The European Food Safety Authority has confirmed nicotinamide riboside (NR) as safe. Not stopping there, EFSA has also found evidence to support the substance as a good source of vitamin B3.
The regulatory body ruled the substance is a novel food ingredient for use in a food supplement, stating the recommended dose as 300 mg a day for a healthy adult, and 230 mg for pregnant women.
The company that made the application for the novel food is US-based ChromaDex.
“Safety is paramount for ChromaDex and this positive opinion from EFSA underscores our depth of science, and is the latest in a consistently positive series of reviews of NR by authoritative bodies,” said ChromaDex CEO Rob Fried. “We are diligently working to complete the regulatory process to bring NR to the health-conscious people of the EU.”
NR
Cells can use NR, commercially known as Niagen, to create nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is an essential molecule found in every living cell. NAD plays an essential role in cellular energy production and supporting cellular repair.
Decreased NAD levels are associated with many age-related declines in overall health. Niagen is the only commercially available NR which has twice been successfully reviewed under US FDA new dietary ingredient (NDI) notification requirement and has also been successfully notified to the FDA as generally recognised as safe (GRAS).
The company lead product is called Tru Niagen. This is already available in the US as capsules. Following this approval the company plans to launch Tru Niagen in the EU.
To date, ChromaDex has invested millions of dollars in safety and human clinical trials on its patent-protected NR (commercially known as Niagen) and has entered research agreements with more than 170 leading research institutions, including Dartmouth, the National Institutes of Health, University of Iowa, and the Scripps Research Institute.
