05/23/2026
NAD and NAD+ : a possible overhyping from the “influencers.”
One of the critical differentiators here is what’s in the blood versus what’s in the target tissues. And even further, even if it’s IN the target tissues, is it causing meaningful changes?
Note that all the hype is that NAD supposedly declines with age, and, by extension, replacing it makes you more youthful and peppy. But there are other things that are notable that we KNOW decline with age in people. This includes thyroid hormone in everybody (hey, our thyroids wear out with age (at least at LITTLE), just like car engines. And our thyroid function is critically dependent on essential nutrients, which many of us don’t get enough of - selenium and iron, to name just two. We know that estrogen and testosterone drop in women, and we also know that testosterone and estrogen (yes, ESTROGEN - which is made from testosterone) drop in men. (Testosterone is the one we follow primarily in men, however.) We know that DHEA-Sulfate - the foot soldier of DHEA made in the adrenal glands drops in both sexes. That one robs energy from both sexes. We know that there is a decrease in insulin receptor sensitivity in both sexes as we age. That means that your baseline insulin that your body needs will go up, and there will be a tendency to get fatter.
And - with all of these hormones dropping, we also know that there is a direct impact on your face, your body, and what we call your Functional Aesthetics ®. And yes, there are some SPECIFIC things that DROP on your body as well. In the female body, AND the male body.
So, instead of listening to all of the influencers on TikTok and the other social media platforms, if you really want to get serious about what’s going on, and what’s dropping in your body and what can be done about it, give us a call. We have “coffee with the doc” and “coffee with the NP" appointments available. And if you’re a tea drinker, we’ve got that too. Just call the front office to set up a quick little 5 - 10 minute visit. Time slots are limited, however.
And, as always (and unlike most medical practices), we encourage ANYBODY reading this - and that includes the general public- to do your due diligence on “Dr. Google” as well as use some of the free AI sites that are now open and available to you. The ultimate is www.pubmed.gov, which is the direct “welcome mat” landing page to the National Library of Medicine. Do your own research. Make up your own mind. But our advice is to definitely get an informed medical opinion to go along with what you are reading.
In a future post, we’ll talk about the dangers of unlimited research on the internet and going down rabbit holes.
Have a great weekend.
A central claim about N.A.D.+ isn’t as straightforward as influencers make it out to be.