Head to head
Nicotinamide Riboside against NRPT
Nicotinamide riboside alone against nicotinamide riboside combined with pterostilbene. In 120 adults aged 60 to 80 the combination raised whole blood NAD by about 40 percent at the recommended dose, and the one trial that measured a tissue outcome, muscle repair after experimental injury in 32 older adults, was null.
Column A
Nicotinamide RibosideNicotinamide Riboside (NR)
A well-studied NAD+ precursor that reliably raises NAD+ in humans. Raising the molecule is proven; the mouse lifespan programme that tested it found no effect.
Column B
NRPTNicotinamide riboside with pterostilbene, sold as Basis
In 120 healthy adults aged 60 to 80, it raised whole blood NAD by about 40 percent at the recommended dose and about 90 percent at double dose, sustained over 8 weeks. Every published NRPT trial has measured blood NAD or safety, and the one trial that measured a tissue outcome, muscle repair after experimental injury in 32 older adults, was null.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | Nicotinamide Riboside | NRPT |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Longevity | Longevity |
| FDA status | Sold as a supplement; not an approved drug | Sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. Not approved as a drug for any indication. Nicotinamide riboside chloride has New Dietary Ingredient notifications on file and is generally recognised as safe for certain uses; pterostilbene is also marketed as a dietary ingredient. |
| Half-life | Short | Not a single molecule, so a single half-life does not apply. The relevant kinetics are those of nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene separately, and the measured effect in the trials is the downstream whole blood NAD rise, which built over weeks and persisted for the duration of dosing. |
| Molecular weight | 255.2 Da | Not applicable to a two-ingredient product. Nicotinamide riboside chloride is 290.7 Da and pterostilbene is 256.3 Da. |
| Mechanism | Converts to NAD+ through the salvage pathway, restoring NAD+ that declines with age and supporting mitochondrial and repair enzymes. | Two components with two proposed mechanisms. Nicotinamide riboside is phosphorylated by nicotinamide riboside kinases to NMN and then adenylylated to NAD, raising the substrate pool for sirtuins, PARPs and CD38. Pterostilbene is a dimethylated analogue of resveratrol with better oral bioavailability, included on the rationale that supplying NAD without activating the enzymes that use it is only half the intervention. The combination rationale is plausible and has never been tested against either component alone in a human trial, so whether pterostilbene contributes anything to the observed NAD rise, or to anything else, is unknown. |
| Human studies cited | 4 | 3 |
| Legal status, US | Sold as a dietary supplement | Sold as a supplement |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Nicotinamide Riboside and NRPT?
Nicotinamide Riboside: A well-studied NAD+ precursor that reliably raises NAD+ in humans. Raising the molecule is proven; the mouse lifespan programme that tested it found no effect. NRPT: In 120 healthy adults aged 60 to 80, it raised whole blood NAD by about 40 percent at the recommended dose and about 90 percent at double dose, sustained over 8 weeks. Every published NRPT trial has measured blood NAD or safety, and the one trial that measured a tissue outcome, muscle repair after experimental injury in 32 older adults, was null.
Which has stronger research evidence, Nicotinamide Riboside or NRPT?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 4 of the 5 studies cited on the Nicotinamide Riboside profile were human work, against 3 of 4 for NRPT. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are Nicotinamide Riboside and NRPT FDA-approved?
Nicotinamide Riboside: Sold as a supplement; not an approved drug. NRPT: Sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. Not approved as a drug for any indication. Nicotinamide riboside chloride has New Dietary Ingredient notifications on file and is generally recognised as safe for certain uses; pterostilbene is also marketed as a dietary ingredient..
Related posts
Blog articles that cover Nicotinamide Riboside or NRPT, newest first.
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page sets two published records side by side. It is educational, it is not medical advice, and it contains no dosing protocols or recommendations for personal use.