Clinical trials are important for determining whether a supplement is safe and effective. But from where did Tru Niagen® draw its conclusions?

Let’s take a more in-depth look into one of the key clinical studies behind Niagen® (nicotinamide riboside), the active ingredient in Tru Niagen®, to better understand its findings.

For our examination, we’ll investigate the clinical trial published in Scientific Reports in 2019 by Conze et al.

The study design.

This particular study was conducted at KGK Science, a global contract research organization (CRO) specializing in human clinical trials for the health and nutrition industry for over 22 years.

One hundred forty healthy and overweight adults were chosen randomly to take either one of three different daily doses (100mg, 300mg, or 1000mg) of Niagen® or a placebo for eight weeks.

The study was double-blind, meaning neither the participants nor scientists knew who received Niagen® and who received the placebo until the study was done. These parameters are essential to assure the objectivity of the clinical results.

The safety and effects of Niagen® were measured by monitoring NAD+ metabolite concentrations in urine and blood. Subjects were instructed to avoid foods that contained high amounts of tryptophan and vitamin B3, both nutrients that can elevate NAD+ levels.

Subjects consumed their assigned study product for 56 days, attending the clinic for blood and urine tests on Day 7, 14, 28, and 56.

The study results.

Subjects who consumed 100, 300, and 1000mg of Niagen® showed a dose-dependent increase in whole-blood NAD+ and other NAD+ metabolites within two weeks. The results are as follows:

The increases remained elevated throughout the remainder of the study, and no reports of flushing of the skin (a common side effect of Niacin, another vitamin B3) were observed.

Although participants in all groups, including the placebo, reported some unwanted side effects, none of these were serious or attributable to Niagen®. It’s common and even expected for people in a clinical trial to report some adverse events. This is one of the reasons the placebo group is so important.

Why do we recommend 300mg?

Our recommendation of 300mg per day is rooted in this study. Results show those particular subjects who took 300mg a day experienced an average increase of 40-50% in whole-blood NAD+ in as little as two weeks. The graph below shows the level of whole-blood NAD+ for 300mg at different intervals (the day the subjects checked in at the clinic). Importantly, NAD+ levels remained elevated throughout the rest of the study compared to the placebo group.

The importance of daily supplementation.

Niagen® is a novel form of vitamin B3, but still holds the water-soluble properties of other vitamin B3s. Water-soluble vitamins require constant intake due to their inability to be stored in the body for long periods. Your body excretes these vitamins in urine, if not readily used.

Our recommendations are based on science.

Taking the right serving size of Tru Niagen® every day is not just a frivolous suggestion. As careful advisors to your cellular health, we continuously strive to make our recommendations rooted in research and scientific expertise. With ten clinical trials and counting, we continue to build upon our research, shaping Tru Niagen® to be an important staple for your supplement routine.