Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a very important coenzyme in your body.

It exists in two forms: NAD+ and NADH.

NAD+ is more important to pay attention to though.

Because when you have higher levels of NAD+, you’re healthier and have more vitality.

And when you have low levels of NAD+, you feel sick and weak.

Some researchers refer to NAD+ as the “molecule of youth” because NAD+ levels dramatically drop as we age.

But lower NAD+ levels aren’t simply a sign of aging.

Even in younger individuals, poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyle choices can lead to lower NAD+ levels.

Low physical and mental energy is one of the first signs that your NAD+ levels aren’t as high as they could be.

But it goes beyond that.

Your thinking may be slower, you might have memory problems, or you're just not as quick and agile as you used to be.

Luckily, there are a number of ways to naturally increase your NAD+ levels.

This post shares the 16 best natural ways.

Some of the benefits you’ll experience by increasing your NAD+ levels include better memory, enhanced endurance, and improved mental clarity.

Continue reading to learn how to raise your NAD+ levels naturally.

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The Role of NAD+ and How Increasing NAD+ Benefits Your Brain

NAD+ is found in all living cells, helping the body renew, regenerate and repair itself.

It’s involved in hundreds of metabolic processes and absolutely necessary for healthy metabolism.

It also plays a significant role in supporting your mitochondria and increasing energy production in your body and brain cells.

In fact, when scientists purposely decrease NAD+ levels, cells die because they are unable to generate energy (30).

In a nutshell, we can’t function without NAD+.

This is a huge problem because NAD+ levels have been shown to decline over time as you age.

Your body simply creates less of it as you get older.

We experience increased DNA damage, which leads to lower levels of NAD+ (31-32).

And as levels of NAD+ decline in the body, mitochondrial functioning is impaired.

Your brain cells contain a lot of mitochondria, and they become much weaker when NAD+ levels decline.

This can lead to an increased risk of mental health and neurodegenerative diseases.

So not surprisingly, low NAD+ levels have also been associated with several diseases, even in younger individuals.

People with chronic fatigue syndrome are very likely to have low NAD+ levels, and research shows that taking supplements that increase NAD+ can help them (33-34).

In patients with multiple sclerosis, there are lower levels of NAD+ in the nervous system. And supplementing with NAD+ precursors has been shown to reduce the pathogenesis of MS in animals (35-36).

And treatment with oral NAD+ precursors has been shown to improve cognitive functioning in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson's disease, depression (37-39).

So without further ado, here are 16 ways to increase your NAD+ levels.

1. Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways to raise your NAD+ levels.

It’s easily accessible and free, and many doctors and researchers recommend exercise as their number one piece of advice for optimal brain health.

Researchers have observed an increase in intracellular NAD+ levels after exercise (1).

Exercise can be a big chore for a lot of people, so I recommend finding some sort of sport or aerobic activity that you enjoy. That way you won’t get sick of it and you’ll exercise regularly.

Besides increasing NAD+, exercise also induces autophagy in the brain, increases dopamine and BDNF and IGF-1, and increases blood flow to the brain.

2. Ketogenic Diet

A ketogenic diet is a very high-fat, low-carb diet.

To follow the diet, you need to get most of your calories from healthy fats, and no more than 10 percent of calories from carbs (less than 50 grams of carbs per day).

When you restrict carbohydrate-rich foods – such as grains, sugar, and even potatoes, legumes and fruit – your body enters “ketosis”, a metabolic state in which your body and brain run on fatty acids and “ketones” instead of glucose.

And this can be beneficial and increase your NAD+ levels.

More than one study has shown that a ketogenic diet significant increases NAD+ levels in the brain (3, 6).

And some researchers think that the main reason a ketogenic diet benefits people with brain disorders is because it increases NAD+ (4).

Some of the best foods to eat if you follow a ketogenic diet include coconut oil, olive oil, pastured eggs, ghee, grass-fed meat, avocado, nuts and seeds.

These foods are included in my Free Grocery Shopping Guide for Optimal Brain Health.

I follow a ketogenic diet every so often, but not for long stretches of time due to the long-term side effects.

