Nicotinamide Riboside (NR)

Also known as: NR, Niagen, NAD+ precursor vitamin

WellnessIM / IV / SQ Therapy

In plain English

Nicotinamide riboside is a form of vitamin B3 that the body converts into NAD+, the key energy-and-repair molecule. It is used to raise NAD+ levels. Human studies show it does reliably increase NAD+ and is well tolerated, but clear health benefits (like better blood pressure or fitness) have not been firmly proven. It is generally sold as a supplement rather than an approved medicine.

The science

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a NAD+ precursor vitamin that enters the salvage pathway. In a 6-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 24 healthy middle-aged and older adults (Martens et al., Nat Commun 2018), 1,000 mg/day was well tolerated, caused no serious adverse events, and increased blood mononuclear-cell NAD+ by ~60%; exploratory signals suggested reduced systolic blood pressure and arterial stiffness that did not survive multiple-comparison correction. Efficacy for hard clinical outcomes remains unproven and requires larger trials. NR is marketed as a dietary supplement; injectable use is not FDA-approved.

References

• Martens CR et al., Nat Commun 2018