What does NR do to belly bugs and fat?
Oral supplementation of nicotinamide riboside alters intestinal microbial composition in rats and mice, but not humans
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
NR increased fat and energy absorption in rats on a high-fat diet—even while reducing fat mass gain.
Normally, absorbing more fat leads to more fat gain. Here, rats absorbed more energy but still gained less body fat, which contradicts simple 'calories in, calories out' logic.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t expect NR supplements to change your gut bacteria or significantly improve metabolism based on current evidence.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
NR increased fat and energy absorption in rats on a high-fat diet—even while reducing fat mass gain.
Normally, absorbing more fat leads to more fat gain. Here, rats absorbed more energy but still gained less body fat, which contradicts simple 'calories in, calories out' logic.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t expect NR supplements to change your gut bacteria or significantly improve metabolism based on current evidence.
Publication
Journal
NPJ Aging
Year
2023
Authors
A. Peluso, A. Lundgaard, P. Babaei, Felippe Mousovich-Neto, A. Rocha, Mads V. Damgaard, E. G. Bak, Thiyagarajan Gnanasekaran, O. Dollerup, Samuel A. J. Trammell, T. Nielsen, Timo Kern, C. Abild, Karolina Sulek, Tao Ma, Zach Gerhart-Hines, M. Gillum, Manimozhiyan Arumugam, C. Ørskov, D. McCloskey, N. Jessen, Markus J. Herrgård, M. Mori, J. T. Treebak
Related Content
Claims (6)
When you take NR or NMN supplements, your gut bacteria turn them into a form of vitamin B3, which your body then uses to make an important molecule called NAD+ that helps keep your cells healthy.
Giving rats a special vitamin-like supplement called nicotinamide riboside every day for 12 weeks seemed to help them gain less belly fat, even when eating fatty food.
Giving rats a special vitamin-like supplement called nicotinamide riboside for three months seems to boost certain 'good' gut bacteria, especially when they're eating a high-fat diet.
Giving mice a supplement called nicotinamide riboside for three months changed the types of gut bacteria they had — some increased, others decreased — which might mean this supplement affects mouse gut health in a specific way.
Taking a supplement called nicotinamide riboside for three months doesn’t seem to change the types or balance of gut bacteria in middle-aged, overweight men who don’t have diabetes.