During a Huberman Lab podcast last month, Dr. Andrew Huberman asked Dr. Rhonda Patrick (Found My Fitness) about her perspective on NAD+ boosting supplements NMN (FAQs and Anecdotes) and Nicotinamide Riboside “NR” (FAQs) (Anecdotes) (video and transcript below):

Dr. Huberman:

”…what’s actionable for you?

Dr. Rhonda Patrick:

”…I’m also experimenting with a lot of other things, so it’s hard to know what’s working.

Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) is another one I take — back on to the what I take.

Dr. Huberman:

Is that for a longevity effect?

I mean, I take sublingual NMN.

No relationship to any company that sells NMN.

At least the one I take is from — they hate it when I do this — but from Renue by Science.

It’s the cheapest version.

That’s not why I take it.

I just like the powder put under my tongue.

I like the energy effect.

I will say this, and I’ve done the control experiment on myself, and I have family members who’ve done it too.

It makes my hair grow crazy fast and my nails grow crazy fast.

I know this because if I stop that, that halts.

Those aren’t really effects I’m looking for.

And it worries me a little bit because what else is it making grow crazy fast?

Again, I don’t think I have a tumor, but what else is it?

If I have like a polip or something, is it making that grow crazy fast? I don’t know.

Dr. Patrick:

I asked that question to Dr. Charles Brenner when I had him on the podcast (HERE) because there was a study on NMN in mice that the mice had tumors, and then they gave them, I think they injected them with NMN or maybe it was…

I don’t remember which way it was, but it accelerated the growth of those rare type of pancreatic cancer cells.

And so cancer cells love energy too, right?

Dr. Huberman:

And, I will take NR sometimes, I do take Niagen (MORE).

Dr. Patrick:

Well, I mean either way, so the same end point here, we’re increasing NAD, right?

So the question is then okay, well, should I be worried about cancer?

And he (Brenner) pointed me to some study out of Australia where I think it was maybe it might have been Nicotinamide that basically prevented some kind of — it wasn’t melanoma, but it was another type of of skin cancer.

And so I was like okay, well that seems sort of the point here.

I am experimenting with it.

Why?

First of all, I became interested in it because the effects on mitochondrial health.

There were effects on fertility, energy, recovery when I started.

And, then again, you can find a couple of studies where like maybe you know, you’re not as insulin sensitive.

And who knows?

There’s not enough data there.

So, I would say cautiously experimenting with it.

But, so far, I love it.

You never know what’s placebo here.

Dr. Huberman:

So, I do take it, and they don’t pay me.

I buy it.

I do take tru Niagen NR.

Dr. Patrick:

That’s what I take, NR.

Dr. Huberman:

And on the data sheet, they include some human studies.

I have a family member, I’ll just say my sister takes it. (MORE)

She like loves it.

She’s convinced.

Now, that could be placebo.

But she is so convinced.

She texts me about it.

I feel so much better.

I have so much.

I have no idea, she has no idea if it’s placebo.

But Brenner is a very good scientist.

I will say, he’s what we call in our business, a serious scientist.

I just don’t think any of that’s going to make me have a direct effect on living longer.

Dr. Patrick:

I don’t know that it’s the, it’s not one of my, if I had to shrink down to my core supplements, it wouldn’t be in there.

And, there’s many other things that are important for you.

Dr. Huberman:

So, if you were budget limited, it wouldn’t get above the threshold.

If someone out there had just like 100 bucks or 200 bucks to spend on supplements, which is a lot for a lot of people.

Dr. Patrick:

I don’t know that it’s going to help you live longer either.

Now, it might help with your exercise recovery a bit, right?

It might help improve mitochondrial function.

I mean, maybe it’s going to help with repleting some of the NAD stores.

I mean, if you can improve mitochondrial health, you’re improving things like on a small scale, right?

So, mitochondrial health is at the core of everything.

So, that’s something to consider.

But, yeah, I’m not convinced it’s the end all or be all either.

But I do take it, and it is something I’m experimenting with.

I think it seems to be safe.

And there’s a lot of emerging data that caught my interest.

But, omega-3 is the top, right?

There’s nothing NAD, NR, or NMN — if you can find a good source of it —that’s not comparable in my book”

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