Studies also show that beta-hydroxybutyrate, a ketone, preserve NAD+ levels in the brain (5-6).

And animal research has found that the injection of ketones after a stroke increases brain NAD+ levels, which improves neurological and mitochondria function (7).

3. Intermittent Fasting

Fasting allows your digestive system to take a break and triggers the release of a number of hormones and enzymes that boost your body’s ability to repair itself.

NAD+ is one of the coenzymes that appears to increase.

Research shows that NAD+ levels rise when you restrict calories and/or fast intermittently (2).

I personally eat all my food for the day within an 8-hour window, and then fast for the other 16 hours of the day.

You don’t need to go that long, but you should try to fast for at least 12 hours at a time.

The best way to get started is simply by eating dinner around 6, not eating anything after that before bed, and then eating a regular breakfast the next day.

That should give you about 12-14 hours of fasting time.

4. Low-Level Laser Therapy

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), or photobiomodulation, is a treatment that can improve your brain function and mental health.

The treatment involves the use of low-power lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit red and infrared light.

You can shine this light on your head, it penetrates the skull and stimulates your brain cells.

This helps your brain function much better.

Dr. Norman Doidge, a psychiatrist and researcher who teaches at the University of Toronto, discusses the amazing effects of LLLT in his book The Brain’s Way of Healing.

Research shows that LLLT enhances the synthesis of NAD and ATP in the mitochondria (28-29).

I use this device and shine the red and infrared light on my forehead for 5 minutes every day. I also shine it on other parts of my head and on my entire body, including on my thyroid, thymus gland and gut. I experience incredible benefits from doing this.

When I’m travelling to visit family and friends, I take this smaller and more convenient device with me and shine it on my forehead.

I’ve also been using the Vielight Neuro Duo, which is a transcranial-intranasal headset with 810 nm of near infrared light. It penetrates deeper into brain tissue and is absorbed better by the central nervous system. If you decide to try a Vielight device, you can use the coupon code JORDANFALLIS for a 10% discount.

You can learn about how I use these devices in my LLLT article. I highly recommend reading the article if you want to try this treatment yourself.

LLLT can also increase dopamine and IGF-1 levels, and increase blood flow to the brain.

5. Nicotinamide Riboside

Nicotinamide riboside is a natural compound and the precursor to NAD+. It can be taken as a supplement.

Once it’s within your body, nicotinamide riboside is converted into NAD+. It then increases NAD+ levels and improves mitochondrial function (10).

Scientists have reported that a single dose of nicotinamide riboside can increase NAD+ levels in the blood by as much as 2.7-fold (27).

And one animal study found that supplementing with nicotinamide riboside can restore cognitive function by increasing NAD+ levels in the brain (9).

6. Malic Acid

Malic acid, also known as malate, is an intermediate of the Krebs cycle.

It’s a key step in the pathway of energy production by the mitochondria.

And it has a number of health benefits.

Malic acid has been shown to greatly increase NAD+ and strongly increase the NAD/NADH ratio (11).

It’s included in the Optimal Energy supplement.

7. Sauna Sessions

When it comes to improving your health, some of the simplest strategies can have a huge impact.

Using a sauna regularly is one of them.

Research shows that the heat shock from sauna sessions result in an increase in cellular NAD+ (8).

Once you start using a sauna, you should listen to your body to determine how much time you should spend in it. Start out slowly and increase the length of your sessions over time.

Also, make sure to drink lots of water before and after each session, and never consume alcohol in combination.

Check out this post to learn more about saunas and the 13 ways they can improve your brain and mental health.

8. Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound found in grapes, red wine, raspberries and dark chocolate.

It’s known to help prevent the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

And researchers are starting to understand why.

Resveratrol has been shown in several studies to enhance NAD+ synthesis and increase NAD+ levels in human brain cells (12-14).

It’s also been shown to increase BDNF, IGF-1, synaptogenesis, autophagy and blood flow.

To consume enough resveratrol to increase NAD+, you’ll need to supplement with it.

Resveratrol is included in this supplement.

