Tru Niagen is a special vitamin B3 supplement that claims to promote cellular repair and energize your cells by raising NAD+ levels and reversing the effects of aging.
Is Tru Niagen really the best NAD supplement on the market? Find out everything you need to know about Tru Niagen and its anti-aging effects today in our review.
Contents
What is Tru Niagen?
Tru Niagen, found online at TruNiagen.com, is a nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplement that claims to reverse the effects of aging.
NR is a specialized form of vitamin B3 that appears to have powerful effects on the human body. Specifically, NR is linked to NAD+ levels. Between ages 40 and 60, we lose up to 50% of our NAD levels. When NAD levels are low, our cells struggle to produce the energy they need to maintain good health as you age.
Today, a growing number of people take NR supplements like Tru Niagen to halt the effects of aging. By supplementing your body with NAD, you can purportedly reduce the impact of aging, giving your cells the energy they need to maintain healthy activity.
That may sound like a bunch of marketing. However, these results have been supported in clinical trials: NAD does play a crucial role in cellular energy, and our body’s NAD levels do decline with age.
Today, supplements like Tru Niagen don’t just give your body NAD; instead, they give your body a form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide riboside (NR). Multiple studies have shown that your body uses NR to raise NAD levels.
Specifically, Tru Niagen uses a registered trademark formula called Niagen, a form of vitamin B3 (NR) that has been shown in clinical trials to safely and efficiently increase NAD levels in humans.
Tru Niagen has been featured on The Dr. Drew Podcast, Bulletproof Radio, and the Live Long and Master Aging Podcast, among other media. A single bottle (one month supply) is priced at around $50.
How Does Tru Niagen Work?
Scientists have known about NAD since 1906 and has captured the attention of the scientific community ever since then. Fast forward to today, we’ve learned that NAD is found in every living cell and is vital to its overall function. It powers the mitochondria, or the energy factories of our cells, and the mitochondria keep almost every tissue in the body healthy.
In 2004, a groundbreaking study by Dr. Charles Brenner revealed that a unique type of vitamin B3 could safely and efficiently raise NAD levels. Here’s how the official Tru Niagen website explains the origin story of this remarkable nutrient:
“In 2004, Dr. Charles Brenner discovered nicotinamide riboside (NR) could increase levels of a vital cellular resource. This resource is a central regulator in energy metabolism and is believed to play an important role in healthy human aging. Although NR is a naturally-occurring vitamin in milk, it’s only found in trace amounts. Based on Dr. Brenner’s patents and the established techniques of our parent company ChromaDex, NR was exclusively licensed and developed as NIAGEN®”
Today, Dr. Brenner serves as Chief Scientific Advisor of ChromaDex, the company behind Tru Niagen.
Nicotinamide riboside (NR), may sound like a fancy ingredient. However, it’s simply a form of vitamin B3 that acts as a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Vitamin B3 is also known as niacin, niacinamide, or nicotinic acid.
When you take NR in chloride form (i.e. as Niagen), you get 88mg of NR per 100mg of formula, or 264mg of Niagen in each 300mg serving of Tru Niagen.
Tru Niagen Ingredients
There’s just one listed active ingredient in Tru Niagen:
- Niagen (nicotinamide riboside chloride): 300mg per serving
Each ‘serving’ consists of two vegetarian capsules. There are 30 servings (60 capsules) in each container.
There are two inactive ingredients listed, including microcrystalline cellulose and Hypromellose (vegetarian capsule).
Benefits of Tru Niagen
Tru Niagen advertises all of the following benefits:
- Promotes cellular repair
- Replenishes NAD
- Maintains healthy mitochondria
- Energizes your cells
- boosts cognitive function, mood and sleep (here)
Why does Tru Niagen provide these benefits? Well, the idea is that NAD is an essential resource for cellular energy. As your body ages, it loses up to 50% of its NAD levels between ages 40 and 60. When NAD levels fall, your cells have a harder time producing the energy you need to maintain your health. That’s why Tru Niagen advertises all of the benefits linked above: you’re giving your body and your cells the energy they need.
Scientific Evidence for Tru Niagen
Scientists have been studying NAD for over 100 years. To date, there have been five human clinical trials connecting Niagen to anti-aging benefits. Dozens more trials are scheduled to take place over the coming years.
This study published in Scientific Reports in July 2019, for example, was led by Dr. Charles Brenner, who is also on the Scientific Advisory Board for Tru Niagen. The study sought to analyze the safety and metabolism of long-term Niagen usage in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of healthy, overweight adults.
