Could NAD IVs Be Bad For You (& How To Boost NAD Naturally), With Dr. Nichola Conlon
Ben Greenfield
Apr 25, 2026
Episode description
Full Show Notes: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/nadplus
In this fascinating episode, Dr. Nichola Conlon, molecular biologist and founder of Nuchido, breaks down what NAD actually is, what it does inside your cells, and why most popular strategies for boosting it, including NAD IVs, patches, and high-dose NR or NMN, may be fundamentally flawed based on molecular biology.
You’ll discover why NAD declines by half every 20 years, why the NAMPT enzyme and not a shortage of raw material is the real bottleneck, and why flooding the body with precursors without fixing the salvage pathway can actually strain your methylation pathways rather than raise NAD.
You’ll also explore how inflammation through the cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38) enzyme silently drains NAD faster than almost anything else, what a gold standard double-blind placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial on Nuchido TIME+ actually showed, and why NAD sits at the intersection of energy production, cellular repair, sleep, skin health, and biological aging.
Dr. Nichola Conlon (BSc, MRes, PhD) specializes in cellular aging. After a career in drug development, Dr. Nichola founded Nuchido, driven by her belief that cutting-edge science should not lie hidden. At Nuchido, Dr. Nichola’s work focuses on delivering disruptive innovation in the field of anti-aging, rejuvenation, and healthspan. It has led to the development of Nuchido TIME+, a dietary supplement clinically proven to boost NAD+ and reverse biological age. Unlike standard precursors such as NMN or NR, Nuchido TIME+ uses a systems-based approach to target the root causes of NAD+ decline.
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Mindsip insights from this episode:
Limit high doses of NR or NMN to prevent methylation issues
Taking high doses of NR or NMN can deplete your body's methyl donors, as the cell is forced to methylate and excrete the excess precursors it cannot recycle.
Avoid NAD IVs to prevent inflammatory reactions
A recent preprint study on humans showed that NAD IVs actually cause an inflammatory reaction, as the body perceives the high concentration of an intracellular molecule outside the cells as a threat.
Utilize plain nicotinamide for effective cellular absorption
Plain nicotinamide (a form of Vitamin B3) is a highly effective precursor because, unlike NR or NMN, it can freely diffuse into every cell without needing a special channel.
Maintain NAD levels to combat age-related decline
It is estimated that from birth, your body's natural NAD levels are cut in half every 20 years.
Activate NAMPT and inhibit CD38 to combat NAD decline
The Nuchito supplement is designed to fix the root causes of NAD decline by activating the NAMPT recycling enzyme and inhibiting the NAD-wasting CD38 enzyme.
Reduce inflammation to conserve NAD levels
The inflammatory enzyme CD38 is a prolific NAD consumer, using about 100 molecules of NAD for one cycle, whereas DNA repair enzymes use only six or seven.
Optimize NAD precursor use by addressing NAMPT decline with age
Simply taking NAD precursors like NR or NMN is inefficient because the key recycling enzyme, NAMPT, declines with age, so the body can't effectively use the raw material.
Inhibit NAD wastage with parsley extract's apigenin
Apigenin, found in high concentrations in parsley, is a potent inhibitor of the inflammatory enzyme CD38, preventing it from wasting NAD that could be used for repair.
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