TRU Niagen

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In capsule form, Tru Niagen offers nicotinamide riboside chloride (NR), a type of Vitamin B3, which serves to increase your energy, metabolism, and cellular repair by boosting NAD.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a vital player in how your body creates energy. You use the nutrients obtained from your diet to fuel the Citric Acid Cycle - a series of reactions in which NADH is formed.

In the simplest terms, this form of NAD is then used as the input for a process that results in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy used to fuel virtually every chemical reaction in your body.

As you age, your NAD levels begin to diminish. Low levels have been associated with reduced energy levels, sleep disturbances, diabetes, Alzheimer 's, and some forms of cancer.

In this review, we will discuss all things Tru Niagen: who it’s for, where to get it, how it works, and if it’s safe.

What Is Tru Niagen and How Does it Work?

The active ingredient in Tru Niagen, NR, is a Vitamin B3 analog that serves as a precursor to NAD. A one month supply includes 30 300mg capsules to be taken once daily. As NAD’s role in energy formation is well understood, methods of boosting this molecule to reap its many benefits have been on ongoing topic of interest.

NADH (the reduced form of NAD) serves as the major input for the process that generates the most bang for your buck in terms of energy, thus NAD is largely responsible for every muscle contraction, heartbeat, and nerve impulse in your body.

With such a large role, low levels of NAD have been implicated in many age-related conditions such as low energy, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

Multiple animal studies have demonstrated an age-related decline of NAD levels in different organs. Similarly, NAD seems to decline with age in humans.

To combat the unwanted effects of low NAD, the NR in Tru Niagen is converted to nicotinamidemononu-cleotide (NMN) via nicotinamide riboside kinase (NRK). Nicotinamidemono-nucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT) subsequently converts NRK to NAD.

In other words, Tru Niagen assumes an anti-aging role by boosting NAD levels. The proposed benefits; increase energy, metabolism, and cellular repair.

The Takeaway:

NR is an NAD precursor and the active ingredient in Tru Niagen. As NAD plays a role in every metabolic reaction in your body, boosting levels with Tru Niagen may work to increase energy, metabolism, and cellular repair.

Does Tru Niagen Work?

By virtue of NAD’s role in your body and evidence supporting age-related decline, it stands to reason that boosting this molecule would have a variety of benefits. Researchers agree - at least with this rationale.

This question has been investigated over the last couple of decades, with earlier studies hinting towards the potential importance regarding supplementation of NAD precursors. NR supplementation initially proved to be effective in boosting NAD in yeasts, while this review mentions a similar role for human cells in laboratory models.

From there, mouse models were used to demonstrate the efficacy of orally administered NR in boosting NAD and preventing disease affecting the mitochondria, the powerhouse of your cells.

On the other hand, NR supplementation decreased exercise performance in rats. Either way, this information is not necessarily indicative of translation to human populations.

The foundation laid by these studies were eventually applied to humans. In a randomized trial, NR supplementation was demonstrated to increase NAD in a dose-related manner, i.e. higher doses were associated with greater NAD increases.

In 8 healthy individuals, the feasibility of using oral NR supplements in a therapeutic setting was confirmed. Daily 2000mg supplementation of of NR proved safe, though it did not improve insulin sensitivity, resting energy expenditure, or body composition in sedentary adults.

Most recently, daily NR supplementation demonstrated a dose-dependent ability to boost NAD and was found to be safe even at 1000mg doses.

The Takeaway:

The safety and ability of NR to boost NAD has been proven in various populations, including humans. The proposed benefits of boosting NAD are less clear, however. Particularly in human studies, effects related to energy expenditure remain elusive.

Is Tru Niagen Safe?

Data regarding safety is available for multiple daily dose regimens, though this has been studied in those 40-80 years of age and for only up to 3-months. For this reason more long-term research is necessary to fully characterize chronic use of NR in various populations.

Nonetheless, even 2000mg doses appear to be safe, though adverse effects such as nausea, diarrhea, headaches, and abdominal pain have been described.

Be sure to consult a medical professional prior to starting a new supplement.

The Takeaway:

Tru Niagen is generally safe, even up to 2000mg doses. Reported adverse effects are mild. More studies are needed to examine potential harm with long-term use in larger populations.

Who Should Try Tru Niagen?

Neither their website nor the available literature is clear on the target population, as randomized trials have pointed to the ability to boost NAD safely, while the proposed effects of this boost remain unclear.

A safe means of boosting energy seems ideal for aging individuals experiencing daily fatigue, but more research is needed to identify potential benefits associated with NR.

How Much Does Tru Niagen Cost?

Getting your Tru Niagen is relatively easy; simply go to their site and select your supply preference. Standard 5–7 day shipping is free and the more you choose, the more you save:

• 1-Month Supply: $40/month
• 3-Month Supply: $35/month
• 6-Month Supply: $30/month

Additional savings are possible if you choose automated shipments – $105/3mos. You can change the frequency, pause, or cancel the subscription at any time.

Buy TRU Niagen from Amazon:

TRU Niagen is also sold on Amazon as a 1-pack (30-count), 2-pack (60-count), or 3-pack (90-count). Shipping is free. One 300mg capsule should be taken once daily.

$47.35 (30-Count)

$87.95 (60-Count)

$129.95 (90-Count)

Can I Get NR Elsewhere?

You can obtain NR naturally from milk, mushrooms, green vegetables, and whole wheat, though the amount is minor in comparison to supplementation. Also, cooking foods may further reduce the amount of NR present.

A quick internet search reveals many products similar to Tru Niagen. Gene X offers 100 500mg NR capsules for $28.

What Are Users Saying?

Tru Niagen is rated at 4.6 out of 5 stars in 64 reviews on their website. Negative reviews are definitely outliers - these individuals cite experiencing a lack of results as the rationale behind their low rating.

The vast majority are in favor of use, though reviews are often vague, describing “increased stamina” or “improvements in health” as their reason for coming back.

Though many reviews lack specificity, most are pleased with the results.

The Bottom Line

The Tru Niagen site makes 3 things clear: NAD declines with age, their product increases NAD levels, and more NR research is on the horizon. Whether or not elevated NAD translates to any of the proposed effects regarding energy is another story.

Outside of rodents, NR supplementation has been most extensively studied in healthy humans 40-80 years of age. It safely boosts NAD in a dose-dependent manner in this population.

Theoretically, this supplement is ideal for aging individuals that have noticed a decline in energy. However, literature supporting this benefit in humans is lacking.

While safe to use, more work is needed to characterize the potential benefits for various populations.