Written by the Nuvirox Research Team
Key Points
- Elysium Basis provides 250 mg nicotinamide riboside (NR) and 50 mg pterostilbene per 2-capsule serving.
- The combination was tested in a published, peer-reviewed randomized trial (Dellinger et al. 2017) showing dose-dependent NAD+ increases.
- NR’s human evidence base is substantial; pterostilbene’s human evidence is comparatively thin, especially for its claimed sirtuin-activating role.
Short answer: Elysium Basis pairs 250 mg of nicotinamide riboside with 50 mg of pterostilbene, and unlike a lot of NAD+ supplements, this specific combination has a real published human trial behind it — though that trial tested NAD+ levels, not downstream health outcomes, and the pterostilbene component rests on thinner human evidence than the NR half. Here’s what’s actually in the bottle and what the research does and doesn’t support.
What’s actually in Elysium Basis?
Each 2-capsule daily serving of Basis provides 250 mg of nicotinamide riboside chloride (branded NR-E) and 50 mg of pterostilbene, in a simple capsule with microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose, vegetable magnesium stearate, and silica as the only other listed ingredients. It’s vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and NSF Certified for Sport, meaning each lot is third-party tested for banned substances — a real, verifiable certification, not a marketing phrase.
| Elysium Basis | NAD+ Restore | |
|---|---|---|
| NR per serving | 250 mg | 500 mg |
| Polyphenol | Pterostilbene 50 mg | Trans-resveratrol 150 mg + quercetin 50 mg |
| Absorption aid | Not listed | Fenugreek galactomannans 10 mg |
| Third-party sport certification | NSF Certified for Sport | Not NSF certified |
What does pterostilbene actually add?
Pterostilbene is a polyphenol structurally similar to resveratrol, naturally found in blueberries. It’s included in Basis on the theory that sirtuins need two things to function well: fuel (NAD+, supplied by NR) and activation (theorized to come from polyphenols like pterostilbene or resveratrol). This is a reasonable mechanistic story, but it's worth being precise about what has and hasn’t been shown: pterostilbene’s human safety data is more limited than NR’s, and direct evidence that it meaningfully activates sirtuins in living humans, as opposed to in cell culture, is thinner than the marketing framing suggests.
What human studies actually show
Dellinger et al. 2017, NPJ Aging and Mechanisms of Disease — the trial behind the formula. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested NRPT (the NR + pterostilbene combination Basis is built on) in 120 healthy adults aged 60–80 across three arms: placebo, standard dose, and double dose, for 8 weeks (Dellinger RW, Santos SR, Morris M, et al. Repeat dose NRPT (nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene) increases NAD+ levels in humans safely and sustainably: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. NPJ Aging Mech Dis. 2017;3:17. PMID: 29184669). NAD+ levels rose roughly 40% in the standard-dose group and roughly 90% in the double-dose group compared to placebo, sustained through the full 8 weeks, with no serious adverse events reported. This is genuine, peer-reviewed, product-relevant trial data — not every supplement combination can say that.
What that trial didn’t measure. The Dellinger trial’s primary outcome was blood NAD+ levels, a biomarker, not a symptom or clinical outcome like energy, cognition, or physical performance. Raising a biomarker is a meaningful first step, but it isn’t the same as demonstrating a felt benefit, and this trial didn’t attempt to measure one.
Broader NR evidence supports the formula’s core ingredient. Separately, an 8-week trial of NR alone found dose-dependent NAD+ increases of 22–142% across 100–1000 mg doses with a clean safety profile (Conze D, Brenner C, Kruger CL. Safety and metabolism of long-term administration of NIAGEN (nicotinamide riboside chloride) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of healthy overweight adults. Sci Rep. 2019;9:9772. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-46120-z), and a 6-week crossover trial confirmed good tolerability in older adults (Martens CR, Denman BA, Mazzo MR, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nat Commun. 2018;9(1):1286. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03421-7). At 250 mg, Basis sits at the lower end of doses shown to reliably raise NAD+ in these trials; some other NR products, including NAD+ Restore, use a 500 mg dose closer to the middle of the studied range.
