Nicotinamide Riboside vs NRPT
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
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. The one trial that measured a result in body tissue found nothing. It looked at muscle repair after a planned injury in 32 older adults.
- Nicotinamide Riboside people
- 90
- Nicotinamide Riboside nulls
- 1
- NRPT people
- 176
- NRPT nulls
- 2
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
4 completed trials, 90 people given it
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
3 completed trials, 176 people given it
First-hand reports are counted on each profile and never added together. This page sets two published records side by side. It does not pick a winner.
Column A
Nicotinamide RibosideNicotinamide Riboside (NR)
A form of vitamin B3 that reliably raises NAD in people. That part is proven. A big mouse program found it did not help mice live longer.
Column B
NRPTNicotinamide riboside with pterostilbene, sold as Basis
In 120 healthy adults aged 60 to 80, it raised NAD in whole blood by about 40 percent at the normal dose and about 90 percent at double dose, and held it there for 8 weeks. Every published NRPT study has measured blood NAD or safety. The one study that measured something in the body, muscle repair after a deliberate injury in 32 older adults, found nothing.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| What we compare | 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 use. Nicotinamide riboside chloride has new supplement ingredient safety filings with the FDA, and is generally recognised as safe for certain uses. Pterostilbene is also sold as a supplement 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. |
| How it works | The body turns NR into NAD through a recycling route. That tops up the NAD that falls with age. NAD feeds the parts of cells that make energy and do repairs. | Two parts, two ideas. The body turns nicotinamide riboside into NMN and then into NAD. That raises the supply for the enzymes that use NAD, like sirtuins, PARPs and CD38. Pterostilbene is a cousin of resveratrol that the body absorbs better by mouth. The idea behind adding it is that supplying NAD without switching on the enzymes that use it is only half the job. That makes sense. But no study in people has tested the combination against either part alone. So whether pterostilbene adds anything, to the NAD rise or anything else, is unknown. |
| Studies in people | 5 | 3 |
| Evidence | Limited: 4 completed trials, 90 people given it | Moderate: 3 completed trials, 176 people given it |
| 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 form of vitamin B3 that reliably raises NAD in people. That part is proven. A big mouse program found it did not help mice live longer. NRPT: In 120 healthy adults aged 60 to 80, it raised NAD in whole blood by about 40 percent at the normal dose and about 90 percent at double dose, and held it there for 8 weeks. Every published NRPT study has measured blood NAD or safety. The one study that measured something in the body, muscle repair after a deliberate injury in 32 older adults, found nothing.
Which has stronger research evidence, Nicotinamide Riboside or NRPT?
Each compound gets a band worked out from facts we counted, with the math shown. Nicotinamide Riboside is Limited (4 completed trials, 90 people given it). NRPT is Moderate (3 completed trials, 176 people given it). That counts how much has been done in people. It does not rate whether either one works, and neither one is called the winner.
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 use. Nicotinamide riboside chloride has new supplement ingredient safety filings with the FDA, and is generally recognised as safe for certain uses. Pterostilbene is also sold as a supplement ingredient..
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Reviewed Sep 2026. This page puts two published records side by side. It is for learning, and it is not medical advice. When this site shows a dose, it is the dose a trial or a clinic actually used, or what people say they did, with the source attached. None of it tells you what to take.