Charles Brenner
Charles Brenner is a researcher working in the fields of biochemistry and cellular metabolism. His research focuses on NAD+ homeostasis, metabolic regulation, and the physiological effects of nicotinamide riboside supplementation in conditions such as mild cognitive impairment, long-COVID, and cancer survivorship. He also investigates metabolic signaling nodes in cancer, liver disease, and genetic metabolic disorders.
56 claims checked on air: 2 context 2 contradicted 4 overstated 42 supported 6 unverified
What they said on air - unverified
22 citing their own research
Normal healthy human males and females have an average blood NAD+ concentration of approximately 20 micromolar calculated on a volumetric basis.
"We get normal people, male and female, who have 20 micromolar NAD+ calculated on a volumetric basis in their blood." (said at 0:02:44)
No published record matching the claim that normal healthy human males and females have an average blood NAD+ concentration of approximately 20 micromolar calculated on a volumetric basis was located; this does not prove the claim false.
Intact NAD and NMN molecules cannot cross the cell membrane because they contain phosphate groups.
"compounds with phosphates don't get into cells. Um so the biggest piece of NAD that can get into a cell is nicotinamide riboside." (said at 0:51:24)
No published record matching the claim that intact NAD and NMN molecules cannot cross the cell membrane because they contain phosphate groups was located; this does not prove the claim false.
The nicotinamide riboside kinase genes NMRK1 and NMRK2 are upregulated in damaged neurons and the failing heart.
"the NR kinase pathway gets upregulated in a lot of conditions of metabolic stress. So in the failing heart, in a um damaged neuron, nicotinamide riboside kinase 1 and 2 genes get upregulated" (said at 0:53:37)
No published record matching the claim that nicotinamide riboside kinase genes NMRK1 and NMRK2 are upregulated in damaged neurons and the failing heart was located; this does not prove the claim false.
Intravenous infusions of NAD trigger an innate immune response in patients during the infusion.
"it's a it's delivered over a several hour period in which the people experience an innate immune response because the NAD can't get into cells." (said at 0:54:56)
No published record matching the claim that intravenous NAD infusions trigger an innate immune response was located; this does not prove the claim false. Clinical studies evaluating intravenous NAD+ administration document transient infusion-related side effects such as gastrointestinal distress, elevated heart rate, and chest tightness, alongside rapid extracellular enzymatic clearance (PMID 31572171, PMID 41704678). However, systemic inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) showed no significant changes following IV NAD+ infusion (PMID 41704678), and no published evidence demonstrates that the symptoms experienced during infusion are mediated by innate immune activation.
The pathway to NAD synthesis through nicotinic acid (niacin) was discovered in 1938.
"They had a pathway through nicotinic acid, niacin, that was discovered uh 1938" (said at 1:35:47)
No published record matching the claim that the pathway to NAD synthesis through nicotinic acid was discovered in 1938 was located; this does not prove the claim false.
The liver can synthesize NAD from tryptophan, nicotinamide riboside, nicotinamide, and nicotinic acid, whereas neurons generally lack the pathway to make NAD from nicotinic acid or tryptophan.
"certain tissues like the liver can make NAD from tryptophan, nicotinamide riboside, nicotinamide, and nicotinic acid. So any precursor, they can make NAD... But um the more concerning thing is in cells like neurons, right, where if they don't have a pathway to make NAD from tryptophan and they generally don't have a pathway to make NAD from nicotinic acid" (said at 1:52:43)
No published record matching the claim that the liver can synthesize NAD from tryptophan, nicotinamide riboside, nicotinamide, and nicotinic acid, whereas neurons generally lack the pathway to make NAD from nicotinic acid or tryptophan was located; this does not prove the claim false.
