Inside the 'NAD+ and prosecco' parties in the Cotswolds where women gather for celeb-loved anti-ageing IV drip treatments

One of Hollywood's hottest wellness trends has trickled down to the Cotswolds, where women are hosting 'IV drip parties' to reap the supposed anti-ageing benefits of a supplement called NAD+.Glamorised by Gwyneth Paltrow, the Kardashians, Hailey Bieber and even Joe Rogan, the treatment is hailed as the 'fountain of youth' that can allegedly boost energy, sharpen the brain, strengthen immunity and even help slow ageing.Despite limited scientific evidence for these benefits, NAD+ is already all the rage on TikTok - and Stacey Dooley discovers mothers in the Cotswolds are also hooked on NAD+ in a new episode of Clickbait Clinic.The 39-year-old BBC presenter finds herself at an 'NAD+ and prosecco party' hosted by divorce coach Claire, 52, after tracking down the region's 'go-to GP for at-home drips', Dr Randeep Bhella.Explaining why she started taking NAD+, short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, Claire tells Stacey: 'I'm at that age where I just want to preserve everything for as long as possible.'She recalls feeling 'bright as a button' the day after her first appointment with Dr Bhella, who arrives at Claire's house to set up individual IVs costing between £150 and £350 for each of her guests.But Dr Bhella himself admits longevity studies for NAD+ are 'going on' and it's impossible to make a 'bold' claim about its benefits in the absence of scientific data.Experts in the UK have also raised concerns around taking the compound intravenously, a theoretical 'risk of cancer' and 'dangerous' underground clinics in a very 'grey market'. Divorce coach Claire, 52, invited Stacey Dooley to one of her NAD+ parties in the latest episode of the BBC series Clickbait ClinicNAD+, short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a molecule found in every living cell. It plays a crucial role in helping the body convert food into energy and is also involved in DNA repair and other vital cellular processes.As we age, NAD+ levels decline, and supporters suggest supplements can help tackle tiredness, banish brain fog and signs of ageing by improving how cells function and repair themselves.Celebrity advocates include beauty mogul Hailey Bieber, who was filmed receiving an NAD drip on an episode of The Kardashians, joking: 'I'm going to NAD for the rest of my life, and I'm never going to age.'Goop founder Gwyneth has spoken publicly about her enthusiasm for IV wellness treatments, while Friends star Jennifer Aniston has been reported to use NAD+ IV drips. Now NAD+ has become one of the hottest buzzwords in wellness, sold in forms ranging from injection kits to pills, powders, stick-on patches and, of course, IV drips administered at home. These drips can cost hundreds of pounds a session, with some clinics charging up to around £400 for an hour-long treatment and more for longer courses.At-home injection kits can cost about £350 for a month-long course, while pills, powders and patches are sold for anything from £20 to £80 or more. In the latest episode of the BBC's Clickbait Clinic, Stacey follows the connector tubes of NAD+ drips from the UK's bigger cities like London and Manchester to the quieter confines of the Cotswolds. Stacey Dooley (right) asks whether there's any merit to injecting the compound after the treatment was glamourised by celebrities like the Kardashians and Hailey Bieber The 39-year-old BBC presenter finds herself at an 'NAD+ and prosecco party' hosted by divorce coach Claire, 52, after tracking down the region's 'go-to GP for at-home drips', Dr Randeep BhellaThis quest leads her to the home of Claire, a 52-year-old divorce coach from the Cotswolds, who treated a group of friends to a dose of NAD+ with a side of brunch. As mimosas are passed around, Dr Bhella arrives and begins hooking Claire up to an IV 'nice and slowly', adding: 'We don't want to rush things.' She describes receiving the NAD+ as an 'out-of-body experience' and tells one of her guests to tell Dr Bhella to 'turn it down' if she starts to feel a bit 'woozy'. Medical experts have said NAD+ drips can cause headaches and dizziness, as Dr Bhella concedes the treatment can be 'uncomfortable'. However, he says unpleasant sensations during the drip are usually triggered by too large a dose or the dose being administered too quickly, and can be regulated. When Stacey asks him why he believes these parties have taken off, Dr Bhella tells her that, 'anecdotally', people report NAD+ leaves them feeling 'really well'. 'It's not the nicest thing to have done; it's a bit uncomfortable having it, but people feel really well. Hence people want it again and again.' Despite its popularity, NAD+ remains a divisive topic among health experts. Dr Michael Sagner, a clinical adviser at King's College London, argues the evidence in healthy humans remains limited. Any claims that NAD+ products can extend life or reverse ageing are largely unproven and are based mainly on animal studies.'It's extremely difficult to do these trials because you'd have to have thousands of patients, and make sure they take it every day,' he said. 'And what will we actually measure?'In animal models where you have a life expectancy of a year, two years, three years, it's a lot easier to measure these things. In humans it's basically impossible. It hasn't been done for any substance that increases NAD levels.'He said there are some 'promising' disease-specific studies, including in Parkinson's and cardiovascular disease, but added that this is very different from proving that NAD+ can keep healthy people young.'It's very difficult to measure ageing,' he said. 