By: Marc Lobliner, IFBB Pro

Everybody is selling you a dream right now. Walk through any health expo or supplement aisle and you’ll see the NAD hype train on full blast: capsules, patches, even IV drips claiming to “flood your cells with NAD” and unlock endless energy, slow aging, and maybe even make you invincible. Sounds awesome, right? Problem is, the entire premise is broken.

Let’s get one thing straight: NAD can’t even get into your mitochondria.

And if it can’t get there, it can’t do the one job everyone thinks they’re paying for: powering up your cellular engines to crank out ATP and make you feel unstoppable.

This isn’t my opinion. This is biochemistry 101. Let’s break it down.

What NAD Really Is (And Isn’t)

NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme found in every cell of your body. It plays a crucial role in redox reactions, carrying electrons from one reaction to another. Think of it like a shuttle bus for energy transfer – moving electrons to keep your metabolism humming.

Inside the mitochondria, NAD is critical in the Krebs cycle and electron transport chain (ETC), the processes that generate ATP – the fuel that runs everything you do. No NAD, no ATP. It’s that important.

Here’s where the marketing spin goes off the rails: NAD supplements are being sold like they’re “filling up your tank.” You take a pill, NAD floods your body, and suddenly you’re Iron Man. Except…

The Problem: NAD Can’t Enter the Mitochondria

NAD is a large, charged molecule. The mitochondrial membrane is highly selective. There is no direct transporter that allows intact NAD to cross from the cytosol into the mitochondrial matrix (the inside of the mitochondria where ATP is made).

That means all that “extra NAD” floating around outside your mitochondria isn’t helping your cellular engines directly. The mitochondria have to make their own NAD internally, using precursors and recycling pathways.

This is why taking NAD itself orally is essentially useless. Studies have shown oral NAD gets broken down in the gut and bloodstream. What actually raises NAD is taking precursors like NR (nicotinamide riboside) or NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide), which your body can convert into NAD. But even then, the question remains: is NAD availability even the limiting factor in energy production?

Is NAD Ever Limiting? Probably Not

Here’s the kicker. There’s no strong evidence that mitochondria are starved for NAD in healthy individuals.

• In fact, studies show that even in aging, where NAD levels decline systemically, mitochondrial function isn’t rescued just by dumping in precursors. (Zhang et al., Cell Metabolism, 2016)
• When NAD drops, it’s usually because of overactive enzymes (like CD38 or PARPs) breaking it down, not because we aren’t “eating enough NAD.”
• Mitochondria are incredibly efficient at recycling NAD through redox reactions. They aren’t sitting around waiting for a capsule to save them.

So what does this mean? That NAD isn’t the bottleneck. You can crank up precursors, but if your mitochondria don’t have the right fuel or signaling environment, you won’t feel a damn thing.

The Real Limiting Factor: Fuel That Mitochondria Can Use

If you want more energy, you don’t throw coenzymes at the wall and hope they stick. You give the mitochondria something they can actually burn for ATP.

That’s where goBHB (beta-hydroxybutyrate) comes in.

What is goBHB?

goBHB is a patented, high-quality form of exogenous ketones. Specifically, it’s beta-hydroxybutyrate bound to minerals like sodium, calcium, or magnesium to make it stable and bioavailable.

When you take goBHB, your blood ketone levels rise within 30–60 minutes, mimicking the effects of being in deep nutritional ketosis – without fasting or going zero-carb.

But the real magic? goBHB doesn’t need to play transporter roulette. It doesn’t get blocked at the mitochondrial gate. It goes straight in as fuel.

How goBHB Directly Powers Mitochondria

1. Bypasses glucose dependence
   
   • Unlike glucose, which requires insulin and multiple enzymatic steps to enter the mitochondria, BHB is readily taken up and converted into acetyl-CoA — the direct entry point to the Krebs cycle.
   • This means faster, cleaner ATP production.
2. Produces more energy per unit
   
   • Research shows that BHB yields more ATP per molecule than glucose or fatty acids, making it a more energy-dense fuel. (Veech, 2004, Prog Cardiovasc Dis)
3. Reduces oxidative stress
   
   • Burning glucose can generate excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). BHB metabolism creates fewer ROS, protecting mitochondria from oxidative damage.
4. Increases mitochondrial biogenesis
   
   • BHB acts as a signaling molecule, activating PGC-1α, a master regulator of mitochondrial growth. More mitochondria = more cellular engines.

The Brain Boost: BHB, BDNF, and Cognition

goBHB doesn’t just fuel muscles. It crosses the blood-brain barrier and acts as premium fuel for neurons. Even better, it activates pathways that increase Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), the protein that drives learning, memory, and neuroplasticity.

• Animal studies show ketones increase BDNF expression in the hippocampus, improving learning and memory. (Marosi et al., J Neurochem, 2016)
• In humans, ketone supplementation has been shown to improve cognitive performance under stress and fatigue conditions.

This is a game-changer. Instead of caffeine-fueled jitters and crashes, goBHB provides steady brain fuel plus long-term neuroplastic benefits.

Performance and Recovery

goBHB has been studied in the context of endurance, performance, and recovery:

• Endurance: Ketones improved endurance performance in elite cyclists by providing an alternative, glycogen-sparing fuel. (Cox et al., Cell Metab, 2016)
• Recovery: BHB reduces inflammation post-exercise by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome, a driver of systemic inflammation. (Youm et al., Nat Med, 2015)
• Muscle Preservation: BHB has anticatabolic effects, protecting muscle protein from breakdown under stress.

Anti-Aging and Longevity

While NAD marketing claims are all about longevity, goBHB actually has the mechanisms to back it up:

• Epigenetic Regulation: BHB inhibits histone deacetylases (HDACs), switching on genes linked to stress resistance and longevity.
• Metabolic Flexibility: Supplementing BHB trains your body to efficiently switch between fuel sources, a hallmark of resilient metabolism.
• Neuroprotection: By fueling the brain and upregulating BDNF, BHB may help protect against neurodegenerative diseases.

Why goBHB Beats NAD Supplements

• Direct fuel vs. indirect hope: goBHB goes straight into the mitochondria. NAD supplements rely on complex pathways and questionable assumptions.
• Immediate results: With goBHB, blood ketones rise in under an hour. NAD pills may not move the needle at all.
• Proven benefits: Studies back BHB for energy, endurance, cognition, inflammation, and longevity pathways. NAD hype is mostly extrapolated theory.

The Bottom Line

If you want to cut through hype and actually fuel your body at the cellular level, stop chasing NAD supplements. They can’t do what they promise because NAD doesn’t even get into your mitochondria.

Instead, give your mitochondria what they’re built to run on. goBHB is real, clean energy that fuels your brain, your body, and your future.

That’s not just marketing — that’s science you can feel.