140 Participants took 100mg of Niagen, 300mg of Niagen, 1,000mg of Niagen, or a placebo every day over a 56-day period. Some of the findings from the study included:
- NAD+ levels in blood peaked 8 hours after administration of 300mg and 1,000mg of NR
- Small but significant decreases in blood NAD+ levels occurred in the placebo group
- Daily doses of 300mg and 1,000mg of Niagen significantly increased NAD+ within seven days and were sustained for the remainder of the study
- Blood NAD+ levels in the 100mg-treated group were significantly increased at day 14 relative to baseline and similar to the placebo group at all time points
- At day 56, the blood NAD+ levels of the 100mg group had increased by 10%
- At day 56, the blood NAD+ levels of the 300mg group had increased by 48%
- At day 56, the blood NAD+ levels of the 1,000mg group had increased by 139%
Based on these findings, researchers concluded that “Niagen supplementation significantly increases NAD+ and other NAD+ metabolites.”
Researchers also found that oral Niagen was safe and well-tolerated up to 1,000mg per day for eight weeks. There were no serious adverse events in the group linked to the use of Niagen.
Participants had no significant changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or weight during the study.
Another study on Niagen from October 2016 performed by researchers at the University of Iowa had similar results. This study was the first human clinical trial for nicotinamide riboside (NR), which was a newly-discovered form of vitamin B3.
At the time, NR had only been tested on mice. Researchers decided to test Niagen on humans. Six men and six women were recruited for the study, with each receiving single oral doses of 100mg, 300mg, or 1,000mg of NR in a different sequence with a seven-day gap between doses. Here’s how Dr. Brenner concluded the study:
“This trial shows that oral NR safely boosts human NAD+ metabolism. We are excited because everything we are learning from animal systems indicates that the effectiveness of NR depends on preserving and/or boosting NAD+ and related compounds in the face of metabolic stresses. Because the levels of supplementation in mice that produce beneficial effects are achievable in people, it appears than health benefits of NR will be translatable to humans safely.”
Critics will point to the fact that the clinical trials were led by Dr. Brenner, the same guy who holds patents for nicotinamide riboside and serves as Chief Scientific Advisor for Tru Niagen.
Nevertheless, the trials were double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized studies. The latest study from 2019 involved over 150 people.
Overall, Niagen has a track record of being safe and effective in multiple human clinical trials to date. That’s why Tru Niagen describes their product as “scientifically proven” and “safe to use”.
Tru Niagen Pricing
Tru Niagen is available online through TruNiagen.com, where each bottle (30 servings / 60 capsules per bottle) is priced between $30 and $40, depending on your ordering options:
- One Bottle (One-Time Purchase): $50
- One Bottle (Auto-Shipments): $40 per month
- 3 Bottles (One-Time Purchase): $119.85
- 3 Bottles (Auto-Shipments): $105 every three months
- 6 Bottles (One-Time Purchase): $225
- 6 Bottles (Auto-Shipments): $180 every six months
If you choose the “auto-shipment” option, then you’ll receive automatic shipments of Niagen periodically, and your credit card will continue to be charged until you cancel.
ChromeDex also sells Tru Niagen through Amazon, where each bottle is priced at $47.35.
Who’s Behind Tru Niagen?
Tru Niagen is made by a company named ChromaDex, Inc. That company is based in Irvine, California. ChromaDex is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: CDXC).
The company is led by Rob Fried (CEO), Frank Jaksch (Executive Chairman), and Ben Shichman (Chief Technology Officer).
The company also lists seven Ph.Ds on its Scientific Advisory Board, including Charles Brenner, Ph.D, described as the “world’s foremost authority on NAD metabolism”. Brenner is the Head of Biochemistry at the University of Iowa. In 2004, Dr. Brenner discovered that nicotinamide riboside could raise levels of NAD+.
ChromaDex has two subsidiaries, including Healthspan Research, LLC and ChromaPharma Inc.
You can contact the company’s customer service between 8am and 5pm PST:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (888) 642-4361
Tru Niagen Reviews: What Do Customers Say?
Tru Niagen is well-rated online. The supplement has an average rating of 4.1 stars out of 5 on Amazon with 870+ customer reviews. Most customers (62%) give the supplement five stars, although 11% of reviewers have given it a one-star rating.
