NAD+ gummies and nicotinamide riboside: what is in them

“NAD+” is on a growing number of supplement labels. Almost none of those products contain NAD+. This guide explains what they contain instead and how to judge the dose.

What NAD+ is

NAD+ stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Every cell uses it to convert food into energy and to run enzymes involved in repairing DNA. NAD+ levels in tissues decline with age, and that observation is what drives interest in raising them.

Why supplements use precursors

NAD+ taken by mouth is broken down in the gut before it reaches your cells in useful amounts. So supplements supply building blocks, called precursors, that cells convert into NAD+. The main ones are:

• Nicotinamide riboside (NR). A form of vitamin B3. The best-studied branded version is Niagen. On labels it appears as nicotinamide riboside chloride.
• Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). One step closer to NAD+. Its status as a dietary supplement in the US has been disputed by the FDA.
• Niacinamide and niacin. The ordinary forms of vitamin B3, which the body also turns into NAD+.

What the research on NR found

Human trials consistently show that NR raises NAD+ levels in blood. A 2019 trial gave healthy overweight adults 100 mg, 300 mg or 1,000 mg a day for eight weeks. All three doses raised blood NAD+, and higher doses raised it more. A 2018 trial using 1,000 mg a day in middle-aged and older adults found the same and reported that it was well tolerated.

What the trials have not yet shown is that raising NAD+ this way improves how healthy adults feel, function or age. Those studies are ongoing. Be wary of any product that implies the question is settled.

How gummy doses compare

Daily amount of NR	Where it sits
100 mg	The lowest dose in the main dose-ranging trial
250 mg to 300 mg	The standard serving of most NR capsules
1,000 mg	The high dose used in several trials

Gummies tend to sit at the low end. NR is a bulky, somewhat unstable ingredient, and a gummy has limited room. A product that supplies 50 mg per serving needs two servings a day to reach 100 mg.

How to read an NAD+ gummy label

1. Find the actual ingredient. It will be nicotinamide riboside chloride, NMN or plain niacinamide. “NAD+” in the product name tells you nothing.
2. Find the amount per serving and the servings per day. Multiply.
3. Check servings per container. If the label suggests two servings a day and the bottle holds 30, it lasts 15 days.
4. Look for added niacinamide. It is inexpensive and also counts as a precursor, which lets a label look fuller.
5. Count the sugar per day.

Safety

In the trials above, NR was well tolerated at up to 1,000 mg a day for eight weeks, with side effects similar to placebo. Long-term data are limited.

Because NAD+ is involved in cell growth and repair, people being treated for cancer should ask their oncologist before taking any NAD+ precursor. Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established. If you take prescription medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

NAD+ gummies we have reviewed

Goli Renew NAD+ Gummies: 50 mg of nicotinamide riboside per two-gummy serving, 100 mg a day as directed.

How the body makes NAD+

Your cells build NAD+ in three ways. They can make it from the amino acid tryptophan, which comes from protein in food. They can make it from niacin. And they can recycle it: every time NAD+ is used, it leaves behind niacinamide, which the cell converts back into NAD+. That recycling route does most of the work.

Nicotinamide riboside and NMN enter the recycling route partway along. This is the basis for marketing them as more direct. Ordinary niacinamide feeds the same route one step earlier and costs far less. Researchers are still working out how much difference the entry point makes in people.

Diet matters here too. Meat, fish, poultry, peanuts and fortified grains supply niacin and tryptophan, and most adults in the US get enough vitamin B3 from food to meet the recommended 14 mg to 16 mg a day. True deficiency, a disease called pellagra, is rare.

Vitamin B3 limits when products are combined

NR counts as a form of vitamin B3, and many NAD+ products add niacinamide or niacin on top. The upper limit for adults is 35 mg a day of niacin and niacinamide from supplements and fortified foods, set because niacin causes skin flushing above that level.

Niacinamide does not cause flushing, and the amounts in most gummies are well under the limit. It is still worth adding up if you also take a B-complex, a multivitamin or an energy product, because all of them usually contain B3.

Working out what a dose costs

NAD+ products vary enormously in price and strength, so the price on the bottle tells you little. A quick calculation makes them comparable:

1. Find the milligrams of NR per serving and the servings per container. Multiply to get total milligrams in the bottle.
2. Decide the daily amount you want, for example 100 mg or 300 mg.
3. Divide the total by that amount to get the number of days the bottle covers.
4. Divide the price by the number of days.

A gummy bottle with 30 servings of 50 mg holds 1,500 mg. At 100 mg a day it lasts 15 days. At 300 mg a day it would last five, and you would be eating twelve gummies daily. That arithmetic is why capsules are the practical choice for higher doses.

NAD+ injections, drips and patches

Clinics and online sellers offer NAD+ by IV drip, injection, nasal spray and skin patch. These are not dietary supplements and are outside what this site reviews. They have far less published research behind them than oral NR does, and drips and injections carry the risks of any procedure that breaks the skin. If you are considering one, discuss it with a doctor who is not selling it.

Stability and storage

Nicotinamide riboside is sensitive to moisture and heat. In water it gradually breaks down into niacinamide. Gummies contain some moisture, so storage matters more than it does for a dry capsule. Keep the bottle sealed and cool, and use it before the date on the label. We do not lab-test products, so we cannot say how much NR any gummy retains over time.

The short version

If you remember four things about NAD+ gummies, make them these.

• The name is not the ingredient. Look for nicotinamide riboside chloride, NMN or niacinamide in the Supplement Facts panel, with an amount in milligrams next to it.
• Gummies sit at the low end of the studied range. Research tested 100 mg to 1,000 mg of nicotinamide riboside a day. A typical gummy serving provides 50 mg, so reaching even the lowest studied amount takes two servings.
• Raising NAD+ in blood is established. What that does for healthy adults is not. The trials measured a lab value. Studies of how people feel and function are still under way, so treat confident promises with caution.
• Do the bottle arithmetic. Servings per container divided by servings per day tells you how long it lasts. With two servings a day, a 30-serving bottle is a 15-day supply.

And as with every supplement on this site: if you take prescription medication, are being treated for a serious condition, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your doctor before you start.

Common questions

Do NAD+ gummies contain NAD+?

Almost never. They contain precursors, most often nicotinamide riboside or niacinamide, which cells convert into NAD+.

How much nicotinamide riboside should a supplement have?

Trials have tested 100 mg to 1,000 mg a day, and most capsules supply 250 mg to 300 mg. All tested doses raised blood NAD+, with higher doses raising it more.

Is nicotinamide riboside the same as niacin?

They are all forms of vitamin B3, but they are different compounds. Niacin (nicotinic acid) can cause skin flushing. Nicotinamide riboside and niacinamide do not.

NR or NMN: which is better?

Both are NAD+ precursors and both raise NAD+ in human studies. NR has the longer track record as a dietary supplement in the US. The regulatory status of NMN has been disputed.

Are NAD+ supplements safe?

In trials, nicotinamide riboside was well tolerated at up to 1,000 mg a day for eight weeks. Long-term data are limited. People being treated for cancer, and anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, should ask a doctor first.

Sources

1. Conze D, et al. Safety and metabolism of long-term administration of NIAGEN (nicotinamide riboside chloride) in healthy overweight adults. Sci Rep. 2019.
2. Martens CR, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nat Commun. 2018.
3. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Niacin: fact sheet for health professionals.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed here are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This page is not medical advice.