Elysium Health Basis Review: Does this NAD+ Work?

The quest for the fountain of youth has never been more scientific and more crowded. As consumers seek evidence-based approaches to slow aging, the supplement market has exploded with products promising to turn back the clock. Among the prominent players is Elysium Health, which has gained credibility by assembling a scientific advisory board featuring multiple Nobel Prize winners. In a market saturated with bold promises, the critical question remains: which interventions work?

This Elysium Health review will provide an unbiased analysis of the company's NAD+ supplement, Signal™ (formerly Basis). We'll examine the science behind their claims, evaluate the clinical evidence, and break down the costs and benefits to help you make an informed decision.

We'll explore a fundamental challenge in longevity science: how do you know if an intervention is working for your unique biology? The answer lies not just in choosing the right supplement, but in measuring its impact precisely.

What is Elysium Health?

Elysium Health was founded in 2014 with a mission to translate cutting-edge aging research into consumer-accessible products. The company's selling point is its scientific credibility, anchored by an advisory board of Nobel Prize winners and leading researchers from Harvard, MIT, and Oxford. This backing has helped distinguish Elysium from other supplement companies making similar anti-aging claims.

Elysium's product lineup centers on Signal™ (formerly Basis), a dietary supplement designed to boost cellular NAD+ levels, a coenzyme essential for energy metabolism, DNA repair, and cellular health. The supplement combines two key ingredients: Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), an NAD+ precursor, and Pterostilbene, a powerful antioxidant. Together, these ingredients are marketed as a scientifically-backed approach to support healthy aging at the cellular level.

Why is Everyone Talking About NAD+?

To assess Elysium's approach, we first need to understand the science behind NAD+ and its role in aging. NAD+ is a vital "helper molecule" that facilitates hundreds of metabolic processes, making it crucial for maintaining cellular health.

The Role of NAD+ in Cellular Health and Aging

NAD+ serves several critical functions that impact the aging process:

• Energy Metabolism: NAD+ is essential for converting nutrients from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cellular energy currency. This process occurs primarily in the mitochondria, the "powerhouses" of cells, making NAD+ crucial for maintaining cellular energy levels.
• DNA Repair: NAD+ fuels sirtuins, which regulate cellular health and longevity. These proteins maintain genomic stability by facilitating DNA repair and managing cellular stress responses.
• Cellular Defense: NAD+ supports immune function and manages inflammation throughout the body. It helps cells respond to stressors and maintain healthy communication.
• Circadian Rhythm Regulation: Research shows NAD+ levels fluctuate daily and help regulate our biological clock, impacting sleep quality and metabolic function.

The Problem: NAD+ Levels Decline with Age

Here's where the science becomes concerning: multiple studies show NAD+ levels decline significantly with age. Research in Cell Metabolism and other journals shows NAD+ levels can decrease by 50% between ages 40 and 60. This decline is linked to aging hallmarks, including decreased energy, reduced cellular repair capacity, and increased susceptibility to age-related diseases.

The decline in NAD+ creates a cascading effect throughout the body. As NAD+ levels drop, mitochondrial function decreases, sirtuin activity is reduced, and cells become less capable of maintaining themselves and responding to stress. This has made NAD+ a prime target for anti-aging interventions, leading to NAD+ precursor supplements like those from Elysium Health.

Deconstructing Elysium Signal (Basis): Ingredients and Claims

Understanding Elysium's supplement is crucial for evaluating its effectiveness. Signal contains two primary active ingredients, each selected for specific biological functions.

Ingredient 1: Nicotinamide Riboside (NR)

Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) is the cornerstone of Elysium's formula. NR is an NAD+ precursor that is essentially a building block that cells can convert into NAD+ through established metabolic pathways. Unlike other NAD+ precursors, NR can efficiently cross cell membranes and be converted to NAD+ without competing for the same cellular machinery used by other essential compounds.

Elysium uses a patented form of NR called Niagen®, which has undergone safety testing and standardization. Research shows NR supplementation effectively raises NAD+ levels in blood, liver, and muscle. This makes NR a promising approach for addressing age-related NAD+ decline through oral supplementation.

Ingredient 2: Pterostilbene

Pterostilbene, a powerful antioxidant found in blueberries and other berries, is structurally similar to resveratrol (found in red wine). It offers superior bioavailability, meaning it is more easily absorbed and utilized by the body.

The inclusion of pterostilbene in Signal is based on the theory of synergistic action. NR boosts NAD+ levels, and pterostilbene activates sirtuins, which are the same NAD+-dependent proteins responsible for many cellular benefits of increased NAD+. This approach aims to provide the fuel (NAD+) and activate the cellular machinery (sirtuins) to utilize it effectively.

What Does Elysium Claim Signal Do?

Elysium Health makes specific claims about Signal's benefits based on their current marketing materials:

• Promotes cellular energy production and supports healthy metabolism
• Maintains DNA integrity and supports cellular repair processes
• Supports healthy cellular aging
• Clinically proven to increase NAD+ levels in humans
• Helps maintain a healthy circadian rhythm
• Supports cardiovascular and cognitive health

These claims comply with FDA regulations while suggesting broad anti-aging benefits. The critical question remains: what does the actual evidence show?

The Evidence: Does Elysium Basis Work?

Claims and marketing materials are one thing, but scientific evidence is another. To answer "does Elysium Basis work," we need to objectively examine the clinical research and understand what has been proven and what remains uncertain.

