Published 2026-09-16 · Last reviewed 2026-09-16 · By Andy Palenzuela, Founder
"Backed by science" is the cheapest phrase in the supplement industry, because nobody checks. This page is the check. It lists every study CELLUNAD+ relies on, what each one measured, in what population, at what dose, and — the part brands leave out — what it did not show and what has never been studied at all. It is maintained by the founder of Age Revive, who spent 14+ years inside regulated nutrition supply chains and would rather you read the primary sources than the marketing.
Human trials cited for NR: Trammell 2016, Martens 2018, Conze 2019. Doses studied: 100–1,000 mg/day.
Human trial cited for TMG: Schwab 2002, at 6 g/day — far above the 250 mg co-factor amount in CELLUNAD+.
Preclinical research cited for apigenin: Escande 2013 (in vitro, cell culture, mouse). No human CD38 trial exists.
No study has tested CELLUNAD+: Every trial below tested a single ingredient. The formula's combination is a design decision informed by mechanism, not a trial result.
How to read this page
Each study gets four lines: what it was, what it measured, what it did not measure, and how CELLUNAD+'s dose compares. Where the honest answer is "no human data," it says so. All links go to PubMed or the journal.
Nicotinamide riboside — 500 mg
Trammell et al. 2016 — Nature Communications
What it was: the first human pharmacokinetic study of NR. A one-person pilot at 1,000 mg, then a crossover in twelve healthy adults taking single doses of 100, 300, or 1,000 mg.
What it measured: blood NAD+ metabolites rose dose-dependently after a single oral dose. The authors identified NAAD as a sensitive biomarker of NAD+ repletion. No serious adverse events.
What it did not measure: anything beyond a single dose; any functional outcome.
CELLUNAD+ comparison: 500 mg/day sits inside the 100–1,000 mg range that produced a dose-dependent response.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27721479/
Martens et al. 2018 — Nature Communications
What it was: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover in 24 healthy adults aged 55–79; 500 mg NR twice daily (1,000 mg/day) for six weeks versus placebo for six weeks.
What it measured: NR was well tolerated; NAD+ in blood cells was higher during the NR phase than the placebo phase.
What it did not measure: cognitive, energy, or performance outcomes. No 500 mg/day arm.
CELLUNAD+ comparison: 500 mg/day is half the daily dose used in this trial. We state that plainly rather than imply this study validates our dose.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29599478/
Conze et al. 2019 — Scientific Reports
What it was: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy overweight adults; 100, 300, or 1,000 mg NR chloride daily, or placebo, for eight weeks.
What it measured: whole-blood NAD+ increased dose-dependently and was sustained; NR was well tolerated at all doses with no clinically relevant differences in adverse events versus placebo.
What it did not measure: weight or metabolic outcomes (not the endpoints); nothing about any finished product.
CELLUNAD+ comparison: 500 mg/day sits between the 300 mg dose that produced a clear response and the 1,000 mg dose that produced the largest.
What NR has not been shown to do in humans: raise energy, slow or reverse aging, improve cognition, or produce any specific percentage increase in an individual. The trials measured tolerability and blood NAD+ metabolites over 6–8 weeks. Full explainer: What Is Nicotinamide Riboside?
Betaine (TMG) — 250 mg
Schwab et al. 2002 — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
What it was: randomized trial in 42 adults on a reduced-energy diet; 6 g/day betaine or placebo for 12 weeks.
What it measured: plasma homocysteine decreased in the betaine group.
What it did not measure: anything at co-factor doses; anything alongside an NAD+ precursor.
CELLUNAD+ comparison: 250 mg is a co-factor amount, roughly one twenty-fourth of the trial dose. TMG is included to support methylation balance alongside NR — not to reproduce a homocysteine study, and CELLUNAD+ makes no homocysteine claim.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/76.5.961
Why TMG is here at all: NAD+ turnover releases nicotinamide, part of which is cleared by a methyl-consuming enzyme (NNMT). Supplying a precursor plausibly raises that methyl demand. This is established biochemistry as a mechanism and an untested hypothesis as a human outcome — no trial has combined NR with TMG. Full reasoning: Should You Take TMG With NR?