Fact-checked episodes
Publications
- Metabolic profiling reveals pyrimidine synthesis enzyme CAD as a central carbon metabolism signaling node in cancer cell proliferation.Molecular cell 2026 · CEBM Level 5
- p21 + TREM2 + senescent macrophages fuel inflammaging and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.Nature aging 2026 · CEBM Level 5
- NAPRT expression and epigenetic regulation in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma as a potential biomarker for NAMPT inhibition.Molecular cancer therapeutics 2026 · CEBM Level 5
- Nordic track: NIH dysfunction and my Helsinki recruitment.Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM 2026 · CEBM Level 5
- Feasibility of telehealth exercise and nicotinamide riboside supplementation in survivors of childhood cancer at risk for diabetes: A pilot randomized controlled trial.Pediatric blood & cancer 2025 · CEBM Level 2
- Acute exercise boosts NAD + metabolism of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.Brain, behavior, and immunity 2025 · CEBM Level 2
- Glycerol-3-phosphate activates ChREBP, FGF21 transcription and lipogenesis in Citrin Deficiency.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2025 · CEBM Level 5
- System genetic analysis of intestinal cancer and periodontitis development as influenced by aging and diabesity using Collaborative Cross mice.Animal models and experimental medicine 2025 · CEBM Level 5
- Oral Neisseria gonorrhoeae Promotes KSHV Lytic Replication.Journal of medical virology 2025 · CEBM Level 5
- The NARly side of whole-body NAD homeostasis.Cell metabolism 2025 · CEBM Level 5
- NAPRT expression and epigenetic regulation in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma as a potential biomarker for NAMPT inhibition.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2025 · CEBM Level 5
- Glycerol-3-phosphate activates ChREBP, FGF21 transcription and lipogenesis in citrin deficiency.Nature metabolism 2025 · CEBM Level 5
- Effects of nicotinamide riboside on NAD+ levels, cognition, and symptom recovery in long-COVID: a randomized controlled trial.EClinicalMedicine 2025 · CEBM Level 2
- A randomized placebo-controlled trial of nicotinamide riboside in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.GeroScience 2024 · CEBM Level 2
- Control of NAD + homeostasis by autophagic flux modulates mitochondrial and cardiac function.The EMBO journal 2024 · CEBM Level 5
- NAD in pathological cardiac remodeling: Metabolic regulation and beyond.Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular basis of disease 2024 · CEBM Level 5
- The information theory of aging has not been tested.Cell 2024 · CEBM Level 5
- Exploiting Metabolic Defects in Glioma with Nanoparticle-Encapsulated NAMPT Inhibitors.Molecular cancer therapeutics 2024 · CEBM Level 5
- ACAD9 treatment with bezafibrate and nicotinamide riboside temporarily stabilizes cardiomyopathy and lactic acidosis.Mitochondrion 2024 · CEBM Level 4
- Nicotinamide riboside first alleviates symptoms but later downregulates dopamine metabolism in proteasome inhibition mouse model of Parkinson's disease.Heliyon 2024 · CEBM Level 5
- Cryptic phosphoribosylase activity of NAMPT restricts the virion incorporation of viral proteins.Nature metabolism 2024 · CEBM Level 5
- Oral supplementation with Nicotinamide Riboside treatment protects RGCs in DBA/2J mouse model.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2024 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside improves muscle mitochondrial biogenesis, satellite cell differentiation, and gut microbiota in a twin study.Science advances 2023 · CEBM Level 3
- The Interferon-inducible NAMPT acts as a protein phosphoribosylase to restrict viral infection.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023 · CEBM Level 5
- A Science-Based Review of the World's Best-Selling Book on Aging.Archives of gerontology and geriatrics 2023 · CEBM Level 5
- Viral infection as an NAD + battlefield.Nature metabolism 2022 · CEBM Level 5
- Boosting NAD+ blunts TLR4-induced type I IFN in control and systemic lupus erythematosus monocytes.The Journal of clinical investigation 2022 · CEBM Level 5
- Metabolic rescue ameliorates mitochondrial encephalo-cardiomyopathy in murine and human iPSC models of Leigh syndrome.Clinical and translational medicine 2022 · CEBM Level 5
- Sirtuins are Not Conserved Longevity Genes.Life metabolism 2022 · CEBM Level 5
- Mechanisms to reduce the cytotoxicity of pharmacological nicotinamide concentrations in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.The FEBS journal 2021 · CEBM Level 5
- Author Correction: Senescent cells promote tissue NAD + decline during ageing via the activation of CD38 + macrophages.Nature metabolism 2021 · CEBM Level 5
- Inhibition of CD38 and supplementation of nicotinamide riboside ameliorate lipopolysaccharide-induced microglial and astrocytic neuroinflammation by increasing NAD .Journal of neurochemistry 2021 · CEBM Level 5
- Systemic Treatment with Nicotinamide Riboside Is Protective in Two Mouse Models of Retinal Ganglion Cell Damage.Pharmaceutics 2021 · CEBM Level 5
- Comment on "Nicotinamide mononucleotide increases muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic women".Science (New York, N.Y.) 2021 · CEBM Level 5
