• Tech elites turn to NAD+ in pursuit of longevity
• Scientists warn hype may outpace evidence
• Even a Surgeon General nominee urges caution
Silicon Valley’s immortality obsession
Silicon Valley has long been home to big bets on the future — from artificial intelligence to Mars colonization — but the latest trend buzzing through the 94xxx zip codes isn’t about code. It’s about chemistry. Tech entrepreneurs and investors are turning to NAD+ supplements and injections in hopes of outsmarting aging and buying themselves more time.
The region’s fascination with longevity is nothing new, but the current NAD+ craze reflects a uniquely Silicon Valley mindset — one that views mortality as a solvable engineering problem. Lacking the liberal arts humility that might encourage acceptance of the inevitable, many tech bros are now chasing eternal youth with syringes and capsules instead of code and caffeine.
The science behind NAD+
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme found in every cell of the human body. It plays a key role in energy metabolism, DNA repair, and cellular health. But NAD+ levels naturally decline with age — often to half by middle age — a drop linked to fatigue, cognitive decline, and other aging-related issues.
Supplement makers have seized on this decline, promising that restoring youthful NAD+ levels can sharpen focus, boost energy, enhance athletic performance, and even extend life. Silicon Valley’s high earners are buying in — some spending thousands a month for intravenous NAD+ drips and daily pills.
What scientists say
Many researchers urge restraint. Human studies remain limited and inconclusive. While animal experiments show potential benefits, they don’t always translate to people. More concerning, some emerging research suggests that high NAD+ levels might feed cancer cell growth.
“It might still slow down the aging part, but it might fuel the cancer part,” said clinician-scientist Versha Banerji of the University of Manitoba in Scientific American. “We just need to figure out more about the biology of both of those processes.”
Shashi Gujar, a cancer immunologist at Dalhousie University, added that while cancer cells “like NAD+,” there isn’t yet proof that supplementing causes harm — only that the risks aren’t fully understood.
Even longevity’s champions urge balance
One might expect Casey Means, the physician nominated to be U.S. Surgeon General by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be cheering on NAD+ injections. Not so.
“Hot longevity modalities like NAD injections, rectal ozone, and longevity peptides can’t overcome the toxic stew that we are living in,” Means wrote recently. “Fix the toxic environment first.”
Her message: true health starts with lifestyle, not a shot or pill. NAD+ might help some people, but it’s no “magic bullet” for aging.
A gap between promise and proof
While some studies show encouraging effects on metabolism and DNA repair, others suggest NAD+ supplementation may be overhyped.
A University of Oslo review found potential for delaying age-related decline, but called for more data on long-term safety and dosing.
Meanwhile, University of Copenhagen researchers reported that mice could lose 85% of their NAD+ without showing accelerated aging — a result that challenges the supplement industry’s narrative.
Even U.S. National Institutes of Health researchers acknowledge an “evidence gap,” citing unresolved questions about which tissues benefit, what doses are safe, and whether lifestyle changes might outperform pills.
Who really wants to live forever?
Ultimately, the debate over NAD+ is as philosophical as it is scientific. Some wealthy consumers see longevity as the ultimate luxury, while most people can’t — or wouldn’t — pay the price.
For many, faith or fatigue makes eternal life less appealing. Others might welcome rest after years of struggle.
But in Silicon Valley, the dream persists: that money and ingenuity can conquer biology itself.
Whether that dream leads to longer life or just lighter wallets remains to be seen. For now, immortality is still in beta.