Science of NAD
How are your NAD levels today?
Shelly Albaum
Editor, Science of NAD
Important Disclosures
1. This is my personal website
All opinions are my own. Nobody writes here but me.
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2. Supplements Are Not Medicines
Health Supplements like nicotinamide riboside are not intended to cure or treat any disease, condition, or illness.
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3. No Medical Advice
I am a lawyer and a journalist, not a doctor, and I offer no medical advice. But I do follow the science, and I can bring to your attention
some interesting studies. You can read more about me here. And check with your physician -- your physician can look at this research, too.
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4. Commercial Affiliations
I am a ChromaDex shareholder, and a marketing affiliate for Amazon and Rakuten. As a result, I will sometimes mention or recommend products that I endorse, like Tru Niagen, which I take every day. I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases if you were referred directly from this site and completed a purchase. [Thank you!] You can read more about our advertising, privacy, and data collection policies here.
Can NAD Prevent COVID?
Only your immune system can fight a virus, but raising NAD levels can support your immune system's ability to fight back...
Vaccines are one way to help your immune system, by preparing it for particular types of threats. But there are other ways to provide immune support, and one of them is by ensuring that the immune system has enough energy to do its job.
Many different viruses cause NAD depletion, including flu, Zika, and coronaviruses, including COVID-19. Both animal and human studies suggest that you would want to both have and maintain robust NAD levels when COVID comes calling. Indeed, worse COVID outcomes seem to correlate with conditions of age and metabolic stress that depress NAD levels.
Although anything that boosts NAD levels in tissues that are under viral attack will probably help, the studies suggest that tryptophan and niacin will be less effective, because COVID infection down-regulates the metabolic pathways by which those precursors become NAD.