Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia during the Healthy Ageing APAC Summit in Singapore, ChromaDex founder and executive chairman Frank Jaksch said that the new safety studies conducted on Tru Niagen – the company’s signature NR product – has showed potential for use in personalised nutrition.
The safety study published in Scientific Reports found that NR can be safely consumed at the dosage of 100mg, 300mg, and 1,000mg in 132 healthy overweight adults.
According to Jaksch, the study is the largest human clinical study involving NR consumption till date. The study showed that the higher the intake of NR, the greater the blood levels of NAD+.
As seen from the safety study, the 100mg, 300mg, and 1,000mg dosages raised NAD+ levels by 22%, 51%, and 142% respectively.
He said that the results showed the potential for developing personalised dosages for different individuals based on their health conditions.
“With the trial results, we are trying to change the understanding of ageing from the concept of chronological age to the biological age, with the latter being associated with cellular health. As such, some may need to consume more amounts than the others to treat or to maintain their health,” he said.
He added that the next step was to find out the different health functions of NR.
“The next stage is to find out the specific therapeutic purpose of NR, for instance, its effects in liver, heart, and brain health, with the dosage varying for different purposes.”
If the attempts to create personalised dosages were successful, there would be a need to educate physicians about this, as well as the opportunity to supply them with the product, he said.
Launched six years ago, Tru Niagen was first sold in Asia two years ago, beginning with Hong Kong in Sep 2017 and Singapore and New Zealand last year.
APAC trends and plans
The firm has plans to move into more APAC markets, with Australia being the next target.
Jaksch revealed that Chromadex was in the midst of going through regulatory processes in Australia and was evaluating other East Asian countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan .
“In Asia, most of the consumers are kids who buy for their parents. While in the West, there is an educated population who will do their homework and buy the product for their own consumption,” he said when discussing the consumption trends in Asia.
Moving forward, the firm plans to strengthen its foothold in Asia by conducting local clinical studies.
“The next step is to conduct clinical studies in Asia, performing collaborated studies with universities here in Asia.”
Till date, the firm is involved in 34 clinical studies and has signed 170 collaboration agreements with universities worldwide, which he said has “showed the researchers’ interest in [the use of NR].”