- Targeting NAD + in translational research to relieve diseases and conditions of metabolic stress and ageing.Mechanisms of ageing and development 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Modulation of the cardiac sodium channel Na V 1.5 peak and late currents by NAD + precursors.Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- NAD + Controls Circadian Reprogramming through PER2 Nuclear Translocation to Counter Aging.Molecular cell 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Niacin Cures Systemic NAD + Deficiency and Improves Muscle Performance in Adult-Onset Mitochondrial Myopathy.Cell metabolism 2020 · CEBM Level 3
- Fat mobilization without weight loss is a potentially rapid response to nicotinamide riboside in obese people: it's time to test with exercise.The American journal of clinical nutrition 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Coronavirus infection and PARP expression dysregulate the NAD Metabolome: an actionable component of innate immunity.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside supplementation corrects deficits in oxytocin, sociability and anxiety of CD157 mutants in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorder.Scientific reports 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Niacin Cures Systemic NAD + Deficiency and Improves Muscle Performance in Adult-Onset Mitochondrial Myopathy.Cell metabolism 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Letting off electrons to cope with metabolic stress.Nature metabolism 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Interleukin-8 drives CD38 to form NAADP from NADP + and NAAD in the endolysosomes to mobilize Ca 2+ and effect cell migration.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Metabolome Is Functionally Depressed in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation for Alcohol-Related Liver Disease.Hepatology communications 2020 · CEBM Level 4
- Systemic Treatment With Nicotinamide Riboside Is Protective in a Mouse Model of Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Coronavirus infection and PARP expression dysregulate the NAD metabolome: An actionable component of innate immunity.The Journal of biological chemistry 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Deletion of CD38 and supplementation of NAD + attenuate axon degeneration in a mouse facial nerve axotomy model.Scientific reports 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Senescent cells promote tissue NAD + decline during ageing via the activation of CD38 + macrophages.Nature metabolism 2020 · CEBM Level 5
- Pterostilbene raises low density lipoprotein cholesterol in people.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) 2019 · CEBM Level 5
- Maternal Nicotinamide Riboside Enhances Postpartum Weight Loss, Juvenile Offspring Development, and Neurogenesis of Adult Offspring.Cell reports 2019 · CEBM Level 5
- Transcriptional Response of White Adipose Tissue to Withdrawal of Vitamin B3.Molecular nutrition & food research 2019 · CEBM Level 5
- 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.Scientific reports 2019 · CEBM Level 2
- Nicotinamide Riboside Augments the Aged Human Skeletal Muscle NAD + Metabolome and Induces Transcriptomic and Anti-inflammatory Signatures.Cell reports 2019 · CEBM Level 2
- PPM1D mutations silence NAPRT gene expression and confer NAMPT inhibitor sensitivity in glioma.Nature communications 2019 · CEBM Level 5
- Why Is Mom Stressed: Homeorhesis as the Potential Problem and Nicotinamide Riboside as the Potential Solution.Journal of experimental neuroscience 2019 · CEBM Level 5
- Absence of evidence that Slc12a8 encodes a nicotinamide mononucleotide transporter.Nature metabolism 2019 · CEBM Level 5
- Targeted Microbiome Intervention by Microencapsulated Delayed-Release Niacin Beneficially Affects Insulin Sensitivity in Humans.Diabetes care 2018 · CEBM Level 3
- Nicotinamide Riboside Preserves Cardiac Function in a Mouse Model of Dilated Cardiomyopathy.Circulation 2018 · CEBM Level 5
- Emerging potential benefits of modulating NAD + metabolism in cardiovascular disease.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology 2018 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide Improves Aspects of Healthspan, but Not Lifespan, in Mice.Cell metabolism 2018 · CEBM Level 5
- A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of nicotinamide riboside in obese men: safety, insulin-sensitivity, and lipid-mobilizing effects.The American journal of clinical nutrition 2018 · CEBM Level 2
- Pharmacological bypass of NAD + salvage pathway protects neurons from chemotherapy-induced degeneration.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2018 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3 and NAD+ precursor, relieves the nociceptive and aversive dimensions of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in female rats.Pain 2017 · CEBM Level 5
- Discovery and Characterization of Novel Nonsubstrate and Substrate NAMPT Inhibitors.Molecular cancer therapeutics 2017 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside kinases display redundancy in mediating nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in skeletal muscle cells.Molecular metabolism 2017 · CEBM Level 5
- Circadian Reprogramming in the Liver Identifies Metabolic Pathways of Aging.Cell 2017 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B 3 , protects against excitotoxicity-induced axonal degeneration.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2017 · CEBM Level 5