Elysium's Clinical Trial

Elysium Health deserves credit for conducting a legitimate clinical trial of their product, which is something many supplement companies skip. Their landmark study, published in NPJ Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that is the gold standard in clinical research.

The study followed 120 healthy adults aged 60 to 80 over eight weeks. Participants received either Basis (containing 250mg of NR and 50mg of pterostilbene) or a placebo. Results showed Basis safely and sustainably increased NAD+ levels in the blood by an average of 40% compared to baseline, while the placebo group showed no increase.

The study showed that increased NAD+ levels were maintained throughout the eight-week period, suggesting the body doesn't quickly adapt to the supplementation. The research confirmed the supplement's safety, with no serious adverse events and only mild side effects like occasional nausea in a small percentage of participants.

Do NAD+ Levels Translate to Health Benefits?

Here's where the science becomes complex and the limitations of current research become apparent. Elysium's study proved that their supplement raises NAD+ levels, but the crucial question is whether this change translates into meaningful, long-term health benefits for humans.

Most dramatic "age-reversal" results in headlines come from studies in laboratory animals, particularly mice. In these studies, NAD+ precursor supplementation has shown remarkable effects: improved muscle function, enhanced cognitive performance, better cardiovascular health, and extended lifespan. However, translating results from mice to humans is challenging, and many promising interventions in animals fail in human trials.

The main limitation is that Elysium's human study measured a biomarker (NAD+ levels) rather than clinical endpoints like disease incidence, physical performance, cognitive function, or longevity. Raising NAD+ levels is theoretically beneficial based on our understanding of cellular biology, but proving this leads to better health outcomes requires much longer, larger, and more expensive studies tracking participants for years or decades.

Cost, Dosage, and Side Effects

Signal requires a significant financial commitment. A monthly subscription costs $60, making it one of the most expensive supplements. The recommended dosage is two capsules daily with food.

The supplement has a favorable safety profile. The most common side effects are mild and include occasional nausea, headache, or digestive discomfort, especially when taken without food. These effects typically resolve as the body adapts. However, given the cost and current limitations in evidence for long-term benefits, consumers must weigh the potential benefits against the financial investment and uncertainty about effectiveness.

Why Measuring Is More Powerful Than Guessing

You're considering taking a supplement like Signal. But here's the fundamental question: How do you know if it's working? Are your cells responding positively? Is your biological age decreasing? Is your investment in longevity paying off, or are you just creating expensive urine?

This uncertainty isn't unique to Elysium's product. It's a universal problem in the supplement and wellness industry. Traditional health and longevity approaches ask you to take interventions on faith, hoping they'll work without verifying their impact on your biology.

The future of preventive health isn't about following one-size-fits-all recommendations or relying on expensive supplements. It's about embracing a personalized, data-driven approach: measure your baseline, introduce interventions, then measure again to verify the impact. This "measure, intervene, verify" loop transforms health optimization from guesswork into precision science.

Think of it as having GPS for your health. Just as you wouldn't navigate to an important destination by guessing, you shouldn't navigate your healthspan without precise coordinates showing your current status, goals, and whether your interventions are effective.

Generation Lab's SystemAge test is invaluable. Generation Lab, a cutting-edge longevity science company, has developed a clinical-grade epigenetic testing solution that provides the measurement precision needed to optimize health interventions.

How SystemAge Provides the Clarity Supplements Can't

SystemAge represents a fundamentally different approach to understanding and improving your health:

• Organ-Level Resolution: Instead of hoping a supplement helps your entire body, SystemAge measures the biological age of 19 organ systems. Now you can know with precision if an NAD+ supplement is helping your cardiovascular system but not your immune system, and adjust your approach.
• Unmatched Accuracy: SystemAge analyzes 460+ DNA methylation biomarkers to achieve 99% accuracy in detecting biological age changes, backed by 20 years of UC Berkeley and Harvard research. It's the only test sensitive enough to detect "biomolecular noise," which are the earliest signs of aging and disease risk before symptoms appear.
• Actionable Intelligence: SystemAge doesn't just provide data; it delivers a personalized roadmap for improvement. You receive specific, actionable interventions tailored to each of your 19 organ systems, empowering you to make targeted improvements where needed most.
• Proven Results: Don't just hope for anti-aging results; track them objectively. SystemAge lets you monitor your progress over time and has documented cases of biological age reversal where users achieved 5.5 to 13.6-year reductions in biological age through targeted interventions.

Conclusion

This Elysium Health review reaches a nuanced conclusion after examining the evidence. Signal (formerly Basis) is a high-quality, science-backed supplement that raises NAD+ levels in humans. The company's commitment to clinical research and their prestigious scientific advisory board distinguish them from competitors. However, the impact on an individual's healthspan remains an unquantified promise rather than a measured reality.

Elysium's approach represents a traditional "one-size-fits-all" strategy that asks consumers to invest in hope rather than verified results. While the supplement may provide benefits, there is no way to know if it's working for your biology, if you're taking the right dose, or if your money might be better spent on different interventions.

The SystemAge approach offers a smarter, data-driven alternative for anyone serious about longevity. Instead of asking whether to take a particular supplement, the better question is: how can you build a personalized health optimization strategy based on your unique biological profile? By understanding your current biological age and organ-specific health status, you can make targeted interventions, whether supplements, lifestyle changes, or medical treatments, and verify their effectiveness with follow-up testing.