6 Foods Naturally Rich in NAD+
You’ve likely heard of NAD+ supplements, like patches and sublingual tablets, for boosting your NAD+.
NAD+ is a component that is essential to cell function, energy, and resilience. Our body works to replenish it by either recycling NAD+ used up in the cells or by making it using nutrients your body takes in through food and supplements.
This article highlights several NAD+-rich foods, or foods containing key building blocks for producing NAD+.
Note: If you aren’t exactly sure what NAD+ is, why it’s essential, and why we need to replenish it, check out our articles on NAD+ and Longevity, The Benefits of NAD+ Supplementation Therapy, and What Boosts NAD+ Levels Naturally.
NAD+ is a component naturally found in living cells, including the plant and animals we include in our diet. From a nutritional perspective, to boost our NAD+ levels through diet, we want to focus primarily on foods rich in B vitaminsand tryptophan. (1, 2)
Niacin, or vitamin B3, is a NAD+ precursor, which is essential for NAD+ production. Niacin is a group term for nicotinamide, nicotinamide riboside, and nicotinic acid; together, they are metabolite precursors essential for the production of NAD+.
Nicotinic acid is the most common form of vitamin B3 in foods. The B vitamin that was first identified when pellagra, or severe niacin deficiency, was widely observed in low-income populations in the US in the early 1900s whose diet was based primarily on corn. (3)
Nicotinamide (NAM), also known as niacinamide, is a more favorable form of vitamin B3 because it doesn’t show side effects at high doses. This is often the form of niacin that is found in supplements and fortified foods.
Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a form of niacin that was only recently demonstratedto increase levels of NAD+(4). This form of niacin is found in trace amounts in milk but in few other foods. For this reason, NR is mainly obtained through supplements.
Different forms of niacin can be salvaged from the environmentthrough what we eat and any NAD+ supplements we take, or it can be produced through NAD+ recycling within the cell (5). When the body depends on NAD+ supply mainly through recycling, the NAD+ supply dwindles quickly, especially since niacin and several other B vitamins have so many functions in the body.
Tryptophan is an amino acid, a protein building block, converted to NAD+ through a 7-step pathway. It is an essential amino acid, meaning the body cannot make it, and it must be obtained through the food we eat. Tryptophan has many functions in the body, so only a part of what we consumegoes toward producing NAD+. It is also generally considered easy to obtain through the foods we eat. (6)
- Fish
Fish is an excellent source of niacin and tryptophan. Tuna, anchovies, and salmon are exceptionally high in niacin, and one 6 oz serving surpasses the recommended daily allowance for niacin (7).
Fish is also a great source of vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids – two essential nutrients to human health and healthy aging.
- Dairy Milk
Dairy milk is not particularly high in niacin in general, but it contains nicotinamide riboside, a form of niacin that is a major NAD+ precursor (8). Dairy milk and derived products are among the few sources of NAD+ rich foods in the form of NR.
- Pork
Pork is a rich source of niacin and or tryptophan. A 6-ounce serving of pork tenderloin provides between 80 and 90% of your recommended daily allowance for niacin. In general, choose leaner cuts to get the most niacin per serving (9).
- Beef
Beef is among the richest sourcesof niacin in the diet (10). A 6-oz serving of lean beef provides almost double your recommended daily allowance of niacin. It is important to choose lean cuts and, when possible, grass-fed and free-range meats, as fattier, conventionally-produced cuts have significantly less niacin per serving in addition to less omega-3 and antioxidants.
- Turkey
Turkey is a good source of niacin and tryptophan, both of which are precursors to NAD+ (11). In fact, the tryptophan content of turkey is known to be the culprit of sleepiness shortly after your turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. In addition to being a precursor for NAD+, it is also used to produce serotonin and melatonin – two hormones necessary for sleep.
- Whole Grains
Whole grains, like whole wheat and brown rice, are high in niacin(12). Niacin in grains is found in the outer shell of grains – the part that is stripped away with processing to make white flour and white rice.
However, keep in mind that the niacin naturally found in grain products is not digested and absorbed. Thus, if you depend on wheat products for your niacin intake to boost your NAD+ and other reasons, you may want to look for foods fortified in niacin or consider supplements.
A balanced diet that meets nutritional needs is essential to overall health, wellbeing, and longevity (13). If you would like to boost your NAD+ concentrations through NAD+-rich foods, you can aim to eat more foods like those we mentioned above. More importantly, however, you want to do your best to eat a variety of foods you enjoy and meet all of your nutritional needs.
