Comparison
Epitalon vs Nicotinamide Riboside
Side-by-side of Epitalon and Nicotinamide Riboside. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
Epitalon
Epitalon peptide (Epithalon, tetrapeptide AEDG): telomerase activation, lifespan extension data, anti-aging trials, dosage, half-life, and safety.
Nicotinamide Riboside
Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is the most-studied NAD+ precursor in humans. Sold as Niagen by Chromadex; raises plasma NAD+ 30-60% at 250-1,000 mg/day.
Effects at a glance
Epitalon
- •Synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation
- •Russian clinical literature reports mortality reduction in elderly cohorts and improved melatonin output
- •Reported telomerase activation in human somatic cell culture and lifespan extension in mice and Drosophila
- •Independent Western replication is essentially absent; no FDA-standard RCTs
- •Anecdotal protocols use 5 to 10 mg subcutaneously daily for 10 to 20 day cycles, 2 to 4 times yearly
- •Not currently on the WADA Prohibited List
Nicotinamide Riboside
- •Most-studied NAD+ precursor in human trials; the original Niagen formulation by Chromadex
- •Plasma NAD+ rises 30-60% at 250-1,000 mg/day across multiple human PK trials
- •Martens 2018 reported reduced BP and arterial stiffness at 500 mg/day for 6 weeks
- •Dollerup 2018 found no insulin sensitivity change despite plasma NAD+ rise
- •Tissue NAD+ rise inconsistent; hard clinical endpoints not yet measured
- •Larger human safety database than NMN; comparable mechanistic effects
Side-by-side
| Attribute | Epitalon | Nicotinamide Riboside |
|---|---|---|
| Category | peptide | supplement |
| Also known as | Epithalon, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, AEDG, Epithalamin (precursor extract) | NR, Niagen, nicotinamide riboside chloride |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 0.5 | 8 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 5 | 500 |
| Dosing frequency | daily during cycle | daily, typically morning |
| Routes | subcutaneous, intramuscular, intranasal | oral |
| Onset (hr) | 24 | 1 |
| Peak (hr) | 168 | 4 |
| Molecular weight | 390.35 | 255.25 |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | C11H15N2O5 |
| Mechanism | Synthetic tetrapeptide proposed to interact directly with DNA and chromatin to modulate tissue-specific gene expression. Reported effects include telomerase activation, increased melatonin output from pineal cells, and circadian normalization. | NAD+ precursor via salvage pathway. Phosphorylated to NMN by nicotinamide riboside kinase (NRK), then converted to NAD+. Substrate for sirtuins, PARPs, and CD38. |
| Legal status | Not FDA approved; registered in Russia under domestic pharmaceutical framework; research-use-only grey market in US/EU | OTC dietary supplement |
| WADA status | unknown | allowed |
| DEA / Rx | Not scheduled (research chemical) | OTC supplement |
| Pregnancy | Insufficient data; not recommended | Insufficient data at supplement doses |
| CAS | 307297-39-8 | 1341-23-7 |
| PubChem CID | 219042 | 439924 |
| Wikidata | Q5384126 | Q3343054 |
Safety profile
Epitalon
Common side effects
- injection-site reactions
- occasional mild headache (rare)
Contraindications
- pregnancy
- lactation
- active malignancy (theoretical telomerase concern)
- concurrent immunosuppression
Interactions
- melatonin: potential additive effect on circadian and pineal output; no controlled data(minor)
Nicotinamide Riboside
Common side effects
- mild GI upset (rare)
- headache (rare)
Contraindications
- pregnancy / lactation (insufficient data)
- active cancer (theoretical, no contraindicating data)
Interactions
- pterostilbene: complementary sirtuin pathway (Basis combination)(minor)
- TMG (trimethylglycine): methylation support during high NAD+ precursor dosing(minor)
Which Should You Take?
Nicotinamide Riboside comes out ahead for most readers on the criteria we weight: 3 catalogued goals, OTC dietary supplement, oral dosing, with a Tier-A outcome catalogued. Epitalon is the right call when one of the conditionals below applies.
- → If your priority is sleep onset or sleep quality, pick Epitalon.
- → If your priority is circadian regulation, pick Epitalon.
- → If your priority is energy and stamina, pick Nicotinamide Riboside.
- → If your priority is metabolic health and glucose control, pick Nicotinamide Riboside.
Edge case: If you want to avoid research-only / gray-market sourcing, Nicotinamide Riboside is the more accessible choice.
Default choice: Nicotinamide Riboside. Lower friction to source, a Tier-A evidence outcome catalogued, and broader goal coverage. Reach for Epitalon only if your priority sits squarely in the goals it owns above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between Epitalon and Nicotinamide Riboside?
Epitalon and Nicotinamide Riboside differ in category (peptide vs supplement), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, Epitalon or Nicotinamide Riboside?
Epitalon half-life is 0.5 hours; Nicotinamide Riboside half-life is 8 hours.
Can you stack Epitalon with Nicotinamide Riboside?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
Go deeper