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Cutting-edge longevity · NAD+ precursor

Nicotinamide riboside (NR)

Also searched as: NR · Niagen · Tru Niagen · vitamin B3 riboside

A form of vitamin B3 that the body converts to NAD+. It is one of the best-studied NAD+ precursors sold as a supplement.

Vanu Health Research Team · Updated

Telomere details

What is known about Nicotinamide riboside and telomeres

No human telomere data found

How it is meant to work

NR raises NAD+, which supports the enzymes that are proposed to protect telomeres. The link is indirect: NR does not act on telomerase itself.

What has been measured

  • Human trials of NR measure NAD+ metabolites, muscle and metabolic outcomes. We did not find one that measured telomere length.

What it means

No measured telomere benefit in people. Any telomere claim for NR is a hypothesis.

Telomeres are the protective caps on chromosomes. Blood-cell telomere length is a biomarker; it has not been shown to predict how skin looks or how long you live.

What is Nicotinamide riboside?

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a naturally occurring form of vitamin B3. In the body it is converted, in a few steps, to NAD+.

Why it comes up for skin and aging

We found no controlled human trial of oral NR on wrinkles, hydration or sun damage. The skin rationale is indirect: skin cells use NAD+ to repair DNA damage, and NR raises NAD+.

What the research shows

Martens et al. 2018 (Nature Communications) ran two 6-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover periods in healthy middle-aged and older adults. The abstract reports that NR was well tolerated and elevated NAD+. It gives no percentage increase, and it does not report blood pressure or arterial stiffness results.

Elhassan et al. 2019 gave 12 aged men 1 g of NR a day for 21 days in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind crossover trial. NR elevated the muscle NAD+ metabolome. The authors report that mitochondrial bioenergetics were not altered, and that NR depressed circulating inflammatory cytokines.

Remie et al. 2020 (13 overweight or obese adults, 1,000 mg a day for 6 weeks) found a small rise in fat-free mass versus placebo. See the NAD+ page for details.

Trials so far are short and small. Raising a biomarker such as blood or muscle NAD+ is not the same as a health outcome.

Forms, amounts and limits

The trials above used 1 g a day for 21 days (Elhassan et al.) and 1,000 mg a day for 6 weeks (Remie et al.). The best dose for any health outcome is not established.

Follow the label of the product you buy.

Safety

Martens et al. 2018 reports NR was well tolerated in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Long-term safety is not established.

Ask a clinician first if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have had cancer, or take prescription medicines.

Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have a medical condition or take medicines.

Questions

Does NR make skin look younger?

No trial we found has shown that. Human trials show NR raises NAD+ metabolites; skin benefits are unproven.

Is NR the same as niacin or nicotinamide?

They are all forms of vitamin B3 that the body can use to make NAD+. Niacin causes skin flushing at supplemental doses; nicotinamide does not (NIH fact sheet).

NR or NMN?

Both raise NAD+ metabolites in people. Neither has a published skin-outcome trial that we found.

Sources

  1. Martens et al. 2018, Nature Communications: chronic NR supplementation is well tolerated and elevates NAD+ (RePEc record) (opens in a new tab)
  2. Elhassan et al. 2019: NR augments the aged human skeletal muscle NAD+ metabolome (University of Birmingham record) (opens in a new tab)
  3. Remie et al. 2020, Am J Clin Nutr: nicotinamide riboside supplementation and body composition (Mayo Clinic record) (opens in a new tab)

General information, not medical advice. Vanu Health does not sell this supplement. Read our terms.