The NAD-brain pharmacokinetic study of NAD augmentation in blood and brain using oral precursor supplementation

iScience 2026 Open access

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Authors: Haakon Berven, Magnus Svensen, Heidi Eikeland, Nora Tvedten, Erika Sheard, Solveig Amdahl Af Geijerstam, Mona Søgnen, Adrian McCann, Lena Arnsten, Ove Arseth, Vivian Skjeie, Arve Hjellbrekke
+7 more Geir-Olve Skeie, Yamila N. Torres Cleuren, Gonzalo S. Nido, Kristoffer Haugarvoll, Frank Riemer, Charalampos Tzoulis, Christian Dölle
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.114764
Cited by: 5
References: 47

Abstract

= 6) receiving 1,200 mg/day nicotinamide riboside or nicotinamide mononucleotide. Blood NAD increased slowly, plateauing after approximately two weeks of treatment, and declined with similarly slow kinetics following treatment discontinuation. Cerebral NAD levels increased measurably after four weeks of treatment. NAD-related metabolites showed faster increase and washout dynamics compared to NAD itself. Collectively, these data suggest that effective NAD-AT requires sustained oral administration over at least 2-4 weeks and that once-daily dosing is sufficient to maintain stable NAD levels. NAD responses exhibited considerable interindividual variability, but were not influenced by disease status or sex, indicating broad applicability.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Sirtuins and Resveratrol in Medicine Calcium signaling and nucleotide metabolism Pharmacological Effects and Toxicity Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
iScience
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
29
Issue
3
Pages
114764–114764
Publication date
28 January 2026
Language
EN