Analysis of 39 products purchased from Amazon and direct-to-consumer (DTC) sites in the United States reportedly revealed that only five products met label claim for NR, with an additional five products within 90% to 99% of label claim.
The five brands that did match label claim were identified as Tru Niagen (ChromaDex’s brand), Elysium, Thorne, Genuine Purit and Probase Nutrition.
All the products were analyzed using a validated High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method with a UV-Vis detector, according to ChromaDex’s white paper detailing the results.
“This study underscores the need for diligent consumer awareness in the NR marketplace,” the white paper stated. “While a small portion of NR products meet their label claims, 87% do not, with high-water-content and liposomal formats being particularly problematic. The NR dose provided in many of these products would impart no clinical benefit to the consumer. Further, some of the top-selling NR products were shown to be grossly and continuously misrepresenting the NR content in their product.”
Amazon declined to respond to our request for comment. ChromaDex noted that one of the brands that tested well below label claim has since reformulated its products to remove NR.
‘Consumers are being duped’
Andrew Shao, PhD, senior vice president of global scientific & regulatory affairs at ChromaDex, told NutraIngredients that testing and analysis is in ChromaDex’s DNA. The company has recently stepped up its efforts around product testing and has launched its Market Surveillance Program, he said, noting that the new results for NR products mirror what the company found a couple of years ago when we tested NMN products.
Commenting on the white paper, Dr. Shao said, “We need to start somewhere” and referenced an OpEd from ChromaDex CEO Rob Fried that called for the formation of a new group “consisting of industry players endeavoring to be righteous in their practices.”
“We need a mechanism to vet these products because consumers are being duped,” he added.
ChromaDex has committed to starting its Market Surveillance Program with the NAD+ category—a dietary supplements category that was valued at just under $200 million in 2021 and is projected to be worth over $500 million by the end of the decade, according to Global Market Insights.
“If we don’t act then the consumer loses, and then we all lose as well,” Dr. Shao said.
Liposomal products…
Among the list of products tested were a number of products claiming to be liposomal. Liposomes are a critical tool for improving the bioavailability of dietary ingredients, and the industry has seen a proliferation of liposomal products in the marketplace.
Liposomes are intended to be maintained in an oil or suspended in a water environment where they can remain stable for long periods of time, explained Aron Erickson, ChromaDex’s vice president of research and development.
As long as the liposome remains hydrated and in a spherical form, the vesicle should remain intact, allowing the liposome to be absorbed and release the active ingredient at a more effective concentration, he said.
None of the liposomal NR products tested were alleged to meet label claim, according to ChromaDex tests.
“Liposomes have an aqueous core,” Erickson said. “NAD precursors, like NR, NMN and NAD are not stable for long periods of time in water and will degrade rapidly within weeks if maintained in that liquid environment mentioned above.”
Erickson added that most NAD supplements claiming to use liposomal technology and better absorption are provided as dried powders—not liquids.
“When liposomes are dried, they collapse and shrink (like a popped balloon),” he said. “Dried liposomes are brittle and prone to breaking open, no longer providing a protective shell for the active ingredient. If put through further processing like encapsulation, the friction easily breaks open the liposome. When they break, they lose the ability to provide the enhanced absorption of the active ingredient claimed for the product.
“This is relevant as a product with broken liposomes if kept dry under ideal conditions (room temp, low moisture) may remain stable, but as mentioned will not deliver the claimed benefit of enhanced absorption.”
Counterfeit, too
ChromaDex’s analysis also looked at seven alleged counterfeit Tru Niagen products purchased online. Five of these products were found to contain no NR at all, while one had NR content below the reporting limit (less than 1% of label claim). The final product was found to contain NR at 90% of label claim.
“These findings demonstrate the need for consumers to be discerning when deciding to purchase a nicotinamide riboside product,” the white paper stated.
Nicotinamide riboside
NR is found naturally in trace amounts in milk and other foods, and is a more potent, no-flush version of niacin (vitamin B3). Published research has shown that NR is a potent precursor to NAD+ in the mitochondria of animals. NAD+ is an important cellular co-factor for improvement of mitochondrial performance and energy metabolism.
As organisms age, NAD+ levels drop, which leads to a decrease in mitochondrial health; this in turn leads to age-related health issues. Low NAD+ levels limit activity of a group of enzymes called sirtuins, which are believed to play a key role in longevity. NAD+ levels also can be depleted by lifestyle choices such as overeating and lack of exercise. By boosting NAD+, NR may increase mitochondrial health and induce the creation of new mitochondria.