No CELLUNAD+-specific trial is cited for these. They are established nutrients with well-characterized roles in the methylation cycle: 5-MTHF and B12 support the methionine-synthase route that recycles homocysteine, and B6 supports the transsulfuration exit. They are included in their active forms to remove conversion steps. Amounts: 400 mcg DFE, 1,000 mcg, and 10 mg respectively. These are co-factors, not headline ingredients, and we do not attach outcome claims to them.
Apigenin — 100 mg
Escande et al. 2013 — Diabetes
What it was: laboratory study of flavonoid inhibition of CD38, an enzyme that degrades NAD+.
What it measured: apigenin inhibited CD38 activity in vitro using purified enzyme; in cell culture, apigenin was associated with higher intracellular NAD+; in mice, apigenin administration was associated with higher NAD+ in liver tissue.
What it did not measure: anything in humans. No oral dose in people, no human bioavailability, no human NAD+ outcome.
CELLUNAD+ comparison: there is no validated human CD38 dose to compare against. 100 mg is a research-informed decision to include apigenin as a real amount rather than a trace one. We describe apigenin as a flavonoid researched for CD38 management — nothing stronger.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23172919/ (in vitro and mouse study)
No specific trial is cited. R-lipoic acid is the naturally occurring form of alpha-lipoic acid, a cofactor in mitochondrial energy metabolism, included to support mitochondrial oxidative balance. It is listed as a cofactor and we make no standalone outcome claim for it.
BioPerine — 5 mg
Black pepper extract, included to support nutrient absorption. We do not state a bioavailability percentage, because one has not been established for this formula.
What has not been studied
This is the section most brands do not publish.
Question
Status
Has CELLUNAD+ been tested in a trial?
No. Every study above tested a single ingredient.
Has NR at exactly 500 mg/day been a standalone trial arm?
Has NR with the full four-co-factor methylation set been tested?
No.
Has oral apigenin been shown to inhibit CD38 in humans?
No. Preclinical only.
Has a "complete" NR formula been compared to NR alone?
No.
Is there long-term (multi-year) human safety data on NR?
Not yet. The cited trials ran 6–8 weeks.
None of this makes CELLUNAD+ unreasonable. It makes it a formula built on ingredient-level human data and mechanistic logic — which is what an honest supplement is. What it is not is "clinically proven," and we do not use those words.
The claims we make, and the claims we do not
We say: supports NAD+ metabolism · supports cellular energy metabolism · supports methylation balance · supports mitochondrial oxidative balance · dose informed by published human NR research · every dose on the label · non-stimulant by design.
We do not say: boosts your NAD+ · increases energy · reverses or slows aging · clinically proven · dose-matched to any study · blocks CD38 · lowers homocysteine · any percentage or timeline.
Where to verify
Every study above links to PubMed or the publishing journal.
The full ingredient panel with amounts is on the CELLUNAD+ product page and printed on the bottle.
Lot testing: every CELLUNAD+ lot is third-party tested for identity and potency. The current-lot certificate publishes on the quality page when issued.
Is CELLUNAD+ clinically proven? No supplement is, and we do not use that phrase. CELLUNAD+ is built on human trials of its main ingredient, nicotinamide riboside (Trammell 2016; Martens 2018; Conze 2019), and on mechanistic research for its co-factors. The finished formula has not been tested in a trial.
What studies support the 500 mg NR dose in CELLUNAD+? Human trials have used NR from 100 to 1,000 mg per day. Conze 2019 found a clear blood-NAD+ response from 300 mg/day; Martens 2018 used 1,000 mg/day. 500 mg/day is a dose informed by that range, not a dose that was itself a standalone trial arm.
Why does CELLUNAD+ cite a 6 g/day betaine study when it contains 250 mg? Because that is the human trial establishing what betaine does at scale (Schwab 2002). We cite it for context, disclose the dose gap, and make no homocysteine claim. The 250 mg is a co-factor amount included to support methylation balance alongside NR.
Has apigenin been tested in people for NAD+? No. The cited research (Escande 2013) is in vitro, cell culture, and mouse. Apigenin is included in CELLUNAD+ as a flavonoid researched for CD38 management, at 100 mg, with no human outcome claim.
Andy Palenzuela is the founder of Age Revive and has 14+ years of experience in regulated nutrition supply chains, including manufacturing oversight, ingredient sourcing, and quality assurance for consumer health products. Age Revive formulas are developed based on published peer-reviewed research and manufactured at cGMP-certified facilities. LinkedIn
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.