Nicotinamide Riboside

NR · Niagen · Nicotinamide Riboside Chloride

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Arterial stiffness¹ Werner syndrome¹ Parkinson's disease² Ataxia telangiectasia^{1, 3, 4} Neurodegeneration blood biomarkers^{5, 6} Heart failure inflammation⁷	Active malignancy⁸

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is a vitamin B3 form converted to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a coenzyme in cellular energy metabolism, and oral intake raises blood NAD+ in humans^{9, 10}. People take it to counter age-related NAD+ decline, with uses in arterial stiffness¹, cognitive aging, Parkinson's disease², and skeletal muscle function. The typical patient is a middle-aged or older adult⁹.

Oral NR reliably engages its target, but a systematic review found functional, metabolic, and vascular outcomes heterogeneous and often null¹¹. Trials in mild cognitive impairment, subjective cognitive decline, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) long-term symptoms raised NAD+ or biomarkers without improving cognition^{5, 12, 13}. A meta-analysis did not support muscle preservation in adults over 60¹⁴. A 2026 retrospective cohort in glaucoma patients on stable topical therapy found visual field stabilization after combined NR and berberine, without a comparator group¹⁵. Products listing nicotinamide riboside number 275, nearly all capsules; see Form comparison.

A benefit/risk review flagged potential risks from raising NAD+, including tumorigenesis, toxic metabolites and cellular senescence, and long-term human data remain limited⁸.

Last updated October 15, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

62 sources, 51 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources