People have been wanting to live forever since, well, forever, but it might have taken not living forever—or at least not promising anything like living forever—that has turned healthy aging into the fastest-growing condition category in supplements.
Brands selling healthy aging products now speak of “lifespan” or “longevity” as the marketing pivoted squarely to ensuring quality-of-life rather than adding years of life. Drilling down into ingredients, much of the growth aligning with that promise has come from a single subcategory in healthy aging.
As detailed and explained in the Nutrition Business Journal Condition Specific Report, a selection of ingredients focused on boosting a single compound that advocates say influences aging in every cell in the human body explains much of the growth. Levels of NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) fall as humans age, and brands selling NAD precursors claim their products increase NAD production, aiding mitochondrial function and supporting the body’s response to a number of conditions associated with aging.
Awareness of NAD precursors has surged in the last two years, but much of the notice has been the product of a long and steady campaign by Niagen Biosciences, formerly Chromadex. The company sells its Tru Niagen ingredient largely direct-to-consumer, entering retail several years ago, and is now selling to brands that formulate around the company’s nicotinamide riboside (NR) ingredient. A larger number of brands are selling nicotinamide mononucleotide but other precursors are emerging as well as products that promise to enhance the precursors’ effects.
Followers of the healthy aging category say that what put the awareness into overdrive may have been podcasts. Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman, both giants in the podcast realm, have discussed NAD and the precursors. Whatever got the NAD train rolling, the effect on the healthy aging supplements market is difficult to overstate. Sales growth accelerated from 9.3% in 2023 to 12.9% in 2024, according to estimates in the report. That puts healthy aging well ahead of other fast-growing condition categories like menopause and sports nutrition. Niagen Biosciences reported first quarter growth of 38%.
It remains to be seen how acceleration of growth in healthy aging ages, but the concept of healthspan, coupled with better science than the wild promises of the past, suggests a healthier market for healthy aging is more possible than it has ever been..
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