Do PQQ and NAD booster supplements work? What trials show

Short answer: there is real human research on PQQ and on NAD precursors such as nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), but most of it shows that blood levels of a marker go up, not that people feel or function better. The few trials that tested memory or walking were small, short and often tied to the companies that sell the ingredient. Nobody should read "boosts NAD" on a sales page as a promise of anything you can feel.

Below is what the trials we opened actually tested, what doses they used, how a few supplements we reviewed compare, and what to check on a label. This is general information, not medical advice.

What are PQQ and NAD precursors?

PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a compound studied as a possible aid to energy metabolism and the brain. NAD+ is a molecule every cell uses in energy reactions. NR and NMN are "precursors": chemicals the body can turn into NAD+. Niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, is also a NAD precursor, but it is a different ingredient from NR or NMN, and a label that lists niacinamide is not the same as a label that lists NR or NMN.

The sales logic is simple: NAD+ levels fall with age in some tissues, so take a precursor and replace it. The research question is whether raising NAD+ in blood does anything useful. That is where the evidence gets thin.

What did the NR trial show?

The best-known human NR study was a 2018 crossover trial. Thirty healthy middle-aged and older adults took 1,000 mg of NR a day for 6 weeks and a placebo for 6 weeks. The authors reported that NR was well tolerated and raised NAD+ levels. They described the effects on blood pressure and arterial stiffness as an early signal that needs more trials.

The same paper says NR did not change energy expenditure and did not improve blood glucose control or insulin sensitivity in this group. In other words, a rise in the marker did not turn into a visible change in several of the outcomes measured. The authors declared no competing interests.

Two points matter for shoppers. The dose was 1,000 mg a day, and the trial ran only six weeks. A capsule that contains a small fraction of that amount cannot be assumed to behave like the product in the study, and a sales page that cites the trial without giving its dose is borrowing credibility it has not earned.

What did the NMN trial show?

A 2022 trial in India gave 80 healthy middle-aged adults placebo, 300 mg, 600 mg or 900 mg of NMN a day for 60 days. Blood NAD levels rose in every NMN group, with the highest levels at 600 mg and 900 mg. The NMN groups also walked farther in a six-minute walking test and reported better scores on a general health survey than placebo. The authors report no safety problems at up to 900 mg a day.

Read it with care. It was 60 days long, the blood NAD result was the primary goal, and the paper discloses that its lead author is an employee of the company behind the trial. It is a useful signal that NMN is absorbed, not a long-term answer about aging.

What did the PQQ trials show?

A 12-week Japanese trial gave 64 healthy adults aged 40 to under 80 either 21.5 mg a day of PQQ disodium salt or a placebo. Among the 58 who finished, those taking PQQ scored better than placebo on several computer-based memory and attention tests and on two questionnaires, with no adverse events reported. The trial involved a branded PQQ ingredient, and the authors include people from companies tied to PQQ.

A second, smaller trial tested a mix of PQQ and a hydrogen-producing mineral in 34 older adults with mild cognitive impairment for six weeks. The main goal, a blood protein called BDNF, rose only within the treated group; the difference between groups was not statistically significant. Because the product was a mix, it cannot tell you what PQQ alone did.

So the PQQ data is encouraging, small and not independent. Nothing here shows that PQQ prevents or treats memory loss.

What does the FTC say about claims like these?

The FTC's health products guidance says that, as a general matter, support for a health benefit needs randomized, controlled human clinical testing. It adds that animal and cell-based studies "may provide useful supporting or background information" but are not enough on their own to back a health claim. That matters because many NAD sales pages lean on mouse studies.

A fair reading of the trials above is that they show an ingredient is absorbed and tolerated at specific doses, and that a handful of small studies hint at benefits. A sales page that says a capsule "reverses aging" or "restores cellular energy" is claiming much more than a 6-week or 60-day trial.

How do the PQQ and NAD supplements we reviewed compare?

• The Neuro-Thrive review notes a full label with PQQ at 10 mg, which sits within the 10 to 20 mg range used in human trials on stress, fatigue and sleep. It flags two other doses, Alpha GPC and GABA, as short of the studies the page cites.
• The Advanced Mitochondrial Formula review finds PQQ at 5 mg, well under the 21.5 mg used in the cognition trial above, and niacinamide at 200 mg, a B3 form rather than NR or NMN. It also notes that the page name-drops celebrities in connection with NAD supplements in general, though none is shown endorsing the product.
• The Pep Tonic review lists PQQ at 20 mg and NMN at 300 mg per serving, amounts that overlap with the doses in the trials above. The review criticizes the "zombie cell" and anti-aging framing as outrunning the evidence, and notes that most of the scoop is two blends.

None of the three pages is a controlled trial of its own formula. The studies tested single ingredients, so a blend of ten or more ingredients adds questions the research does not answer.

The pattern is that dose disclosure does not decide whether a claim is justified. A label with real numbers lets you compare to a study. It does not mean the study measured what the page promises. Our how we review page explains how we score evidence separately from transparency.

A checklist for PQQ and NAD booster labels

1. Name the exact ingredient: PQQ, NR, NMN, or niacinamide. They are not the same.
2. Find the milligrams per serving. Compare PQQ with the 21.5 mg trial and NMN with the 300 to 900 mg range in the 60-day trial.
3. Check how long the trial lasted. Six weeks or 60 days says little about years of use.
4. Ask whether the outcome was a blood marker or something you can notice, like a walking distance or a memory test.
5. Check who ran and funded the study.
6. Be wary of anti-aging promises built on mouse data.
7. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before starting, especially if you take medication or have a medical condition.
8. Read the refund terms. Our ClickBank refund guide covers the process.

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FAQ

Do NAD booster supplements work?

In the trials we opened, NR and NMN raised blood NAD levels. Whether that improves how you feel or function is not settled: the NR trial found no change in energy expenditure or blood sugar control, and the NMN trial was short and company-linked.

What dose of PQQ did studies use?

One 12-week trial in healthy adults used 21.5 mg a day of PQQ disodium salt. The three supplements we reviewed list 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg.

Is NMN the same as NR?

No. Both are NAD precursors, but they are different molecules tested in different trials at different doses: 1,000 mg a day of NR in one study and 300 to 900 mg a day of NMN in another.

Are PQQ and NAD supplements safe?

The trials we read reported no serious problems over weeks to a few months, but none tested years of use. Ask a doctor or pharmacist, especially if you take medication.