- KRAS-driven miR-29b expression is required for tumor suppressor gene silencing.Oncotarget 2017 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide Riboside Is a Major NAD+ Precursor Vitamin in Cow Milk.The Journal of nutrition 2016 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide Riboside Opposes Type 2 Diabetes and Neuropathy in Mice.Scientific reports 2016 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside is uniquely and orally bioavailable in mice and humans.Nature communications 2016 · CEBM Level 3
- NRK1 controls nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in mammalian cells.Nature communications 2016 · CEBM Level 5
- Calorie restriction-mediated replicative lifespan extension in yeast is non-cell autonomous.PLoS biology 2015 · CEBM Level 5
- NNMT: A Bad Actor in Fat Makes Good in Liver.Cell metabolism 2015 · CEBM Level 5
- Metabolism: Targeting a fat-accumulation gene.Nature 2014 · CEBM Level 5
- Quantification of protein copy number in yeast: the NAD+ metabolome.PloS one 2014 · CEBM Level 5
- Suppression of TET1-dependent DNA demethylation is essential for KRAS-mediated transformation.Cell reports 2014 · CEBM Level 5
- Boosting NAD to spare hearing.Cell metabolism 2014 · CEBM Level 5
- RFTS-deleted DNMT1 enhances tumorigenicity with focal hypermethylation and global hypomethylation.Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) 2014 · CEBM Level 5
- A knockdown with smoke model reveals FHIT as a repressor of Heme oxygenase 1.Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) 2014 · CEBM Level 5
- Changes in chemistry and biochemistry education: creative responses to medical college admissions test revisions in the age of the genome.Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2013 · CEBM Level 5
- Laccaic acid A is a direct, DNA-competitive inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase 1.The Journal of biological chemistry 2013 · CEBM Level 5
- Mitochondrial protein acetylation as a cell-intrinsic, evolutionary driver of fat storage: chemical and metabolic logic of acetyl-lysine modifications.Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology 2013 · CEBM Level 5
- Desperately seeking Flexner: time to reemphasize basic science in medical education.Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges 2013 · CEBM Level 5
- An ultrasensitive high throughput screen for DNA methyltransferase 1-targeted molecular probes.PloS one 2013 · CEBM Level 5
- NAD as a genotype-specific drug target.Chemistry & biology 2013 · CEBM Level 5
- Targeted, LCMS-based Metabolomics for Quantitative Measurement of NAD(+) Metabolites.Computational and structural biotechnology journal 2013 · CEBM Level 5
- Novel synthetic route to the C-nucleoside, 2-deoxy benzamide riboside.Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters 2012 · CEBM Level 5
- The replication focus targeting sequence (RFTS) domain is a DNA-competitive inhibitor of Dnmt1.The Journal of biological chemistry 2011 · CEBM Level 5
- On the nonspecific degradation of NAD+ to nicotinamide riboside.The Journal of biological chemistry 2011 · CEBM Level 5
- Nrt1 and Tna1-independent export of NAD+ precursor vitamins promotes NAD+ homeostasis and allows engineering of vitamin production.PloS one 2011 · CEBM Level 5
- NAD+ metabolite levels as a function of vitamins and calorie restriction: evidence for different mechanisms of longevity.BMC chemical biology 2010 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside and nicotinic acid riboside salvage in fungi and mammals. Quantitative basis for Urh1 and purine nucleoside phosphorylase function in NAD+ metabolism.The Journal of biological chemistry 2009 · CEBM Level 5
- Microbial NAD metabolism: lessons from comparative genomics.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR 2009 · CEBM Level 5
- Identification of Isn1 and Sdt1 as glucose- and vitamin-regulated nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinic acid mononucleotide [corrected] 5'-nucleotidases responsible for production of nicotinamide riboside and nicotinic acid riboside.The Journal of biological chemistry 2009 · CEBM Level 5
- Yeast Chfr homologs retard cell cycle at G1 and G2/M via Ubc4 and Ubc13/Mms2-dependent ubiquitination.Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) 2008 · CEBM Level 5
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae YOR071C encodes the high affinity nicotinamide riboside transporter Nrt1.The Journal of biological chemistry 2008 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside: a molecular evaluation of NAD+ precursor vitamins in human nutrition.Annual review of nutrition 2008 · CEBM Level 5
- A second GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase in arabidopsis en route to vitamin C. Covalent intermediate and substrate requirements for the conserved reaction.The Journal of biological chemistry 2008 · CEBM Level 5
- NAD+ metabolism in health and disease.Trends in biochemical sciences 2007 · CEBM Level 5
- Arabidopsis VTC2 encodes a GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase, the last unknown enzyme in the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway to ascorbic acid in plants.The Journal of biological chemistry 2007 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside promotes Sir2 silencing and extends lifespan via Nrk and Urh1/Pnp1/Meu1 pathways to NAD+.Cell 2007 · CEBM Level 5
- p53 activation by knockdown technologies.PLoS genetics 2007 · CEBM Level 5
- Nicotinamide riboside kinase structures reveal new pathways to NAD+.PLoS biology 2007 · CEBM Level 5