NAD+ and glutathione: what we know, and what we don't

Two molecules you already make

NAD+ is a coenzyme every cell uses to turn food into energy and to repair itself. Glutathione is a small molecule, made from three amino acids, that is one of your body's main antioxidants. Neither is foreign to you; both are made inside your cells every day.

What the research supports

Research reviews have found that NAD+ levels tend to fall with age, and that low NAD+ is linked to processes involved in aging. That's the main reason for the interest in raising it.

Glutathione plays a central role in managing oxidative stress, detoxification and immune function, and researchers are studying glutathione levels as a marker in several chronic conditions.

Where the evidence runs out

Most of that research is lab and animal work, or studies of supplements people take by mouth. There's much less high-quality research on injecting NAD+ or glutathione, or on NAD+ as a nasal spray, and it hasn't shown clear benefits for energy, aging or skin in healthy people.

So it's honest to call these options you can discuss with a clinician, not proven treatments. Anyone promising specific results from them is promising more than the evidence shows.

Injection or nasal spray?

NAD+ comes as an injection or a nasal spray. They haven't been compared head to head in good studies, so there's no evidence that one works better. The practical difference is comfort: the spray avoids needles. Your clinician can help you choose.

Glutathione is given as an injection. It's also sold as a supplement you take by mouth, but how well that's absorbed is still debated, which is part of why injections are used.

On Vitascend

Both are compounded by a licensed US pharmacy and are not FDA-approved. A licensed clinician reviews your history and decides whether either is appropriate for you. Tell them about every medication and supplement you take.