When someone is looking for help, a treatment described as “restoring the body” can sound hopeful. I want to be open to possibilities while asking a straightforward question: did the study actually test the thing being promised?
That question matters with this NAD+ infusion paper. It is one specific study, not the whole of NAD+ research.
Who took part, and what was measured?
Grant and colleagues’ paper, published on 12 September 2019, involved 11 healthy men. Eight received NAD+ through an intravenous infusion and three received saline. Researchers measured NAD+ and its breakdown products in blood and urine during and after a six-hour infusion. [1]
They were looking at how the body processes it. The participants were not receiving addiction treatment. No women were included, and the study did not measure withdrawal, cravings, abstinence or relapse.
Mentioning recovery is not the same as testing it
The paper discusses historical reports of NAD+ use in alcohol withdrawal. Those reports explain some of the background interest. They were not outcomes measured in this experiment.
The paper also disclosed links to a centre providing NAD+ infusions and consulting fees from NAD+ Research Inc. [1]
So I would not use this study as proof that NAD+ infusions help people recover from addiction. That does not prove they cannot help; it means this experiment did not answer the question.
What evidence would be more useful?
I would want studies involving people seeking treatment, a suitable comparison and outcomes that matter to recovery. I would also want to know what other support they received, what side effects occurred and what happened afterwards.
For a woman considering a recovery claim, healthy male participants and blood measurements leave a sizeable gap between the research and her question.
What I would ask about a proposed treatment
Did the study include people with the problem I need help with? Did it measure recovery, or just a laboratory change? What are the known risks and uncertainties? How would it fit alongside medical, psychological and social support, and what happens if it does not help?
You should be able to ask all of that without being judged for looking. A study of how the body processes NAD+ cannot provide a safe withdrawal plan or replace individual addiction care.
Read the original source
- Grant and colleagues: pilot study of plasma and urine NAD+ metabolites during an IV infusion ↗Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · 12 September 2019 · Full paper reviewed. Small human metabolism study; addiction-treatment outcomes were not tested.