Super trendy supplement taken by Kim Kardashian and Bryan Johnson may speed up cancer growth

Celeb-loved supplements touted for their anti-aging properties could fuel more than just your cells — they could fuel cancer.Famous folks from Kim Kardashian to biohacker Bryan Johnson have talked about oral supplements that increase NAD+, a molecule used in every living cell in your body to make energy, repair DNA, and protect cells.New research says these NAD+ precursor supplements — nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), nicotinamide riboside (NR) and niacinamide/nicotinamide (NAM) — may inadvertently also be helping cancer survive and even resist treatment.NAD+ is needed for almost everything your body does.And the body has less of it as you get older.“NAD⁺ levels naturally decline with age, most significantly in the 40s, [contributing to] chronic inflammation, poor sleep, metabolic disease and prolonged stress,” Dr.

Pooja Gidwani, a double board-certified internal and obesity medicine physician based in Los Angeles, previously told The Post.By taking NAD+ supplements, you might see “improved energy regulation, exercise tolerance or metabolic markers rather than dramatic cosmetic or weight-loss effects,” she said.NMN, NR, and NAM are all forms of vitamin B3 that convert to NAD+ in cells, aka “NAD+ precursors.”“The goal of NMN supplementation is not to ‘supercharge’ the system, but to support normal cellular processes that become less efficient over time,” Gidwani said.Gidwani emphasized that NMN “may help optimize cellular energy pathways in the right context,” but it’s “not a miracle anti-aging drug,” nor can it replace sleep, exercise, nutrition or medical care.NAD+ precursor supplements can be great for healthy people.But new research from Case Western shows that when cancer is present, it can boost the disease.That’s why it matters who takes these supplements.

Researchers say that companies that sell NAD+ precursor supplements primarily target older individuals who are at higher risk of age-related illness, like cancer....