Thorne Research has launched NiaCel, which it describes as an innovative nutritional supplement that supports endurance, energy, and healthy aging. NiaCel is said to be one of the first commercially available products to feature the ingredient NIAGEN from ChromaDex.
According to Thorne, ChromaDex developed its patent-protected ingredient NIAGEN as the first and only commercially available brand of nicotinamide riboside (NR). NR, the active ingredient in NiaCel, is claimed to boost levels of NAD+ in cells and tissue. Studies have demonstrated that increasing the levels of NAD+ can support healthy aging by stimulating mitochondrial energy production, as well as by activating sirtuin function.
"We are very excited to offer NIAGEN nicotinamide riboside to our practitioner network through this new, exclusive product launch,” said Paul Jacobson, CEO of Thorne Research. “NiaCel provides practitioners with a powerful new solution to promote healthy aging in patients. NIAGEN is one of the most innovative new ingredients developed in the past decade. We are thrilled to partner together with ChromaDex and our practitioner-customer base to enhance patient health with the introduction of NiaCel."
"NiaCel is truly a groundbreaking product,” said Frank Jaksch, ChromaDex founder and CEO. “We are pleased to have Thorne Research feature NIAGEN, our branded nicotinamide riboside, in such a prominent product launch."
Sometimes referred to as the "Miracle Molecule" or "Hidden Vitamin," NR is found naturally in trace amounts in milk and other foods and is a more potent, no-flush vitamin B3 (Niacin) derivative.
Published research has shown that NR is perhaps the most effective NAD+ booster, an essential metabolite found in all cells. NAD+ is arguably the most important cellular co-factor for improvement of mitochondrial performance and energy metabolism.
Findings from a recent study by Weill Cornell Medical College and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland researchers showed that mice on a high-fat diet that were fed NR gained 60-percent less weight than mice eating the same high-fat diet without NR. Moreover, unlike the mice that were not fed NR, none of the NR-treated mice had indications they were developing diabetes and they had improved energy and lower cholesterol levels, all without side effects. The Swiss researchers were quoted as saying the effects of NR on metabolism "are nothing short of astonishing."
A study by researchers from Harvard Medical School in conjunction with the National Institute on Aging, published in December 2013 in CELL, demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction (a hallmark of aging) in aging mice is due to a disruption in sirtuin1-dependent nuclear-mitochondrial communication. They further showed that a reduction in NAD+ levels is responsible for this disruption. They also showed this mitochondrial dysfunction was readily reversible by administration of a NAD+ precursor. The authors found that "one week of treatment with a compound that boosts NAD+ levels is sufficient to restore the mitochondrial homeostasis and key biochemical markers of muscle health in a 22-month-old mouse to levels similar to a 6-month-old mouse."
