A group a journalists, media heads and influencers met on a sunny April morning at the Rosewood Hotel Reflections Garden Terrace for a breakfast event, Wellness from Within. The event was co-hosted by Vancouver-based pop-ups, film and mag food styling guru Juno Kim and Reflections Chef de Cuisine Kiran Kolathodan.

While a delicious breakfast was served, Tru Niagen Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Charles Brenner, delivered an engaging lecture. He described how Tru Niagen™ was discovered and how the breakthrough NAD—nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide—supplement, touted as the holy grail power source for cellular activity, works wonders within our cells. The supplement brand is enjoying widespread popularity with our cousins south of the border, and is now available for the first time in Canada. If you are like us, you take a cautious approach when deciding what supplements to put in your body. That’s why we took the opportunity to ask Dr. Brenner more about the supplement after breakfast. Here is what we learned.

Q&A

LV: Briefly describe for our readers how you landed up getting involved with Tru Niagen.

CB: I am biochemist who has been working on the synthesis and regulation of NAD, the central catalyst of metabolism, for more than 16 years. In 2004, I reported that nicotinamide riboside (NR) is an unanticipated vitamin precursor of NAD with a unique pathway found in organisms from yeast to people. ChromaDex licensed my patents on the uses of NR to boost NAD and developed NR as a new dietary ingredient recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration. I wasn’t entirely pleased with the low level of understanding of the direct-to-consumer companies that were buying Niagen® (nicotinamide riboside) and marketing it to the general public so Rob Fried (now the CEO of ChromaDex) and I created our own product called Tru Niagen®. ChromaDex manufactures Tru Niagenand I’m the company’s chief scientific adviser as well as the go-to person to explain NAD and NR.

LV: How does Tru Niagen compare to other B3 supplement products?

CB: NR is a unique form of vitamin B3 that can be used by cells to create NAD.  Unlike nicotinamide, NR does not inhibit sirtuins, which are enzymes that are important in metabolic regulation. ChromaDex is the only company that holds licenses for the commercial production and distribution of NR. NIAGEN® was twice successfully reviewed under FDA’s new dietary ingredient (NDI) notification program, and also successfully notified to the FDA as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).  The product received approval by Health Canada towards the end of last year.

LV: We’ve heard that Tru Niagen is popular amongst the Hollywood crowd, to the point that supplements were part of this years coveted Oscars swag bag. What about this product do you think appeals to folks the Hollywood industry?

CB: ChromaDex is based in southern California and the direct-to-consumer brand Tru Niagen was launched by movie producer Rob Fried and myself. Early adopters include athletes, scientists, entertainers, busy executives, hard working moms and everybody else that sees the connection between their health, happiness and their quality of life and work.

LV: Would you describe this as an anti-aging product?

CB: This always the question that I am asked because people have seen and heard in interviews that I don’t like the term “anti-aging.” We are all aging and we know NAD declines with age. So, what NR does is maintain healthy NAD stores to provide resiliency and maintain good health.

LV: Who is the ideal candidate for consumption of this product?

CB:The ideal candidate is someone who wants to feel better, build a healthy foundation for good health, and stay charged.

LV: Assuming you supplement your diet with Tru Niagen, are there any other supplements you take or recommend taking?

No.

LV: Do you follow a particular wellness regimen?

CB: I gave up elevators when I turned 45 (am 57 now). I enjoy intense exercise of many types, go to bed at a regular hour and enjoy cooking and eating minimally processed foods. I will turn 58 on October 30 and will run my first marathon in New York on Nov 3.

LV: When researching Tru Niagen, we noticed that some folks commented that it can take quite a while for noticeable benefits. Why is this?

CB: Everyone’s experience is different — 56% of users reported feeling better within one month, and 73% of users reported feeling better after one year.  It really depends on a person’s lifestyle and health regimen.

LV: Could you comment on the bioavailability of the product and gut health as it may or may not relate to Tru Niagen?

CB: NR shows dose-dependent increases in human blood NAD. Our latest data indicate that by two weeks time, people’s blood NAD achieves the increase that is then sustained with continued use. It’s clearly orally available. We don’t know how it interacts with particular people’s microbiome.

LV: What resources or books do you recommend our readers check out that relate to wellness and achieving overall good health?

CB: The New York Times Health section is terrific. I answer people’s metabolism questions almost every day on Twitter @charlesmbrenner

LV: While you were in Vancouver, we hope you had a chance to explore our home. What do you love about our city?

CB: Vancouver is breathtakingly beautiful. I definitely would love to come back to ski, hike, walk and eat my way through the city.