You’ve been feeling constantly drained, struggling to focus, and noticing that your energy levels just aren’t what they used to be. NAD+ and Vitamin B3 are supplements and therapies that can help restore vitality and cellular health. But while their benefits sound similar, they play vastly different roles in your body, and it’s crucial to understand their differences.
At Genesis Lifestyle Medicine, we take a science-based approach to optimizing your health and longevity. In this guide, you’ll learn how NAD+ and vitamin B3 differ, how they work together, and why both play vital roles in supporting energy, cellular repair, and wellness.
Overview
NAD+
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme that exists naturally in every living cell. It’s not a vitamin itself, but rather a helper molecule that enables your cells to perform essential functions like energy production, DNA repair, and cellular communication.
Without adequate NAD+, your body struggles to convert food into usable energy or maintain cellular function. Over time, NAD+ levels decline with age, stress, poor diet, and environmental toxins, contributing to fatigue, cognitive decline, and other signs of aging. Maintaining healthy NAD+ levels is essential for keeping your metabolism and mitochondria working efficiently.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, is an essential nutrient your body cannot produce on its own. It must come from food or supplements. Niacin plays a foundational role in creating NAD+, serving as a precursor to the coenzyme.
When you consume vitamin B3, your body converts it into NAD+ through a biochemical process. Besides this conversion, vitamin B3 also supports other vital functions, such as maintaining healthy skin, brain performance, and balanced cholesterol levels.
Function in the body
NAD+
NAD+ acts like a cellular engine component. Without NAD+, your cells can’t “run.” It helps enzymes facilitate oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions that convert carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into ATP, the energy currency of the body.
Beyond energy production, NAD+ also activates sirtuins, the proteins associated with DNA repair, inflammation control, and longevity. Adequate NAD+ levels can therefore enhance metabolic health, improve resilience to stress, and support optimal cell regeneration.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3 is the raw material for NAD+ creation. It’s one of several precursors your body can use (others include tryptophan and nicotinamide riboside). Without sufficient vitamin B3 intake, your NAD+ levels could decline, leading to reduced energy and impaired cellular repair.
Apart from fueling NAD+ synthesis, vitamin B3 also independently contributes to brain function, nerve signaling, and cardiovascular health by improving circulation and cholesterol balance.
Sources and supplementation
NAD+
NAD+ is naturally produced within your body, but its levels diminish over time. While you can’t directly get NAD+ from food in large quantities, your body can boost it through NAD+ therapies offered at Genesis Lifestyle Medicine.
These treatments help replenish declining NAD+ reserves and may support improved focus, metabolism, and recovery. Lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, adequate sleep, and a balanced diet rich in amino acids can also help sustain NAD+ production.
Vitamin B3
You can obtain vitamin B3 through dietary sources such as poultry, tuna, salmon, peanuts, brown rice, and fortified grains. For individuals with deficiencies or higher needs, vitamin B3 supplements are available in forms like niacin, nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside.
Vitamin B3 supplements can naturally boost your NAD+ levels over time by fueling the coenzyme’s production cycle. However, excessive niacin supplementation can lead to side effects like flushing, nausea, or headaches, so proper guidance is key.
Role in aging and longevity
NAD+
Research suggests NAD+ plays a key role in slowing the biological aging process. It helps maintain mitochondrial health, the “powerhouses” of your cells, while supporting DNA repair and metabolic balance. As NAD+ levels drop with age, the body becomes less efficient at regenerating cells, leading to fatigue, slower recovery, and visible signs of aging.
NAD+ restoration therapies aim to restore these levels, potentially helping you feel more youthful, energized, and mentally sharp over time.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3 indirectly supports longevity through its relationship with NAD+. By serving as a precursor, it ensures your body has the building blocks it needs to maintain NAD+ activity. Some studies suggest niacin and its derivatives may improve skin health, circulation, and cholesterol balance, all factors linked to longevity.
However, vitamin B3’s anti-aging effects are less direct than those of NAD+ replenishment, since its main role is to support NAD+ synthesis rather than to act as the coenzyme itself.
Clinical applications
NAD+
NAD+ therapy supports a wide range of health goals. At Genesis Lifestyle Medicine, NAD+ is offered through patches, injections, or nasal sprays to restore cellular balance. Patients often explore NAD+ therapy for issues like low energy, brain fog, and age-related decline. Ongoing research is also examining its benefits for overall neurological support and mood balance.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3 supplementation is often used to help manage high cholesterol, promote cardiovascular health, and support nerve and brain function. In clinical settings, high-dose niacin has been used to reduce LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol levels. However, vitamin B3’s effects tend to be more systemic and less targeted toward cellular repair.
Safety and side effects
NAD+
When administered properly, NAD+ therapy is generally well-tolerated. Some individuals may experience mild and temporary side effects such as headache, nausea, or muscle aches as the body adjusts to the increased coenzyme levels. These effects usually subside quickly.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3 is safe when consumed within the recommended daily limits. However, high doses, especially in supplement form, can cause skin flushing, digestive discomfort, and, in rare cases, liver toxicity. It’s important to follow professional guidance to ensure safe dosing.
Two allies for your cellular health
Although NAD+ and vitamin B3 are distinct, they are deeply interconnected in maintaining your cellular vitality. Vitamin B3 provides the raw material your body uses to synthesize NAD+, while NAD+ keeps your metabolism and repair systems functioning smoothly. Supporting both ensures your cells can perform at their best as you age.
At Genesis Lifestyle Medicine, our specialists take a holistic approach to optimizing wellness. Through NAD+ therapy and nutritional support, we help you restore balance, elevate energy, and rejuvenate your body at the cellular level, so you can look and feel your best.