9. Apigenin

Apigenin is an antioxidant compound found in a wide variety of plants and herbs.

Research shows that consuming apigenin results in higher intracellular NAD+ levels (15-16).

You can’t supplement with pure apigenin because it’s unstable by itself but high amounts of apigenin can be found in certain foods and herbs, such as chamomile and bacopa.

It can also be found in parsley, onions, oranges. These foods are included in my Free Grocery Shopping Guide for Optimal Brain Health.

10. Leucine

Leucine is one of three branched chain amino acids (BCAA).

It's an essential amino acid, meaning you’ll need to get it from food or supplements.

Athletes and bodybuilders often take it as a supplement because it helps increase energy, improve strength and build muscle.

Research shows that leucine supplementation increases intracellular NAD+ levels and prevents mitochondrial dysfunction (17-18).

You can get leucine from protein-rich foods, such as fish, chicken and turkey. These foods are included in my Free Grocery Shopping Guide for Optimal Brain Health.

But you may want to supplement with it if your goal is to increase NAD+. It’s included in this supplement.

11. Reduce Inflammation

Reducing inflammation throughout your entire body is a key step towards increasing your NAD+ levels naturally.

Research shows that chronic inflammation impairs the synthesis of NAD+ and significantly reduces NAD+ levels (23).

There are many causes of chronic inflammation, including infections, mold, brain injuries, and leaky brain.

But one of the most common causes – and the one you have the most control over – is your diet.

That’s why I recommend following an anti-inflammatory diet and avoiding foods such as gluten and dairy that can trigger inflammation in the gut and brain.

You should also remove processed food from your diet, and increase your intake of vegetables, fruits, wild fish, grass-fed beef and organic chicken.

Check out my Free Grocery Shopping Guide for Optimal Brain Health for a full list of anti-inflammatory foods.

Other steps you can take to reduce inflammation include reducing stress, exercising, improving gut health, treating infections and getting enough sleep.

Make sure you also check out this article for 23 effective ways to reduce inflammation in the brain.

And this supplement helps reduce inflammation in the brain.

12. Niacinamide

Niacinamide, also known as nicotinamide, is the water-soluble, active form of Vitamin B3 (niacin).

It’s often taken as a supplement.

Niacinamide is one of the precursors to NAD+ and therefore supplementation can increase levels and improve mitochondrial function.

Studies have shown that niacinamide supplementation results in a striking increase in brain NAD+ levels (19).

Niacinamide is included in this supplement.

13. Optimize Your Circadian Rhythm

Research shows that your circadian rhythm regulates the synthesis of NAD+ and affects NAD+ levels (24).

Even mild changes in our external environment (i.e. blue lighting at night) can affect our circadian rhythm and reduce NAD+ production, negatively altering our cognition.

I work with my clients so that they can optimize their circadian rhythm. We have free online workshop that talks about how you can work with us. You can register for the workshop here.

14. Succinic Acid

Succinic acid, also known as succinate, is an intermediate molecule of the Krebs cycle that plays a significant role in the electron transport chain.

It has been shown to increase NAD+ levels and increase the NAD+/NADH ratio (20).

Succinic acid can be purchased and taken as a supplement to boost energy production.

Succinic acid is included in this supplement.

15. Nicotinamide Mononucleotide

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is a nucleotide derived from ribose and nicotinamide.

It's most recognized for its role in the synthesis of NAD+.

Studies show that NMN is effective at restoring NAD+ levels (22).

And researchers suggest that supplementing with NMN can counteract many diseases of aging, including neurodegenerative diseases (21).

16. Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol is a neurotoxin that wreaks havoc on the brain by raising cortisol levels, disrupting the blood-brain barrier, and increasing inflammation and oxidative stress.

It also lowers your NAD+ levels.

Alcohol has been shown to reduce NAD+ levels and lower the cellular NAD+/NADH redox ratio (25-26).

There are ways to protect your brain from alcohol, but you’re better off avoiding it completely or significantly reducing your consumption if you’re trying to heal. I personally don’t drink alcohol at all anymore.

If you do decide to drink it, this post explains that some types of alcohol are better than others.