One reviewer claimed to be a scientist who runs a research laboratory at a major university. He claims to have taken Niagen daily for two years:
“I have been taking niagen daily now for ~2 years. I have substantially more energy than I did before — I no longer hit a ‘wall' at 3pm and require much less caffeine. I wake up feeling rested, and feel subjectively ‘sharper' than I did before.”
That reviewer also claims to experience fewer aches and pains than before – even after exercise.
Another reviewer claiming to be a physician described how Niagen caused sun damage on the skin to fade, reducing the risk of skin cancer. The physician claimed to have noticed these effects within just weeks of taking Tru Niagen.
Overall, a surprising number of positive reviews for Niagen are from people claiming to be physicians. These reviewers have a wide range of positive things to say about Niagen: they claim it reduced gray hair, for example, lowered blood pressure, improved skin health, and reduced muscle soreness.
However, not all physicians have positive things to say about Niagen.
One of the most notable reviews on Amazon is from a physician who tried Tru Niagen in April 2018:
“As a physician, I experimented with Niagen after reading about its effects on animals. During the first week of medication, I started to recall more of my dreams; I also felt more energetic in my three day a week 3 mile runs, which could be placebo since I had no objective measurement.”
That all sounds good. However, the physician later claims he experienced pressure in his chest, cramping, irregular heartbeats, and more. His research led him to a study from 2008 that linked NAD to atrial fibrillation.
Aside from a handful of negative reviews, the only major “con” of Tru Niagen, according to reviewers, is that it’s expensive.
Generally, however, Tru Niagen has been well-tolerated in studies to date, and most customer reviews seem to agree that it works as advertised.
Tru Niagen FAQ Recap:
In true Advanced Living fashion, let's summarize what we learned in our Tru Niagen review about the research currently available:
Q: What Makes Tru Niagen Supplement Special?
A: The body is composed of trillions of cells that carry out highly specialized functions that require nutrients to perform at optimal levels. Tru Niagen is designed to provide cellular energy production and repair as a clinically-proven nicotinamide riboside supplement that enhances NAD+ levels safely. As a winner of the 2019 healthy aging breakthrough ingredient of the year, Tru Niagen NAD booster is a patented vitamin B3 form made by ChromaDex and the doctor who discovered nicotinamide riboside (NR), Dr. Charles Brenner.
Q: How Do Tru Niagen's Benefits Versus Side Effects Stack Up?
A: As a NAD booster, which has been successfully-reviewed under both FDA GRAS and NDIN status, Tru Niagen's ability to increase nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in the body can benefit every living cell as a coenzyme molecule. Acting as an anti-aging catalyst and supplying fuel to your mitochondria and key biological processes, this special vitamin B3 nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplement is also considered extremely safe. The body naturally produces it so there is thought to be very limited amounts of side effects when using Tru Niagen but has been shown to help everything from sleeping and breathing to eating and drinking. While the side effects of having low amounts of NAD+ in your body are much more severe than consuming too much nicotinamide riboside, users may experience fatigue, headaches or nausea.
Q: What Does the Science Say About Tru Niagen NDA+ Booster?
A: Tru Niagen's NAD+ boosting nicotinamide riboside supplement is one of the most clinically proven substances on the market today. It boasts over a handful published human clinical studies, over 100 preclinical studies, 3 FDA safety notifications, over 20 owned and licensed patents along with over 160 research collaborations with major universities and academic programs.
Q: Which Celebrities Have Endorsed Tru Niagen?
A: Tru Niagen has a few celebrities who have openly endorsed Tru Niagen as real users and supporters. While they are paid spokespersons, both Shannon Sharpe, professional NFL Football Hall of Fame star and sports talk TV host, and Gabby Reece, world-renowned athlete and professional volleyball player, have taken roles in promoting the anti-aging benefits of Tru Niagen to their social media followers and public audience.
Here is Shannon Sharpe's Tru Niagen video:
Here is Gabby Reece's Tru Niagen video:
Final Word
Tru Niagen is a health supplement made from a special form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide riboside (NR), also known as Niagen. That form of vitamin B3 raises NAD+ levels within your body. NAD+ is associated with cellular energy, and your NAD+ levels naturally drop as you get older.
Today, science has suggested that supplementing with Tru Niagen could raise NAD+ levels and reduce the effects of aging. The effects of Tru Niagen have been witnessed in multiple studies to date, and the supplement seems effective and safe to take.