NAD+ doesn't create energy. It creates traffic – and traffic needs an exit.

Dumping more cars onto a jammed highway doesn't get anyone home faster.

You're Not Tired. You're Depleted - Aleksandra Duba

NAD+ has become the trendy word in the energy and longevity world — more NAD+, more energy, more everything good. But that only works if the road NAD+ is traveling on is actually open. If there's a jam further down the highway, sending more cars onto it doesn't get anyone anywhere. It just makes the jam bigger.

Think of it like a toll booth

Picture a busy highway with a toll booth up ahead. Cars (that's NAD+, doing its job) drive along, pick up a passenger (energy from food), and head toward the booth to drop them off and turn back around, ready for another trip. That drop-off point is where the real energy production happens.

Now imagine one lane of that toll booth is broken. Cars start backing up. If you respond by sending even more cars onto the highway, you're not fixing anything — you're just adding to a jam that's already forming.

Why this matters

That's basically what happens when NAD+ supplements get added to a system where the "toll booth" — the part of your mitochondria in charge of recycling — isn't working well, maybe because it's inflamed, worn down, or missing something it needs. Handing that system more NAD+ (through NR, NMN, or niacin) doesn't clear the jam. It just means more cars piling up before the broken lane, going nowhere.

Your body notices the pile-up and starts rerouting — sending some traffic down side streets instead (your cells shifting energy production to less efficient backup routes), which isn't the outcome anyone wanted from a supplement marketed as an energy booster.

What actually helps

Before adding more traffic, it makes more sense to fix the broken lane. CoQ10, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and alpha-lipoic acid all support that "toll booth" directly, helping the recycling machinery run better. Once that's working properly, adding more NAD+ finally has somewhere useful to go.

Let's be honest about what this does and doesn't mean

This mechanism — cars needing somewhere to go, jams building up when the exit is blocked — is based on real, published biology, not a guess. What it doesn't mean is that everyone who feels tired has a "broken toll booth," or that NAD+ supplements are dangerous for a healthy person. For someone whose system is working normally, NAD+ precursors support normal energy production just fine. This note is about what happens specifically when the underlying machinery is already struggling — not a diagnosis, and not a reason to fear a specific supplement.

The takeaway: more NAD+ isn't automatically more energy. It's more traffic — and traffic only helps if the road ahead is actually open.

Bibliography

1. "Genetic modulation of mitochondrial NAD+ regeneration does not prevent dopaminergic neuron dysfunction caused by mitochondrial complex I impairment." PMC, 2025.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12507863/
2. "Mitochondrial NAD+/NADH Redox State and Diabetic Cardiomyopathy." PMC.
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6306679/
3. "Lactate oxidation at the mitochondria: a lactate-malate-aspartate shuttle at work." PMC.
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4243568/
4. "Coenzyme Q and the Respiratory Chain: Coenzyme Q Pool and Mitochondrial Supercomplexes." PMC.
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4112531/
5. "Therapeutic Approaches Using Riboflavin in Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism Disorders." PubMed.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27527619/

Disclaimer: This content is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not intended to replace consultation with a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or combining any supplement, medication, or dietary compound.