The ProHealth Longevity Protocol: A Framework for Building Your Own Routine
People ask us some version of this question constantly: "I want to start taking longevity supplements, but where do I actually begin?" It's a fair question, and honestly, a lot of the answers online aren't that helpful. Most longevity content either oversells a single ingredient as a fix-all, or buries you in forty products with no explanation of how they fit together.
So more useful: below is a walkthrough of the main categories of ingredients that show up in longevity research right now, what each one is actually being studied for, and what the human evidence looks like so far, including the studies that didn't pan out. Think of this as a framework for understanding the landscape. If you want something built around your specific health history and goals, that's a conversation for a doctor or one of our longevity consultants,
What we mean by "protocol"
A protocol in the clinical sense is something a physician builds around one patient's labs, history, and goals. What follows isn't that. It's an overview of the categories of compounds that longevity research has focused on over the past decade, organized around the biological processes they're thought to influence: NAD+ availability, sirtuin activity, mitochondrial function, and cellular cleanup (autophagy). None of this is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and none of it replaces medical advice. We'll say that again at the end too, but it's worth putting up front.
NAD+ precursors: NMN and NR
This is the product line we've written about most, so we'll keep it brief here. NAD+ is a coenzyme every cell needs for energy metabolism, and levels measurably decline with age. NMN and NR are both precursors your body can convert into NAD+.
The clearest human data point is a double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT on Uthever® NMN (the form we use) published in Frontiers in Aging, which found up to a 38% increase in blood NAD+ levels over the study period. Separately, a 2018 study from the Imai lab (Martens et al., Nature Communications) and a 2021 study from the Baur/Imai group (Yoshino et al., Science) both showed NMN supplementation raises NAD+ in humans, tA 2026 head-to-head comparison (Bergen/iScience) found NR raised blood NAD+ more than NMN did under their specific test conditions, which is part of why we wrote a separate NMN vs. NR comparison rather than picking a side here. Our own NMN products use the Uthever® form referenced above.
Bottom line: NAD+ decline with age is well established, and the ability of NMN/NR to raise it is about as well-supported Sirtuin-pathway compounds: resveratrol and pterostilbene.
Mitochondrial support: CoQ10 and PQQ
PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) works through a different pathway, it's studied for its role in triggering mitochondrial biogenesis (the process of building new mitochondria) via the PGC-1alpha pathway. Here the recent human data is encouraging: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in the Journal of Functional Foods in 2024 gave healthy adults 21.5 mg/day of PQQ for 12 weeks and found statistically significant improvements in grip strength, lower-limb strength, and several walking/physical-function measures compared to placebo, with no adverse events reported. We offer both CoQ10 and PQQ.
Your autophagy support: spermidine
Spermidine is a naturally occurring polyamine, and the research interest here centers on autophagy, your cells' internal recycling and cleanup process, which tends to slow with age. A detailed mechanistic review in Nature Aging (Hofer et al., 2022) lays out how spermidine appears to trigger autophagy in model organisms through several pathways, including inhibition of an enzyme called EP300. The strongest human RCT we could find is the SmartAge trial (Schwarz et al., JAMA Network Open, 2022): a 12-month, double-masked, placebo-controlled study of 100 older adults with subjective cognitive decline, using 0.9 mg/day of spermidine from wheat germ extract. It's worth being direct about this one: the trial did not find a statistically significant effect on its primary outcome (a memory discrimination test), and secondary cognitive outcomes were similarly null. Some exploratory measures (verbal memory, inflammation markers) trended favorably but didn't reach significance. An earlier, smaller trial in adults with dementia reported more positive signals after 3 months, but it was a much smaller, shorter study in a different population. We have a spermidine supplement as well.
How we think about building a routine
A few honest thoughts, not a checklist:
Start with the things that have the most consistent evidence behind them, sleep, resistance exercise, and diet, NMN's NAD+-raising effect is fairly consistent across trials. Spermidine and resveratrol both have real biological plausibility. If you have an existing health condition, take medication, or are pregnant or nursing, talk to a doctor before adding any of these. This is general education, not a substitute for that conversation.
If you want something built around your specific situation rather than a general overview like this one, that's exactly what our free longevity consultation is for, a real person will look at your goals and current supplement stack and help you prioritize, rather than you guessing from a blog post.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official "ProHealth Longevity Protocol" with exact doses and a schedule?
Not in the sense of a single fixed regimen everyone should follow. What's above is an educational framework for understanding the main ingredient categories in longevity research. Personalized guidance, including anything dose-specific, is handled through our one-on-one longevity consultations, not a blog article.
Which of these ingredients has the strongest human evidence?
NAD+ precursors (NMN/NR) have the most consistent data specifically for raising NAD+ levels, and PQQ has a recent positive RCT on physical function. Resveratrol, CoQ10 (for mitochondrial function specifically), and spermidine all have real mechanistic support
Can I take all of these together?
that's a question for a healthcare provider who knows your history, not something we can answer generically.
Do you sell all of these ingredients?
Yes: NMN, NAD+, resveratrol, pterostilbene, CoQ10, PQQ, and spermidine.
References:
Martens CR, et al. "Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults." Nature Communications, 2018. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03421-7
Yoshino M, et al. "Nicotinamide mononucleotide increases muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic women." Science, 2021. DOI: 10.1126/science.abe9985
Uthever® NMN clinical study. Frontiers in Aging, 2022. DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2022.851698
Kaeberlein M, et al. "Substrate-specific activation of sirtuins by resveratrol." Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2005. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M501250200
Mansouri F, Feliziani G, Bordoni L, Gabbianelli R. "Impact of Resveratrol Supplementation on Human Sirtuin 1: A GRADE-Assessed Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of RCTs." Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2025.03.011
Schmücker D, et al. "Coenzyme Q10 supplementation raises plasma levels without improving mitochondrial function in older adults." GeroScience, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-025-02068-9
Shiojima Y, et al. "Efficacy and safety of a novel dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt on muscle strength and physical function in healthy volunteers." Journal of Functional Foods, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2024.106012
Hofer SJ, Simon AK, Bergmann M, Eisenberg T, Kroemer G, Madeo F. "Mechanisms of spermidine-induced autophagy and geroprotection." Nature Aging, 2022. DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00322-9
Schwarz C, Benson GS, Horn N, et al. "Effects of Spermidine Supplementation on Cognition and Biomarkers in Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Clinical Trial." JAMA Network Open, 2022. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.13875