Everstack Evidence

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) in human trials

Consistent evidence that NR raises blood NAD+ and is well tolerated; little evidence yet of functional benefit.

Published 2026-10-15Sources checked 2026-10-153 sourcesEverstack research teamHow we work

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The question

Does oral NR raise NAD+ in people, and does that change health markers?

Study design

Three randomized, placebo-controlled trials: healthy adults 55 to 79 (crossover, 6 weeks), men with obesity (12 weeks), and older men (muscle biopsies, 3 weeks). ^[1][2][3]

What they found

1,000 mg per day of NR raised NAD+ metabolites in blood and was well tolerated. In men with obesity, it did not improve insulin sensitivity. In older muscle, NR changed the NAD+ metabolome and some inflammatory gene signatures, but did not improve muscle mitochondrial function. ^[1][2][3]

Limitations

Small samples, short durations, surrogate endpoints. Several trials were funded or supplied by an NR manufacturer.

What this does not mean

Raising NAD+ in blood has not been shown to slow aging or prevent disease in people.

Sources

1. Martens CR et al. Nat Commun. 2018;9:1286. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03421-7
2. Dollerup OL et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;108(2):343-353. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy132
3. Elhassan YS et al. Cell Rep. 2019;28(7):1717-1728. doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.043

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