Tier 2 — strong

The Divergent Effects of Nicotinamide Riboside and High-Intensity Exercise Training on Skeletal Muscle Epigenetic Aging

Heikkinen A, Uusitalo-Kylmälä L, Blom I, Helge JW, Gillberg L, Seaborne R, Larsen S, Jacques M, Grolaux R, Aaltonen S, Kaprio J, van der Kolk BW, Heinonen S, Eynon N, Pietiläinen KH, Kivelä R, Pirinen E, Ollikainen M
Aging cell 2026 25; 8; e70638

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 42481916
PubMed Central
PMC13388492
DOI
10.1111/acel.70638
Funding
Funding/support listed in the publication: Research Council of Finland; The Minerva Foundation; the Liv och Hälsa society; the Sigrid Juselius Foundation; The Finnish Cultural Foundation Kymenlaakso Fund; Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research; Novo Nordisk Foundation; Paulo Foundation; Gyllenberg Foundation; Paavo Nurmi Foundation; Helsinki University Hospital Research Funds; Government Research Funds; University of Helsinki; Juho Vainio Foundation; Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation.
Competing interests
The authors reported no competing interests.

Study snapshot

DesignSecondary or companion analysis of an existing human intervention
ModelHuman participants
SampleSamples from three independent human intervention studies; analysis sets differ
InterventionFive-month NR supplementation and separate 4–6-week HIIT interventions
Duration5 months for NR; 4–6 weeks for exercise
EndpointsMuscle epigenetic clocks; mitochondrial content

What the study showed, in plain terms

NR was associated with lower age-acceleration estimates on selected skeletal-muscle epigenetic clocks; exercise showed different clock responses.

Key findings

NR was associated with lower age-acceleration estimates on selected skeletal-muscle epigenetic clocks; exercise showed different clock responses.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Companion analyses of existing interventions, not a new NR efficacy trial. Clock estimates are tissue- and algorithm-dependent and do not establish lifespan extension.

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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology