If you are at all familiar with Dr. Rhonda Patrick, you have likely heard of supplementing with nicotinamide riboside, otherwise known as niagen, for its anti-aging benefits. Rhonda has mentioned that she specifically takes NiaCel by Thorne Research.
Here’s what Dr. Rhonda Patrick had to say about nicotinamide riboside supplementation on The Tim Ferriss Show:
I mix in some other supplements like the meriva formulation of curcumin, which I already talked about earlier, and I am just starting to mix in a little nicotinamide riboside into the mix. Nicotinamide riboside is a form of vitamin B3 that gets converted into NAD+ , which I already explained the importance of when I talked about fasting… but a brief recap: NAD+ status improving is generally perceived as one of the benefits of fasting that improve mitochondrial and metabolic function. Declining NAD+ status can be one of the unfortunate negatives of inflammatory processes. Nicotinamide riboside supplementation (100 mg up to 1000 mg) has been shown safe in humans and increased NAD+ levels in a dose dependent manner with 1,000 mg per day raising NAD+ levels up to 2.7 fold over baseline.
There have been several animal studies showing nicotinamide riboside improves mitochondrial function, mitochondrial biogenesis, muscle mass, and metabolism but this is important and easy to miss.. the doses that were given to animals involved in studies were so high that I’m afraid that the supplement I’m taking right now, which is by Thorne and only has 125 mg per capsule, won’t quite cut it to meet some of the robust results being seen in animal studies. I think there is potential here but more studies in humans definitely need to be done at this point. Still interested though.
As mentioned on Tim’s podcast above, Rhonda takes the Meriva formulation of curcumin along with Thorne Research’s NiaCel.
Benefits of Nictinamide Riboside Supplementation
When you think of anti-aging products, you likely think of products designed to make you look younger or improve your outer appearance. The cool thing about nicotinamide riboside is that it reverses signs of aging from inside the body at a cellular level.
As Rhonda mentioned above, nicotinamide riboside is converted into NAD+, which is an essential molecule in all living cells. As you age, NAD+ levels in your body tend to fall. Even more so, studies have linked low NAD+ levels to things like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and many other diseases that can become an issue as we age. By taking a nicotinamide riboside supplement, you can raise your NAD+ levels.
Related Reading: Joe Rogan’s Supplement Stack
Here are some more benefits of supplementing with nicotinamide riboside:
- May help prevent age related disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Increase NAD+ levels because it is easily converted
- Protects cells against oxidative stress
- Improves mitochondrial function
- May lower risk of heart disease
- May help promote healthy muscle aging
Nicotinamide riboside is still being heavily studied, but the benefits of supplementing with nicotinamide riboside are hard to ignore. Click here to get the nicotinamide riboside supplement Dr. Rhonda Patrick takes on Amazon.
Here is a video of Dr. Rhonda Patrick discussing the benefits of nicotinamide riboside supplementation on the Joe Rogan Show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkYF22ydKBg