'It's more about being disease-free for as long as possible as you get older.'His biggest concern is the popularity of NAD+ IV drips, which deliver the compound directly into the bloodstream.Dr Sagner described parts of the NAD+ drip industry as 'murky' and a 'very grey market'.He said: 'A lot of stuff that happens in these underground drip clinics in London and elsewhere is very hush-hush.'Some of them have apparently removed the NAD+, and just tell the patients it's NAD+ and charge them for it. They infuse a little bit of vitamin C or something else because they are afraid of the side effects, but they still want to make money.' Explaining why she started taking NAD+, short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, Claire tells Stacey: 'I'm at that age where I just want to preserve everything for as long as possible'He added: 'You can't really take NAD+, or you shouldn't, especially intravenously. Those drip clinics that offer it are very dangerous.'We have seen a lot of adverse side effects such as inflammation, allergic reactions, and so on. After the drip, people can have headaches and dizziness.'Dr Sagner said he had heard reports of serious complications following NAD+ infusions, although such cases can be difficult to verify publicly.He also questioned whether many of the products being sold actually increase NAD+ in a meaningful way. According to him, the body is designed to make NAD+ inside cells from precursor compounds, rather than receive NAD+ directly through the bloodstream.The two best-known NAD+ precursors are NR, or nicotinamide riboside, and NMN, or nicotinamide mononucleotide. These are sold as supplements and are designed to give the body the raw materials to make NAD+ itself.Dr Sagner said that, if someone is determined to try to raise their NAD+ levels, oral NR is the most sensible option, calling it the 'gold standard'. 'NR is the gold standard if someone wants to increase their NAD levels,' he said, but warned consumers to be careful about where they buy supplements from because quality and regulation vary widely.There is also a more controversial concern: whether artificially boosting NAD+ could have unintended consequences.NAD+ supplements have not been proven to cause cancer in humans. But some scientists have raised theoretical concerns because NAD+ is involved in cellular energy production and DNA repair, processes that are also important in cancer cell survival and growth.There may also be another downside to trying to make cells more metabolically active. Dr Sagner said that boosting the pathways involved in energy production could also increase the amount of biological 'waste' produced by cells.'Whenever you boost something or increase something that actually increases possible energy production, you also increase the amount of waste product,' he said.In other words, the concern is that driving cells to produce more energy may also create more by-products that the body has to process and clear.But not all doctors are so sceptical about NAD+. Dr Enayat, a GP and founder of the longevity clinic HUM2N, argues that it can be beneficial for some patients and says he has seen improvements in symptoms such as brain fog, low energy and poor sleep.And in his opinion, whether NAD+ enters the cell directly or is simply introduced to the blood is less important to him than the clinical improvements he sees in practice.'I'm not a scientist, I'm a doctor,' he said. 'I see my patients improve, clinically - and that's where I build my confidence with them. Whether the NAD+ is extracellular or intracellular to me, is by the by.'He added: 'In theory, scientists say it has to be intracellular to provide any noticeable benefit, but I would argue and say that if that's the case, then why do my patients feel better energetically? How do they report better motivation?'Dr Enayat said around 75 per cent of his patients report symptom improvements, including better energy, sleep and mental clarity.However, he also warned that NAD+ is being oversold.He said: 'There is a lot of misselling of NAD+, with people upselling that this is going to be some kind of transformation for anyone and everything at the same time. And I don't believe it's that, I think you need it when you're depleted.'That view is not entirely at odds with Dr Sagner's more cautious advice. He said the most sensible approach is not to chase NAD+ blindly, but to check whether levels are actually low.'A smart idea would just be to measure it,' he said. 'If you think you have low NAD levels, there are labs, they can measure it.'And if your levels are low, why not just take NR for a while, measure again, treat it like a deficiency instead of injecting yourself, or taking something randomly.'He said oral supplements may be able to raise NAD+ levels within one or two weeks, adding: 'If you're forty plus, maybe just get some high-quality NR and take it for three weeks and see how you feel - if it improves energy levels.'But he stressed there is still no proof that doing so will deliver long-term anti-ageing benefits.When contacted for comment regarding NAD+ supplements, a representative for the MHRA said: 'In the absence of medicinal claims, NAD+ supplements are not medicinal products and they do not fall under the remit of MHRA; we cannot advise on their efficacy or safety.'Watch the latest episode of Clickbait Clinic tonight at 8.30pm on BBC One