Chromadex CEO Rob Fried appeared on a UK radio show last week to promote the UK retail launch of Nicotinamide Riboside “NR” (FAQs) (Reviews) and discuss NAD, NR, and COVID-19. Key quotes and video embedded:

Key Quotes from CEO Rob Fried

“this ingredient (NR)…. has the potential, we believe, to be, perhaps, the most important ingredient discovery in the dietary supplement business in several decades.

The scientific name for the ingredient in TRU Niagen is Nicotinamide Riboside (NR).

NR is a very special form of vitamin B3″

NAD is Key to Health; It Declines with Age and All Kinds of Stress; NR Can Help

“Well, there are 40 ongoing human clinical studies, 10 of which have been published, and over 100 pre-clinical studies which show that NR or Niagen very effectively and very safely elevates a coenzyme found in all living cells called NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide).

That’s important because NAD is critical to all important metabolic functions within the cell….most notably energy metabolism and cell repair.

There’s something called innate immunity where the cell itself works to correct oxidative stress or inflammation or correct DNA damage or repel infections or viruses. This is the cell repair function.

And there are enzymes within the cell called PARP enzymes (repair enzymes) that immediately go to work when there’s damage to the cell. These PARP enzymes are NAD dependent. When there’s high levels of NAD they function well and when there are low levels of NAD they function poorly.

And on the energy metabolism side there’s an organelle inside the cell called mitochondria responsible for taking the nutrients from food and the oxygen from the air and converting that into energy which is transferred throughout the cell via molecules called ATP. Mitochondrial function is also very NAD dependent. When there are high levels of NAD there’s high levels of mitochondria. So, there’s a higher level of energy in the cell when there are high levels of NAD.

The problem is when the cell is under physiological stress — getting old is a physiological stressor — the levels of NAD decline. So, the cells ability to repair itself or even produce energy dramatically declines.”

On NR to the Rescue

“TRU Niagen has now been proven in all of those studies to not only elevate NAD but also elevate mitochondrial function — in other words the amount of energy in the cell — as well as PARP (repair) function — the ability of the cell to repair itself when it is under stress.

Mechanistically, what it (TRU Niagen) does is strengthens the cell. It restores cell strength to a level it had been previously”

On the Safety of Taking NR

“We have very extensive safety studies, toxicity studies, We’ve been unable to show any kind of consistent negative effects to people who take Tru Niagen of any age”

On Who Should Take NR

“The people who should take TRU Niagen are the people under some level of physiological stress.

So, obviously young people are under much less physiological stress. But they tend to challenge their bodies more.

For example, if you are exposed to the sun OR you don’t get regular sleep OR or you overeat or over-drink OR you’re recovering from something — some sort of damage, some sort of procedure — these are people who should be taking TRU Niagen and elevating NAD levels.

And, then, of course, people who are just older or who start to feel the effects of age because this is when NAD levels begin to decline.

Actually in your 20s it (NAD) begins to decline and then it gets dramatically reduced as we age”

On NR and COVID-19

“So, there’s a researcher in the US at the University of Iowa, Dr Stan Perlman, who’s widely regarded as one of the leading Coronavirus researchers, certainly here in America.

Dr Perlman and Dr Charles Brenner, who is on our scientific advisory board and is the world’s leading researcher on NAD and NR., recently, 2 weeks ago published a study that showed that when a coronavirus attaches to a cell, within 2 hours there’s a very steep decline in NAD levels in that cell and then a steep upregulation of the PARP enzymes.

So, I know that sounds complicated but it’s very intuitive. The coronavirus attaches to the cell and immediately the repair enzymes go to work to try to repel the virus — and those enzymes are NAD dependent so NAD levels decline.

But what they also discovered in this study is that…the cell itself is not only searching for NAD to help fight this thing off it’s specifically searching for Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) as the way to elevate NAD.

So, that’s a very exciting pre-clinical study. It’s not a human clinical study where we studied people who had coronavirus. That needs to happen NOW.

We know when the virus hit the cell there’s NAD impact. It’s intuitive it would happen with the coronavirus being present and it’s logical how the cell would react and how TRU Niagen would be helpful in that process. So, we think there’s relevance there — that’s just one published study — obviously we’re doing several more. And we think it’s important and timely”

How Long it Takes for NR to Impact People

“Most people do feel it within a couple of weeks but many do not.

I mean “feeling” is a tough word. It’s not coffee. It’s not a stimulant. It’s not sugar. It’s not a hormonal thing. So, there a lot of things that affect your feeling.

We recommend that people take it over at least a couple of months and they’re in touch with their bodies and their physiological performance, their workout levels, sleep routines, and their general energy levels — with a great level of consistency people notice a difference in that timeframe”

On the Recommended NR Dosage

“The FDA recommended dosage is 300mg per day. That’s 1 capsule per day.

I personally take quite a bit more than that.

Most of the studies that have been published are at higher doses.

But there are many published studies that show a therapeutic benefit and a dose response beginning at just 100mg a day.

So, there’s a benefit if one takes less. But what the studies have indicated is that it certainly consistently shows a dose response benefit up to 300mg and beyond“

RELATED:

  • FAQs on taking NAD boosting vitamin supplement Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) can be found HERE.
  • NR supplementation may have helped sufferers of these diseases & conditions (Consumer Reviews)

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