The Cost of Aging Better Has Never Been Cheaper

“I’m here for a good time, not a long time.” It’s the mantra for anyone who decided to have an extra drink at a party, slam down a scoop of ice cream for breakfast, or order takeout instead of cooking the healthy groceries they bought that very afternoon. But even people who don’t make the most health-conscious choices still probably want to feel good for as long as they can before age begins to take its toll. One could consider that their health span, a term popularized by consumer health company, Elysium Health.

While they aren’t here to help you with your hangover, it is Elysium Health’s goal to keep you healthy and enjoying life for longer.

Rather than develop products designed to increase one’s lifespan, New York-based Elysium Health is researching new ways to keep people healthy for a greater portion of their lives. Their first product, an NAD+ supplement called Basis, has been shown in an exhaustive clinical trial to boost and maintain levels of a molecule that naturally decreases with age.

Over 25 years of study on people and animals have demonstrated that the amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) in any organism’s cells is directly related to that cell’s ability to perform key tasks like metabolizing fuel sources and supporting healthy DNA, among others. As we age and our NAD+ level drops, our bodies have a harder time completing these crucial cellular tasks.

But Elysium Health, which boasts a team of world-renowned scientists and Nobel laureates on its advisory board, completed an NAD+-boosting study on humans in November 2017, publishing their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

In that double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, the team of researchers studied three groups of 40 men and women. One group was given a placebo pill, while the other two were given either the recommended dosage or a double dosage of Basis — a combination of nicotinamide, riboside, and pterostilbene — which our cells use to synthesize into NAD+ and support other important activities in the cell that contribute to health. Basis also helps activate sirtuin genes, which have been demonstrated to control longevity in lower organisms and are strongly linked to health in humans.

After four weeks of taking Basis daily, the two groups who took a single or double dose showed a statistically significant increase in their NAD+ levels. In the group of people who took the recommended dosage of Basis, average NAD+ levels increased by 40 percent. The findings will be even more compelling as follow-up studies show that the authors’ hypothesis — that enhanced NAD+ will result in increased cell function and general health — is further tested.

As you age, your levels of NAD+ will drop regardless of how well you eat and how much you exercise. This is true for everyone else, too. While that may be cause to smirk at your friends who won’t shut up about CrossFit or their new spin class, it’s important to remember that exercising and eating a healthy diet are irreplaceable — but boosting NAD+ is a groundbreaking strategy to support good health, and it’s now possible thanks to Basis.

Right now, a single bottle of Basis costs $60, but a monthly subscription is $50 dollars, while a six-month subscription, Elysium’s top seller, is just $270.