My personal experience with taking NR

NR Nicotinamide Riboside Before and After

In mid 2023, I conducted a 3-month self-experiment with the supplement NR (nicotinamide riboside) to evaluate its effects on biological age. The purpose was to determine if I should continue taking NR as part of my longevity regimen.

NR is a precursor to NAD+, a key molecule involved in cellular metabolism and energy production that declines with age. Boosting NAD+ levels is a promising strategy for promoting healthy aging.

The protocol was 500mg NR per day, along with 500mg TMG (trimethylglycine) to support methylation, and 500mg resveratrol, which acts as a sirtuin activator that may enhance the effects of increased NAD+. My diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors were kept consistent before and during the experiment.

The key hypotheses were that NR supplementation would boost intracellular NAD+ levels, improve youthfulness biomarkers related to redox status and inflammation, and potentially slow or reverse biological age measures when combined with resveratrol's sirtuin activation.

Results: NAD Level Testing: With newly available NAD level testing, I could directly measure the impact of NR. After 3 months of supplementation, my NAD levels increased by approximately 40%, putting them in the typical range for someone 4-6 years younger than my chronological age of 29.

Phenotypic Age: Calculated from 9 blood biomarkers like glucose, creatinine and inflammation markers, my phenotypic biological age decreased by around 4 years over the 3 months, from 28 to 24.

There were no significant changes observed in standard blood lipids or blood pressure over this 3-month period.

Anecdotally, I noticed an increase in subjective energy levels and feeling somewhat more physically/mentally youthful, though placebo effects cannot be ruled out.

In conclusion: this reasonably well-controlled self-experiment provided objective evidence that supplementation with 500mg NR per day can significantly elevate intracellular NAD+ levels and produce modest but measurable reductions in biological age markers after just 3 months. These results corroborate some of the proposed anti-aging mechanisms and effects of NAD+ precursors like NR.

While not conclusive proof, and with relatively small magnitude changes, these positive results make me want to continue long-term supplementation with NR. I'm optimistic that sustained NAD+ repletion could lead to further anti-aging benefits over longer periods. Larger, placebo-controlled clinical studies are still needed to fully evaluate the extent of NR's protective effects against aging in humans.

This self-experiment suggests NR supplementation may be a viable strategy to promote healthy aging, alongside other evidence-based longevity interventions like calorie restriction, exercise and senolytics. I encourage others to explore NAD+ boosting and track their own biomarkers of aging.