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell whether your body can replenish NAD+ solely through diet (14). Everybody’s inner workings, including genes and metabolism, are unique.
In general, however, the precursors to NAD+ commonly found in food, specifically nicotinic acid and tryptophan, are not very efficient at converting to NAD+. Other forms of nicotinic acid, specifically nicotinamide and nicotine riboside, which are not found in foods in significant quantities, are converted to NAD+ much more efficiently.
It is always a good idea to integrate foods rich in NAD+ precursors niacin and tryptophan into your regular diet. The foods we mentioned above, in addition to being rich in NAD+ precursors, also provide a wide range of nutrients to your body.
However, suppose you are concerned about your NAD+ levels or about the negative effects of aging in general. In that case, it is a good idea to consider taking a NAD+ supplement, or a supplement with NAD+ precursors clinically demonstrated to increase NAD+ levels.
Depeint, F., Bruce, W., Shangari, N., Mehta, R., & O’Brien, P. (2006). Mitochondrial function and toxicity: Role of the B vitamin family on mitochondrial energy metabolism. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 163(1-2), 94-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2006.04.014
Wang, Q., Zhang, M., Ding, Y., Wang, Q., Zhang, W., Song, P., & Zou, M. (2014). Activation of NAD(P)H Oxidase by Tryptophan-Derived 3-Hydroxykynurenine Accelerates Endothelial Apoptosis and Dysfunction In Vivo. Circulation Research, 114(3), 480-492. https://doi.org/10.1161/circresaha.114.302113
Medline Plus. (2021). Pellagra: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Medlineplus.gov. Retrieved 27 August 2021, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000342.htm.
Bieganowski, P., & Brenner, C. (2004). Discoveries of Nicotinamide Riboside as a Nutrient and Conserved NRK Genes Establish a Preiss-Handler Independent Route to NAD+ in Fungi and Humans. Cell, 117(4), 495-502. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0092-8674(04)00416-7
Magnúsdóttir, S., Ravcheev, D., de Crécy-Lagard, V., & Thiele, I. (2015). Systematic genome assessment of B-vitamin biosynthesis suggests co-operation among gut microbes. Frontiers In Genetics, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2015.00148
Cantó, C., Menzies, K., & Auwerx, J. (2015). NAD+ Metabolism and the Control of Energy Homeostasis: A Balancing Act between Mitochondria and the Nucleus. Cell Metabolism, 22(1), 31-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2015.05.023
Tacon, A., & Metian, M. (2013). Fish Matters: Importance of Aquatic Foods in Human Nutrition and Global Food Supply. Reviews In Fisheries Science, 21(1), 22-38. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641262.2012.753405
Trammell, S., Yu, L., Redpath, P., Migaud, M., & Brenner, C. (2016). Nicotinamide Riboside Is a Major NAD+ Precursor Vitamin in Cow Milk. Journal Of Nutrition, 146(5), 957-963. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.116.230078
Pork, fresh, loin, tenderloin, separable lean and fat, cooked, roasted [Pork tenderloin, URMIS #3358] Nutrition Facts & Calories. Nutritiondata.self.com. (2021). Retrieved 27 August 2021, from https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/2283/2.
Kondjoyan, A., Portanguen, S., Duchène, C., Mirade, P., & Gandemer, G. (2018). Predicting the loss of vitamins B3 (niacin) and B6 (pyridoxamine) in beef during cooking. Journal Of Food Engineering, 238, 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2018.06.008
Turkey, fryer-roasters, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted Nutrition Facts & Calories. Nutritiondata.self.com. (2021). Retrieved 27 August 2021, from https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/859/2.
Zahra, N., & Jabeen, S. (2020). Brown Rice as Useful Nutritional Source. Pakistan Journal Of Agricultural Research, 33(3). https://doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjar/2020/33.3.445.453
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Dietary Guidelines Implementation; Thomas PR, editor. Improving America's Diet and Health: From Recommendations to Action. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1991. APPENDIX A, Dietary Recommendations. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK235267/
Fang, E., Kassahun, H., Croteau, D., Scheibye-Knudsen, M., Marosi, K., & Lu, H. et al. (2016). NAD + Replenishment Improves Lifespan and Healthspan in Ataxia Telangiectasia Models via Mitophagy and DNA Repair. Cell Metabolism, 24(4), 566-581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.09.004
