Effects of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide precursors on measures of physical performance and physical frailty: A systematic review
What this study found
Overall, NAD precursor supplementation has not been shown to reliably improve physical performance or frailty-related outcomes in humans. Most endpoints were neutral, including walking performance, strength, aerobic capacity, body composition, and sit-to-stand or balance measures. A few significant benefits were reported in isolated outcomes, but they did not cluster by precursor, dose, or domain. The current evidence is too limited to determine whether these supplements help skeletal muscle function or frailty in older adults.
- Study & population
- Systematic review of nine randomized human trials in adults from clinical and community settings.
- Intervention
- Oral NAD precursor supplementation was tested across randomized trials using nicotinamide riboside and nicotinamide mononucleotide most commonly, with other precursors such as niacin, nicotinamide, NADH, and acipimox also represented.
- Key limitation
- Evidence is constrained by small trial sizes, short treatment durations, heterogeneous populations and interventions, and risk of bias.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a key molecule in muscle metabolism and energy production; skeletal muscle concentrations are low in older people with sarcopenia. Although preclinical data suggest beneficial effects of NAD precursor supplementation, the effects on skeletal muscle function and physical frailty in humans are unclear. This systematic review evaluated the effects of NAD precursor supplementation on measures of physical performance and physical frailty in humans.