripheral artery disease? 01:12:26 Can NR realistically reduce liver fat? 01:17:33 Does NR supplementation give athletes a recovery edge? 01:19:18 What’s a safe dosage for nicotinamide riboside? 01:21:21 Resveratrol and pterostilbene—beneficial pairing or pointless stack? 01:22:57 NAD precursor supplements—why sourcing matters 01:25:09 Do NAD precursors increase cancer risk? 01:30:55 Is NR worth supplementing for healthy individuals? 01:33:43 From enzyme nerd to NAD pioneer (Brenner’s origin story) 01:38:13 Simplifying NAD’s role in energy and repair 01:45:00 Why DNA repair depends heavily on NAD 01:46:50 The PARP/NAD‑consumption mechanism 01:49:29 NAD’s role in gene regulation 01:51:49 Why NAD shortages hit the brain hardest **Dr. Charles Brenner** X: https://x.com/CharlesMBrenner Website: https://www.brennerlab.net/ **EPISODE LINKS** Show notes & transcript: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/charles-brenner **PODCAST INFO** Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/109-how-to-boost-nad-levels-to-fight-inflammation-improve/id818198322?i=1000749107103 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0H9uD3YD5JvlucULqfHKXS?si=zR1JcgvTQEWrM-rN3zYoTQ **SUPPORT MY MISSION:** Access more than 130 episodes of my premium podcast (The Aliquot) when you become a FoundMyFitness Premium Member: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=charles_brenner_podcast Dr. Rhonda Patrick and FoundMyFitness have no affiliation, financial or otherwise, with Niagen Bioscience. I wasn't paid for this interview and don't make money from NR supplements. #nad
Key Insights
- NAD levels in blood don't necessarily decline with age in healthy people, but tissue NAD pools become disturbed in aging and disease conditions
- Corona virus infection activates five different PARP family members that consume NAD, representing a common inflammatory response to various pathogens
- Eight randomized clinical trials have proven nicotinamide riboside is anti-inflammatory in humans, significantly lowering IL-6, IL-10 and other inflammatory markers
- The anti-inflammatory effects of NR were so strong that people who took NR first followed by placebo still had lower inflammation after 3 weeks on placebo
- Direct NAD supplementation doesn't work because compounds with phosphates cannot enter cells, requiring breakdown to smaller precursors like NR first
- Professional sports teams including the New England Patriots have used Niagen for years based on anecdotal evidence for exercise recovery benefits
- A clinical trial showed NR improved six-minute walk tests in peripheral artery disease patients while placebo and NR plus resveratrol groups both declined
- Pregnant mice supplemented with NR produced more milk and had offspring with better lean mass, physical development, and reduced anxiety throughout their lives
- Australian clinical trials demonstrated that nicotinamide supplementation actually lowers skin cancer risk at the population level, contradicting cancer concerns
- Exercise naturally increases gene expression of NAD biosynthetic enzymes, creating a synergistic effect when combined with NR supplementation
- High-fat diet and type 2 diabetes in mice disturbed the liver NAD system and degraded their ability to detoxify reactive oxygen species
- The gut microbiome plays a role in human conversion of NAD precursors and is beneficially altered by NR supplementation according to recent research
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] When most people hear the word NAD, they'll think anti-aging buzzword. So the question is why is NAD so important to biology? >> So converting fuel, building stuff, and repairing stuff. Those are the buckets in which NAD co-enzymes are critical. >> So NAD levels do decline with age. There's a lot of people that are taking NAD boosting supplements. It was initially my technology that turned into the nicotenoid ribocide and NAD boosting industry and we published a paper in [0:30] 2020. We had kind of a shocking result. >> How does NAD play a role in exercise recovery? >> Sports trainers and athletic programs swear by this. It's well known that the Patriots took Niagen for many…
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