Formulation of nicotinamide and D-ribose may support NAD+ and blood glucose levels, says new study

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A recent study published in Nutrients¹ found that the combination of nicotinamide and D-ribose called RiaGev from Bioenergy Life Science (Ham Lake, MN) support healthy levels of Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) metabolomes and its related benefits. In the randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover pilot study, 50 healthy men and women between the ages of 36 and 65 were randomized to either RiaGev (1,520 mg dosage) then placebo, or placebo then RiaGev. Supplementation took place twice daily over seven days. Blood samples were taken on day 1, day 3, day 5, and day 8.

Results showed that subjects taking RiaGev saw significant increases in NAD+ and NADP+ compared to placebo at day 5 and 8, with significant within group concentration increases of 9.4%, 14.8%, and 9.7% at days 3, 5, and 8. NAPDH levels trended upwards for the RiaGev group, but were only significantly higher compared to placebo when combined with NADP+.

Supplementation with RiaGev was also associated with a significant reduction in blood glucose iAUC levels, compared to baseline, with no significant changes in insulin secretion, suggesting improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Additionally, subjects taking RiaGev also experienced significant increases in total glutathione at days 3 and 5, increases in high energy phosphates ATP and ADP ratio at days 3, 5, and 8, as well as significant reductions in salivary cortisol at days 5 and 8, compared to placebo.

Subjects in the study took the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) questionnaire with subscales that measured physical fatigue, mental concentration, motivation, and physical activities. Both RiaGev and placebo group saw improvements in CIS scores with the exception of physical activity subscales. However, scores were consistently greater in the RiaGev group compared to the placebo group with total CIS scores improving by 21.5%, 18.3%, and 12.7% at days 3, 5, and 8, respectively. Compare this to the placebo group which saw total CIS score improvements of 10.4%, 6.2%, and 4.1% at days 3, 5 and 8, respectively.

“It took a while to get this trial published because the reviewers were astonished by the results and had so many follow-up questions,” said BLS director of scientific affairs Michael Crabtree, ND, in a press release. “Most precursors can’t make the claim that they increase NADPH and NADH, as RiaGev does. And while normally with an antioxidant enhancer, you’d see NADPH and glutathione in reverse proportions, we found RiaGev actually makes both go up simultaneously, which is a huge advantage.”

He adds, “We also weren’t prepared to see the blood glucose result. Bioenergy Ribose is known to lower blood glucose for a short time period. But we didn’t anticipate the smooth drop in glucose and insulin, which continued over a long time period.

“A big question from the reviewers was about the fact that in active adults, blood glucose will normally be very high after a carbohydrate meal. We didn’t find that in the RiaGev group. Instead, we found that RiaGev smooths the spike to some degree. More interesting: It did this without additional insulin.”

Reference

1. Xue Y et al. “A combination of nicotinamide and D-ribose (RiaGev) is safe and effective to increase NAD+ metabolome in healthy middle-aged adults: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over pilot clinical trial.” Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 11 (2022): 2219