NAD+ vs. 5-Amino-1MQ

Happy Thursday!

Earlier this week inside the Axion Collective, there was a post where we went deep on the following question:

That question matters more than people realize.

Most people don’t fail with these compounds due to bad products or bad dosing.

They fail because they’re solving the wrong problem.

I see this constantly. Someone feels flat, burned out, and cognitively dull and jumps straight to 5-Amino-1MQ because they heard it’s fantastic.

Another person has clear metabolic dysfunction and stubborn fat, but keeps hammering NAD⁺ injections, wondering why results plateau.

In reality, they both act on different failure points in human metabolism.

Once you understand what problem each one solves, the confusion disappears.

And more importantly, you stop wasting months chasing effects that were never going to show up in the first place.

Let’s break this down properly.

NAD⁺

NAD⁺ is not a fat loss compound.

It’s not a stimulant.

And it’s not a “longevity hack” in the way social media uses that term.

NAD⁺ is a fundamental redox molecule.

It sits at the center of mitochondrial energy production, DNA repair, circadian rhythm regulation, and cellular stress resilience.

When NAD⁺ is low, everything downstream suffers:

When you inject NAD⁺ (especially IM), you’re doing substrate replacement. You’re restoring a depleted system.

This is why NAD⁺ shines in very specific scenarios:

Clinically, these people complain about feeling flat. Wired but tired. Mentally dull. Unable to recover.

In these cases, NAD⁺ alone often works beautifully.

However, NAD⁺ does not fix metabolic inefficiency.

It restores capacity.

And that distinction matters.

5-Amino-1MQ

5-Amino-1MQ works upstream of where most people think metabolism lives.

It doesn’t directly increase energy.

It doesn’t stimulate mitochondria directly.

And It doesn’t “boost NAD⁺ levels” in the way you think.

Instead, it inhibits NNMT (nicotinamide N-methyltransferase), an enzyme that quietly drains the NAD⁺ system over time.

NNMT does three problematic things:

This is why elevated NNMT activity is associated with:

5-Amino-1MQ doesn’t always feel dramatic. In fact, some people don’t “feel” it at all.

But over weeks, body composition changes. Insulin sensitivity improves. Appetite normalizes. Fat loss becomes less resistant.

This makes it ideal in isolation for:

But remember, if NAD⁺ is already depleted, blocking waste doesn’t help much.

You’re protecting a system that’s already empty.

Using Them Together

Think of NAD⁺ and 5-Amino-1MQ as solving opposite sides of the same equation.

NAD⁺ increases capacity.

5-Amino-1MQ increases efficiency.

If you only increase capacity, results spike, then flatten.

If you only increase efficiency, results are slow and muted if the system is underpowered.

Together, you improve NAD⁺ flux, not just your total levels.

That means:

This combination shines in:

Importantly, stacking them often allows lower doses of NAD⁺ to work better, because the system isn’t leaking anymore.

Pros vs. Cons

(⚠️ = yes, but indirectly, ❌ = no, ✅ = yes)

This table alone explains why so many people “half-succeed” when they only use one.

Final Thoughts

Here’s the simplest way to think about it.

If someone is:

NAD⁺ first. Refill the tank.

If someone is:

5-Amino-1MQ first. Fix the drain.

If someone wants:

Use both.

NAD⁺ charges the battery.

5-Amino-1MQ stops the battery from leaking.

Once you understand that, dosing debates disappear, protocol confusion vanishes, and results finally become predictable.

Best,

Hunter Williams

P.S. You can get NAD⁺ at BioLongevity Labs for 40% off plus an additional 15% off when you use code HUNTERW at checkout.