Tru Niagen NAD+ booster claims challenged by US advertising board
Key takeaways
- Reus Research filed a formal complaint challenging advertising claims that the Tru Niagen supplement boosts NAD+ levels by up to 150% and delivers specific health benefits.
- The US National Advertising Review Board recommended halting claims about aging, vitality, and organ health due to a lack of evidence showing general real-world benefits.
- Niagen Bioscience has agreed to comply and alter or remove the flagged advertisements and consumer testimonials.
(Image credit: Niagen Bioscience).Reus Research has filed a formal complaint with the US National Advertising Division against Niagen Bioscience’s advertising around its nicotinamide riboside (NR) dietary supplement, Tru Niagen. This product carries claims of boosting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels in the body up to 150%.
As a result, an appellate panel of the US National Advertising Review Board (NARB) has recommended that Niagen Bioscience discontinue or modify several major health-benefit advertising claims around the product.
“The panel ultimately determined that many of Niagen’s claims went beyond cell-level mechanistic effects, promising perceptible or functional health benefits that lacked proper support,” states NARB.
In reviewing the product’s advertising, the panel agreed with the National Advertising Division that Niagen’s relied-upon clinical studies failed to prove that its specified increases in NAD+ levels applied to the general population.
Niagen states that it is “deeply disappointed” with the NARB panel’s decision but has agreed to “nevertheless comply” with its recommendations.
Niagen appeals
Niagen had appealed the National Advertising Division’s initial recommendations to alter or stop the challenged express and implied claims, which included specific health benefit, establishment, structure and function, and “clinically proven” assertions.
Meanwhile, the panel rejected Niagen’s defense that its advertisements were permissible “structure and function” claims under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.
The panel stresses that the required legal substantiation depends on the actual message conveyed to consumers, rather than the advertiser’s regulatory classification.
Flagged claims for discontinuation
Following its review, the NARB panel recommends that Niagen discontinue its “clinically proven” establishment claims and targeted advertising in specific categories.
The first is in “Organ and System Health,” including claims related to heart, brain, and immune health. Second is “Aging and Vitality,” which encompasses anti-aging claims, as well as muscle health and energy-related claims promising functional recovery or vitality.
Thirdly is “Testimonials,” which comprises consumer testimonials that communicate “perceptible, real-world improvements.”
The panel additionally stresses that while certain claims phrased in biological or cellular terms may be modified, “they must not be used in contexts that falsely convey a message of perceptible or functional health benefits.”
Last November, Niagen Bioscience announced a “first-of-its-kind” clinical trial that claimed that daily supplementation with Niagen Bioscience’s patented NR ingredient, Niagen NR, for ten weeks boosts positive recovery outcomes among individuals with “long COVID.”
Recently, Niagen Bioscience’s direct-to-consumer website partnered with payment platform Truemed to offer eligible US-based customers the option to purchase its NAD+ booster supplement, Tru Niagen, for a lower cost using pre-tax health care dollars.
