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Drowning in the Fountain of Youth

The fight over a promising longevity supplement keeps getting worse

Emily Mullin
Elemental
Published in
9 min readSep 24, 2018

Illustration: Benedikt Luft

TTwo companies are convinced they’ve hit the anti-aging jackpot—and you can already buy their products online. ChromaDex and Elysium Health both sell supplements, called Tru Niagen and Basis, respectively, which are readily available for around $40 a bottle. Though the product labels make vague claims about cellular optimization and better aging, what they really purport to do is restore levels of a compound called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD.

As people and animals grow older, NAD levels naturally decline. Some researchers reason that restoring those levels could help stave off some of the effects of aging and potentially prolong our lives. ChromaDex and Elysium Health both sell the pill form of a molecule called nicotinamide riboside—or NR for short—which has been shown to boost NAD levels. The companies are founded by distinguished scientists and backed by billionaire investors and Nobel Laureates who say they take the pills daily. They’re testing their products through clinical trials to prove the supplements provide real health benefits for a variety of conditions, from improving cognition to preventing kidney injury and more.

“The whole industry is just a…

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Elemental
Elemental

Published in Elemental

Elemental is a former publication from Medium for science-backed health and wellness coverage. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Emily Mullin
Emily Mullin

Written by Emily Mullin

Former staff writer at Medium, where I covered biotech, genetics, and Covid-19 for OneZero, Future Human, Elemental, and the Coronavirus Blog.

Responses (11)

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Life is a wonderful experience. For everyone it has a different meaning and it is up to each individual t decide what that meaning is. Because some believe in reincarnation, where others believe we die and never exists again. For me, I am till…

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I have been taking Elysium for a year now. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s helping or not. My energy levels are up but this could also be the result of living healthier. I really WANT to believe there marketing but sometime I just feel like a fool…

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When people buy into supplements they are buying into non-science and quackery. They usually do it because they WANT to believe something called “scientific” will help them. Many of them are truly desperately ill with a solid medical diagnosis, and…

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