Research Spotlights CD38 Inhibition as a Strategy for NAD+ Preservation

A growing body of research presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Science Research Conference on NAD Metabolism and Signaling, held June 7–11, 2026 in Melbourne, FL, is reframing how the supplement industry approaches the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) category.¹

While the category has been built largely around precursor ingredients, most prominently nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), researchers at the conference examined whether targeting enzymatic degradation NAD+ may be an equally important strategy.

Findings presented by Blue Helix Health centered on a patented botanical ingredient, BluNAD+ Booster, which the company reports reduces activity of CD38 (the primary NAD+-consuming enzyme in mammalian tissues), while also supporting NAD+ production and functional health outcomes.

"Recent events such as the NAD+ conference in Copenhagen and the upcoming FASEB meeting in Florida highlight what an exciting time this is for the NAD+ research community," said Mathias Ziegler, MD, PhD, professor of biomedicine at the University of Bergen and chief science officer of Blue Helix Health, who was invited to speak at the conference. "Scientists worldwide are sharing novel findings in NAD+ homeostasis, mitochondrial metabolism, and their impact on human health. We continue to expand our knowledge about NAD+ and investigate the possibilities to translate the findings to applications for a healthier lifespan for people."

What Is CD38 and Why Does It Matter for NAD+ Levels in Aging?

CD38 is a multifunctional ectoenzyme widely expressed on immune and non-hematopoietic cells that metabolizes NAD+ into ADP-ribose and nicotinamide, thereby reducing cellular NAD+ availability.

Research has established that CD38 expression increases significantly with age and is a principal driver of the tissue-level NAD+ decline associated with aging and metabolic dysfunction. In a detailed discussion of NAD+ metabolism with Nutritional Outlook back in April, Ziegler explained the concept of NAD+ balance as a "sink" dynamic: even when biosynthesis is stimulated through precursor supplementation, age-associated upregulation of CD38 can accelerate catabolism faster than production compensates, making CD38 modulation a potentially necessary co-intervention to sustain meaningful NAD+ levels.²

Ziegler also highlighted in that interview that a newly identified mitochondrial NAD+ transporter enables rapid mobilization of mitochondrial NAD+ stores, with downstream implications for DNA repair and epigenetic regulation, findings that underscore why cellular distribution of NAD+, not just its circulating levels, may determine functional outcomes.²

BluNAD+ Booster, developed by Blue Helix Health and distributed in the United States by NXT USA, combines polyphenol-rich extracts from pomegranate and marigold and is designed to modulate CD38 activity alongside supporting NAD+ synthesis. Blue Helix Health's conference presentation reported reductions in CD38 enzymatic activity alongside increases in NAD+ levels, and improvements in functional outcomes including cognitive performance, quality-of-life measures, and physical endurance.

How Does a CD38 Inhibition Strategy Differ from Conventional NAD+ Precursor Products?

The main commercial approach to NAD+ support has focused on flooding the biosynthetic pathway with substrate, supplying NR or NMN to drive increased NAD+ production.

A limitation of this approach is that CD38-driven degradation continues regardless of how much precursor is supplied, potentially limiting net NAD+ accumulation particularly in aging tissues where CD38 is upregulated.

As Ziegler noted in his Nutritional Outlook discussion,² there is a meaningful gap between biomarker gains, such as elevated circulating nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and real-world functional outcomes, a distinction that researchers are increasingly treating as a central challenge for the category.²

"New research around the CD38 enzyme is proving our instinct and validation in finding botanicals that uniquely target these enzymes that consume NAD+," said Ashish Suthar, PhD, managing director of Blue Helix Health. "This gives BluNAD+ Booster a distinct advantage in a marketplace full of synthetic NAD+ precursors."

References

1. Saraceno N, Ziegler M. Why balance may define the next phase of longevity science. Nutritional Outlook. April 6, 2026. Accessed June 15, 2026. https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/why-balance-may-define-next-phase-longevity-science

2. Blue Helix Health. Beyond NAD+ boosting: new research highlights the importance of NAD preservation. June 9, 2026. Accessed June 15, 2026. Press release delivered via email.