Why a molecule in every living cell became the centre of longevity research.
NAD+ — nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide — isn't a peptide at all. It's a coenzyme present in every living cell, and it's arguably the single most-discussed molecule in longevity science.
NAD+ is central to three processes researchers care deeply about:
NAD+ is an electron carrier in cellular respiration — the process converting food into usable energy (ATP). Without adequate NAD+, that conversion becomes less efficient.
PARP enzymes, which repair DNA damage, consume NAD+ to function. This creates a studied relationship: accumulated DNA damage draws down NAD+ reserves.
Sirtuins — a family of proteins heavily researched in aging science — require NAD+ to operate. This is the mechanism most often cited when NAD+ is discussed in longevity contexts.
Research indicates NAD+ levels fall substantially with age. Because all three processes above depend on it, that decline is studied as a potential common thread linking several hallmarks of cellular aging — which is why restoring it is such an active research question.
NAD+ research often runs parallel to work on MOTS-c (mitochondrial signalling) and SS-31 (mitochondrial membrane integrity), since all three concern mitochondrial function from different angles. See the longevity overview →
Human outcome data in NAD+ research is still developing. Supplied for laboratory research use only.