ChromaDex CEO Rob Fried on the importance of NAD+ in cellular health and longevity and the science behind Niagen.
Longevity.Technology recently announced the launch of its consumer products division, expanding its commitment to evidence-based longevity solutions. The division’s first product, FLT LONGEVITY, is formulated with a precise combination of clinically studied ingredients designed to support cellular function and enhance healthspan.
A key component of this formulation is Niagen, ChromaDex’s proprietary form of nicotinamide riboside (NR), recognized for its ability to increase NAD+ levels. NAD+ plays a critical role in cellular metabolism and repair, making it a fundamental target for interventions aimed at promoting long-term health, and the inclusion of Niagen demonstrates the formulation’s foundation in rigorous scientific research.
Longevity.Technology: Developed in collaboration with industry-leading suppliers and supported by human trials, FLT LONGEVITY reflects Longevity.Technology’s emphasis on transparency and efficacy. Our partnership with ChromaDex – a company known for its high standards in NAD+ research – reinforces our commitment to delivering scientifically validated, high-quality formulations. We sat down with Rob Fried, ChromaDex CEO, to find out more about why NAD+ is crucial for cellular health, Niagen’s clinical research and future applications and what the future of longevity might look like.
Rob Fried on…
Safety first
We’ve shown is that the safest and the most efficient way to elevate NAD levels is through nicotinamide riboside. And the only legal, safe, proven, regulatory-approved version of nicotinamide riboside is Niagen, which ChromaDex has studied repeatedly over the years, has patented and received regulatory approvals.
There are companies that are promoting NAD boosters. A lot of people are actually, literally selling NAD, which is the same as sawdust. It actually probably does some harm to take NAD itself. The NAD molecule is a very large molecule and it’s a nucleotide. It’s the same problem that NMN has, which means there’s a phosphate group on the perimeter, and that blocks entry into the cell. So you ingest it, makes its way into the bloodstream, it endeavors to get up into the cell – and fails. That attempt, which is dramatic with NAD, a little less dramatic with NMN, causes friction and inflammation. Eventually the phosphate breaks off and the NAD molecule breaks apart into smaller molecules, one of which is actually NR, which then upregulates up into the cell very cleanly and efficiently and then eventually converts back into NAD once inside the cell. So the safest, most efficient and best way, which is proven over and over again with countless studies, is Niagen.
Compelling research
There are over 100 preclinical studies that have been published on nicotinamide riboside, and we’re starting to see numerous publications on disease states. Some are just age related indications, some are actually disease states, but what is remarkable is the incredible consistency with the positive results that we’re seeing. We now have eight peer reviewed published clinical studies on inflammation related disorders, ranging from the lungs, to the brain, to the muscle, to the heart. That inflammation is directly related to aging in general, but also specifically age-related conditions. And of course, we understand that when you elevate NAD, one of the key things that it does is it elevates mitochondrial biogenesis – or mitogenesis – and mitochondrial function. So diseases related to mitochondrial function seem to benefit – and obviously, one of the most notable and furthest along is Parkinson’s disease.
We’ve published clinical studies on Parkinson’s, early stage studies, but now we’re three-and-a-half years into a four year study on Parkinson’s disease coming out of Norway, which has 400 participants, 200 of which take a placebo, 200 take a gram of Niagen a day for a year. So that study will be completed sometime next year. It’s a complete double-blinded study, and while we won’t know the results for a while, we’re very excited about that – there are millions of people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, and there really is only one drug approved to this point. So we are very hopeful that Niagen will offer some relief.
Looking to the future
We do not view ChromaDex as a dietary supplement company per se. We view ChromaDex as an NAD company, and what we understand, and have really always understood, is that the applications for NAD far transcend dietary supplements itself. We recently announced entry into a new vertical, the IV and injection vertical, which we launched a couple of months ago. But in the future, we see actual endeavors into pharma strategies – actual pharmaceutical strategies. Earlier this year, we received a rare pediatric designation, an orphan disease designation for ataxia telangiectasia, a form of ataxia, an orphan disease where children age quite rapidly. We already have one clinical study published that shows Niagen has a therapeutic benefit for these kids with this unfortunate disorder. So that’s a high priority for us and we are pursuing that as a drug.
We also know that there are benefits in the cosmetic area – skin cells have NAD as well, and we have plenty of data to support the thesis that elevating NAD in skin cells will improve, on many levels, elasticity, age spots, actual brightness, and other things, so we see that as an area for us.
ChromaDex has positioned the company where we could supply the ingredient to certain very select partners, such as Longevity.Technology, and we have our own brand, TruNiagen. So we will take it market by market, channel by channel, but the long-term vision for the company is to continue to be the premier NAD company in multiple verticals; we anticipate that the more the general public becomes informed about NAD and the safest way to manage your NAD levels, the more they will like ChromaDex.
