Trigonelline dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Trigonelline is a natural compound in coffee and fenugreek that the body can turn into NAD+. It improved muscle function in old mice and worms. People with age-related muscle loss have lower levels. No human trial has tested it yet.
Evidence grade for Trigonelline: Animal or lab only. The rule: only animal or lab studies on this page. No study in people yet. The sum on this page: 1 animal study, no human study. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 0
- Human studies
- 0
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result.
1 animal study, no human study
2 effects reported, 2 unwanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Muscle and strength, Ageing and longevity
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Trigonelline is a natural compound in coffee and fenugreek. The body can turn it into NAD+, a molecule cells need for energy. It is sold as a supplement for muscle and ageing. Nobody has tested the supplement in people.
What people take it for
- Keeping muscle as you age.
- Raising NAD+ levels.
What studies in people showed
There are no human trials of it. People with age-related muscle loss had lower blood levels, but nobody was given it. In old mice, it improved muscle function. In worms, it made them live 17.9% longer. A 2026 review of coffee compounds found no proper human trials on muscle.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- We have not collected user reports on this one yet.
The bad
- No human trial has tested it at all.
- Low levels in frail people do not prove that taking more helps.
Where these come from: The findings come from the mouse and worm paper and the review on this page. We have no user reports.
My bottom line
Your coffee has some. For keeping muscle, lifting and protein have real human data. This does not yet.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Animal and lab work, not yet tested in people
Real results, but from animals or cells, not people. What works in a mouse often does not work the same way in a person. Nobody can patent this, so nobody would ever earn back the cost of a study in people. That is usually why there is none.
- Keeping or building muscle1 animal or lab study
- Living longer1 animal or lab study
34 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Trigonelline
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Trigonelline does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Trigonelline and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Trigonelline?
Trigonelline is a natural compound in coffee and fenugreek that the body can turn into NAD+. It improved muscle function in old mice and worms. People with age-related muscle loss have lower levels. No human trial has tested it yet.
A 2024 paper found the body can use trigonelline to make NAD+, a molecule cells need for energy. Blood levels were lower in older adults with age-related muscle loss. In old mice, trigonelline improved muscle energy and strength. In worms, it made them live about 18% longer. It is easy to buy as a supplement, and coffee contains it. Nobody has tested whether it does anything for human muscle.
How does Trigonelline work?
It feeds the making of NAD+ and supports the energy supply in muscle.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
0people have taken this in any study cited here
0 people · 0 studies in people
What this page cites instead is 1 animal study and 1 review. None of them gave the compound to a person.
Counted from the list of sources on this page. We draw this chart only when a study in people is cited. An empty one is the answer, not a gap in the page.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
None of the 2 sources here are studies in people.
- Animal study · done in animals150%
- Review of studies · sums up other studies150%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
Sources here come from just two years, 2024 and 2026.
Too few different years on this page to draw a timeline.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Supplement
- Molecule weight
- 137.1 Da
- Half-life
- Stated in words, not a numbersee the exact wording below
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Trigonelline, which is expected: a supplement is not built from amino acids.
The studies we cite
- Review of studies2026Coffee and coffee-derived bioactive compounds in skeletal muscle health: a scoping review of mechanistic pathways, preclinical evidence and human outcomes
A 2026 review of 54 studies on coffee compounds and muscle. Most of the evidence was in animals or cells. The human evidence mostly watched coffee drinkers and rarely measured muscle. The authors found no proper human trials.
Scoping review of 54 studies covering trigonelline and other coffee compounds. Evidence was predominantly preclinical; human evidence was mainly observational, direct measurements of muscle mass were scarce, and the authors flagged the absence of well-controlled human intervention trials.
- Animal study2024Trigonelline is an NAD+ precursor that improves muscle function during ageing and is reduced in human sarcopenia
Mostly in mice and worms. Old mice had better muscle function, and worms lived 17.9% longer. Separately, people with age-related muscle loss had lower blood levels. Nobody was given it.
Better muscle function in old mice; 17.9% lifespan extension in C. elegans; low levels in human sarcopenia.
Common questions
Has Trigonelline been tested in people?
Not in any study cited here. Trigonelline is a natural compound in coffee and fenugreek that the body can turn into NAD+. It improved muscle function in old mice and worms. People with age-related muscle loss have lower levels. No human trial has tested it yet.
What is the Trigonelline dosage?
No human dose established. No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result. 1 animal study, no human study
Is Trigonelline FDA-approved?
Dietary supplement; not a drug
Is trigonelline better than NMN or NR?
Nobody knows. No human study compares them, and trigonelline has no human trial at all.
Latest reading on Trigonelline
Blog posts about Trigonelline, newest first.