Researchers at Elysium Health and universities in the USA observed that the supplement, marketed as Basis, significantly decreased the frequency and severity of menopause symptoms and improved estrogen ratios in women taking it for seven days.
They wrote in Frontiers in Aging that Basis may provide “a safe, non-hormonal way of increasing endogenous E2/E1 ratio for women undergoing the menopause transition (perimenopause), mitigating undesirable menopausal symptoms.”
Dr. Ryan Dellinger, VP of scientific affairs and lead researcher at Elysium Health, told NutraIngredients that the study is important for women’s health: “The finding that a dietary supplement composed of two naturally occurring ingredients, NR and PT (Basis), with an impeccable safety record, can significantly decrease the frequency and severity of unwanted menopause symptoms provides an attractive option for women suffering from these symptoms.”
“The construction of this study was unique, as it was based on an n-of-1 study a scientific colleague (and co-author on the study) did when she was suffering undesirable symptoms associated with menopause,” he continued.
“She took Basis and found her symptoms resolved within seven days. At that time, we decided we needed to run a human pilot study to see if these results could be repeated in more women. It is gratifying to see that this pilot study was successful and a larger, randomized, placebo-controlled study is currently in the planning stages.”
Targeting cofactors to alleviate menopause symptoms
The ratio of estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) shifts significantly after menopause, with estrone becoming the dominant form. This occurs because the ovaries—the primary pre-menopausal producers of E2—lose their function, leaving peripheral fat cells to produce E1 as the primary circulating estrogen.
To synthesize E2 from E1, the body requires the coenzyme NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). In the post-menopausal state of low E2, the body relies on this coenzyme to convert the abundant E1 into more potent E2 via a reduction reaction. The body builds its NADPH pool using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), which is derived from vitamin B3 precursors.
However, NAD+ levels naturally decline with age. This depletion mirrors the drop in E2 and is closely associated with menopausal symptoms. Consequently, the researchers hypothesized that modulating the cofactors necessary for the reduction of E1 to E2 could potentially alleviate menopausal symptoms.
“Basis consists of nicotinamide riboside (an NAD+ precursor) and pterostilbene (an antioxidant), and has been clinically proven to increase circulating NAD+ levels safely and sustainably in humans,” Dellinger said. “Further, these two ingredients have been shown to work synergistically in pre-clinical models.”
Study details
The open-label pilot trial involved 40 healthy women aged over 35. Most of the women (32) self-reported menopausal symptoms (MS group), and the remaining 8 women had no symptoms and acted as a control group (No-MS group).
The participants took two daily capsules of Elysium’s proprietary supplement, Basis (NRPT) for seven days. Each capsule contained 125 mg of nicotinamide riboside (NR) and 25 mg of stilbenoid pterostilbene (PT). The researchers collected a menopausal symptom survey at the beginning and end of the trial and assessed estrone, estradiol, and vitamin B3 metabolism using urine samples.
The researchers reported “significant decreases in both the frequency and magnitude of bloating, hot flashes, and poor sleep,” in the MS group compared to baseline. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the E2/E1 ratio.
“75% of the participants in the MS group reported a reduction of hot flash frequency and 21% of the MS group reported complete alleviation of hot flashes after seven-day supplementation with NRPT,” the study noted.
The researchers acknowledged the open-label design of the study, noting that future placebo-controlled studies are needed to elucidate the impact of NRPT on endogenous estrogen levels and menopausal symptoms.
Source: Frontiers in Aging doi: 10.3389/fragi.2026.1773667; “Nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene reduces frequency and severity of undesirable symptoms of the menopause transition: an open-label, pilot clinical trial.” Authors: H. E. Holmes et al.