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MOTS-c vs NAD+

Updated 9 sources

Key differences

  1. 1Users often frame them as either/or, while clinics pair them.
  2. 2No head-to-head data exists.
  3. 3NAD+ is a coenzyme. MOTS-c is a 16 amino acid peptide that acts through AMPK.
  4. 4MOTS-c runs 5 to 10 mg 2 to 3 times a week; NAD+ runs 50 to 100 mg subQ.
  5. 5No head-to-head study exists.

Side by side

Facts from each record, in the same words as their own pages.
MOTS-c and NAD+ side by side
MOTS-cNAD+
Category
  • Longevity, Weight loss
  • Longevity, Cognitive
Evidence
  • Animal data only
  • Limited human data
FDA status
  • Not FDA approvedRegulatory
  • FDA 503A Category 1Regulatory
WADA
  • Prohibited
  • Not confirmed
Half-life
  • Never measured in people. FDA found no in-vivo study, only a lab study showing fast breakdown in human blood. Figures of 1 to 6 hours on other sites are unsourced estimates.Clinical study
  • Not established. No study reports human kinetic values for injected NAD+, per a 2026 review. In one IV study, plasma levels stayed flat for the first 2 hours of a 6-hour infusion.Clinical study
Routes
  • Subcutaneous injection
  • Subcutaneous injection, Intramuscular injection, Intravenous (IV), Nasal
Forms
  • Vial (powder)
  • Vial (powder), Nasal spray
Reported doses
  • 0.8 to 10 mg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 200 to 1,000 mcg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 25 to 500 mg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 50 to 100 mg (intramuscular injection)
  • 250 to 1,000 mg (intravenous (iv))
Most cited frequency
  • 2 to 3 times a week
  • Twice a week
Vial sizes
  • 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mgCompetitor guide
  • 100 mg, 250 mg, 500 mg, 750 mg, 1,000 mg, 1,500 mgCompetitor guide
Mixed vial keeps
  • Fridge, 2 to 8 C, never frozen.Competitor guide
  • Fridge at 2 to 8 C, out of light, never frozen.Competitor guide
Protocols on file
  • 16
  • 19

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Read each in full

Sources

9 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.

Clinical study3

  1. PubMed search: MOTS-c pharmacokinetics or half-lifePubMed · checked Oct 23, 2026
  2. Narrative review of IV NAD+ (2026)Frontiers in Aging · checked Oct 23, 2026
  3. Grant et al. 2019, IV NAD+ pilotPMC · checked Oct 23, 2026

Regulatory3

  1. FDA briefing document, PCAC July 23 to 24, 2026: MOTS-cFDA · checked Oct 23, 2026
  2. Interim 503A bulks listFDA · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. Warning letter 718739 (Jan 20, 2026)FDA · checked Oct 23, 2026

Vendor guide1

  1. MOTS-c dosage protocol: 4-injection cycleperfectb.com · checked Oct 23, 2026

Competitor guide1

  1. MOTS-c vs NADpeptidedeck.com · checked Oct 23, 2026

Community-reported1

  1. MOTS-c vs NAD+r/Peptides · checked Oct 23, 2026