The expansion adds to the company’s growing list of bricks-and-mortar retailers carrying Tru Niagen in Canada, which includes Pure Pharmacy and Fullscript. With the addition of Whole Foods Market, Tru Niagen is now available in more than 100 stores across Canada.
“Whole Foods’ dedication to bringing innovative, quality health and wellness products to its consumers makes it a natural partner for ChromaDex as we continue our retail expansion in Canada,” said Rob Fried, CEO of ChromaDex, in a statement.
In Canada, dietary supplements are referred to as Natural Health Products. To enter the market, companies must first register to Health Canada, the country’s health authority, and receive a Natural Product Number before they can be sold to the public. Tru Niagen was approved for sale in Canada in December 2018.
According to Health Canada’s database, the recommended uses or purposes for Tru Niagen include ‘Helps in energy metabolism and tissue formation,’ ‘Helps maintain the body's ability to metabolize nutrients,’ ‘Helps to prevent Vitamin B3 deficiency,’ ‘Source of vitamin B3 which maintains blood NAD+ levels, to support cellular health,’ and more.
The supplement contains ChromaDex’s flagship ingredient, Niagen, a form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide riboside chloride (or NR).
Researchers have linked a boost of a coenzyme called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, with the consumption of NR. A decline in NAD has been linked to senescence of cells.
Earlier this month, a study published in Scientific Reports attested for the long-term safety of taking the Tru Niagen supplement. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial with 132 healthy overweight adults was the largest trial to date assessing the safety and efficacy of Tru Niagen.
“This is a timely publication in the history of Niagen as it clearly shows safe, dose-dependent and time-dependent increases in blood NAD in human populations,” said Charles Brenner, PhD, Roy J. Carver Chair & Head of Biochemistry at the University of Iowa and ChromaDex Chief Scientific Advisor, about the study.
“With so much global interest in NAD-boosting supplementation strategies, our approach to human translation has been to put safety first. These data will be used to design the next generation of trials to promote wellness as well as to test the activity of Niagen against diseases and conditions of metabolic stress.”