The honest counterweight. A 21-day trial in older adults found NR increased the NAD+ metabolome in skeletal muscle without measurably improving mitochondrial bioenergetics (Elhassan YS, Kluckova K, Fletcher RS, et al. Nicotinamide riboside augments the aged human skeletal muscle NAD+ metabolome and induces transcriptomic and anti-inflammatory signatures. Cell Rep. 2019;28(7):1717-1728. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.043. PMID: 31412242), and a 2025 randomized trial in long-COVID patients found no significant difference in fatigue, sleep quality, or mood between NR and placebo groups despite a 2.6–3.1-fold rise in NAD+ (Wu CY, Reynolds WC, Abril I, et al. Effects of nicotinamide riboside on NAD+ levels, cognition, and symptom recovery in long-COVID: a randomized controlled trial. eClinicalMedicine. 2025;89:103633. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103633. PMID: 41357333). Raising NAD+ reliably does not guarantee a felt clinical effect, a caveat that applies to any NR-based product, including Basis.
What NAD+ Restore won't do
This review is not a Nuvirox endorsement or condemnation of Elysium Basis — it’s a factual look at ingredients and evidence so you can compare formulas on the merits. Basis’s published trial measured NAD+ levels, not energy, cognition, or longevity outcomes in humans, and no supplement in this category, including NAD+ Restore, has trial data showing it extends lifespan or reverses aging in people.
See a doctor before starting any NAD+ precursor supplement if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or managing a chronic condition, since none of the trials referenced here enrolled those populations.
Dosing and realistic timelines
Basis is dosed at 2 capsules (250 mg NR + 50 mg pterostilbene) once daily, typically in the morning. Its published trial used this same NRPT combination at standard and double doses over 8 weeks. For comparison, NAD+ Restore provides 500 mg NR per serving — double the NR content of Basis’s standard dose — alongside 150 mg trans-resveratrol, 50 mg quercetin, and 10 mg fenugreek-derived galactomannans for absorption support.
Frequently asked questions
Is Elysium Basis backed by real science?
Yes, more than many competitors — the specific NR + pterostilbene combination was tested in a published, peer-reviewed randomized trial (Dellinger et al. 2017) that measured blood NAD+ increases over 8 weeks.
Is 250 mg of NR enough?
It's within the dose range shown to raise NAD+ in published trials, though it's on the lower end; 300–1000 mg doses have shown larger, more sustained increases in separate trials.
Does the pterostilbene in Basis do anything measurable?
The Dellinger trial tested NR and pterostilbene together, not pterostilbene alone, so its specific individual contribution to the measured NAD+ increase isn't isolated in that data.
How does Basis compare to Tru Niagen?
Both use patented NR forms with published safety data; Basis adds pterostilbene while Tru Niagen is available as a single-ingredient NR product at various doses — see our separate Tru Niagen review for that comparison.
From Nuvirox
Why we formulated NAD+ Restore
Each 2-capsule serving delivers 500 mg nicotinamide riboside chloride (NR) — one of the two most-researched NAD+ precursors, within the dose range used in published human trials — alongside 150 mg trans-resveratrol and 50 mg quercetin, polyphenols studied alongside NAD+ pathways for cellular health support, plus 10 mg fenugreek-derived galactomannans to support absorption.
Backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee — long enough to actually evaluate it the way the research says you should.
Learn more about NAD+ Restore →The bottom line
Elysium Basis is one of the more evidence-backed NAD+ products on the market, largely because its specific formula has an actual published trial behind it — a real point in its favor. The honest caveats are that the trial measured a biomarker, not a felt outcome, and that its NR dose sits lower than some competitors’ formulas, including the single-ingredient approach in our Do Not Age Pure NR review. Compare the NR milligram dose and the presence of independent third-party testing across any products you’re considering, since those are the two most verifiable, comparable facts in this category.
References
- Dellinger RW, Santos SR, Morris M, et al. Repeat dose NRPT (nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene) increases NAD+ levels in humans safely and sustainably: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. NPJ Aging Mech Dis. 2017;3:17. PMID: 29184669
- Conze D, Brenner C, Kruger CL. Safety and metabolism of long-term administration of NIAGEN (nicotinamide riboside chloride) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of healthy overweight adults. Sci Rep. 2019;9:9772. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-46120-z
- Martens CR, Denman BA, Mazzo MR, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nat Commun. 2018;9(1):1286. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03421-7
- Elhassan YS, Kluckova K, Fletcher RS, et al. Nicotinamide riboside augments the aged human skeletal muscle NAD+ metabolome and induces transcriptomic and anti-inflammatory signatures. Cell Rep. 2019;28(7):1717-1728. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.043. PMID: 31412242
- Wu CY, Reynolds WC, Abril I, et al. Effects of nicotinamide riboside on NAD+ levels, cognition, and symptom recovery in long-COVID: a randomized controlled trial. eClinicalMedicine. 2025;89:103633. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103633. PMID: 41357333
*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. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.