Last week, Walmart introduced a new 100mg dose of Nicotinamide Riboside “NR” (FAQs) (Reviews) in partnership with Chromadex. While the FDA recommended daily dose of NR is 300mg, we’ve been told that a dose as low as 100mg can also have a therapeutic benefit. It’s reasonable to assume that since NR is expensive, this new cheaper SKU at Walmart is an effort to target a new consumer group. It also might encourage others who could afford the 300mg dose but either balk at the price or are awaiting more clinical data to finally give it a try. Here’s how Chromadex CEO Rob Fried explained the strategy in a recent interview with the TD Ameritrade Network (video embedded below):

“We’re also introducing a new SKU — a 100mg dose.

Right now we’re basically selling a 300mg daily dose.

But we’re offering an introductory 100mg dose out of Walmart in the hope that people try it and after 2 or 3 months notice the benefits.

And then we’d like to encourage them to go up to 300mg which we think is a more efficacious dose.”

How Do Customers Know It’s Working?

“We’ve proven that it (NR) elevates metabolic energy.

So, one way to increase the amount of energy that your body has is to increase calories.

And that’s really what you get when you buy many products — you’re basically buying sugar and calories.

Another way — some products sell caffeine.

There’s no energy in caffeine — it’s simply a stimulant. It causes you to think you have more energy.

But what we’ve proven through clinical studies is that if you take Tru Niagen — without adding calories, it elevates the amount of energy metabolism.

It increases the amount of mitochondrial biogenesis — the number of mitochondria, and the output of the mitochondria — so you’ll actually physically have more cellular energy.

But it also increases the activity of enzymes in cells called PARP enzymes — which are responsible for repairing damage — recovery, repair — that could be oxidative stress related, DNA mutation.

If you take this thing (NR) for 2 or 3 months, your cells will be stronger, and better cells.

Now we market this as a youth product, an anti-aging product — because that is indeed what a younger cell is — a cell with more energy, more PARP enzymes, more ability to correct damage.

How that manifests specifically would be specific to the individual.

So, whatever it is that your body is coping with and managing at that particular time, the likelihood is that if you take this (NR / Niagen) for 2 or 3 months your body is going to be better equipped to manage that physiological stress.

…The NAD business is a big deal.

It makes you healthier when you elevate NAD by taking Tru Niagen…”

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