David Sinclair's Supplement Stack: What He Takes, What Holds Up, and Where to Find It in Ireland
Spend any time reading about longevity and you will run into David Sinclair within three clicks. The Harvard genetics professor and author of Lifespan is the most influential voice in the field, and easily the most searched - "what does David Sinclair take" has become its own small industry. And with his August 2026 sit-down on The Joe Rogan Experience, the searches are spiking all over again. The trouble is that his stack changes as the research does, most recently in a mid-2025 interview, so a lot of what is written about it online describes a version he no longer takes.
Here is the current stack, what the evidence actually says for each item, and where each one maps to on an Irish shelf.
Three things before the list. First, Sinclair does not endorse Powerful.ie or any retail supplement brand - this is our mapping of his publicly described routine, not an association. He has commercial interests of his own in the field, which he declares; so do we, and this is a shop's guide, written honestly. Second, several things he takes are prescription medicines, and we will say so plainly where that is the case. Third, he would be the first to tell you the supplements are the smaller half of his routine - more on that near the end.
The stack, item by item
NMN - about 1g every morning
The centre of the stack. NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) is a precursor to NAD+, the coenzyme every cell uses for energy production and DNA repair, and NAD+ levels fall as we age. Sinclair has said he takes around a gram each morning, stirred into yoghurt, because fat helps absorption.
On the evidence: that NAD+ precursors raise NAD+ in people is well demonstrated - a placebo-controlled trial of the related precursor NR in healthy adults aged 55 to 79 lifted NAD+ by around 60% over the study period (trial), and NMN has a growing human dataset of its own, including a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in middle-aged and older adults (trial). Whether higher NAD+ translates into a longer life is a separate question, and we come back to it below.
On our shelf that is NMN with Astaxanthin, and if you would rather take the precursor with the longer human trial record, Nicotinamide Riboside with Astaxanthin is the alternative - our NMN vs NR guide walks through the difference properly.
Resveratrol - about 1g, taken with fat
The molecule that made him famous. Sinclair's early research put resveratrol and the sirtuin "longevity genes" on the map, and he still takes roughly a gram a day, mixed into the same yoghurt.
Worth being straight: this is also the most contested part of his science. Later attempts to replicate the sirtuin-activation story produced mixed results, and it is the item his critics push back on hardest. Our own framing, here and in our berberine guide, is more modest - resveratrol as a well-studied antioxidant polyphenol rather than a longevity switch. The resveratrol we stock comes paired with berberine, which brings us to the most interesting change in his stack.
Berberine - the 2025 switch
For years, the prescription diabetes medicine metformin was the best-known item in Sinclair's routine. In a mid-2025 interview with Peter Diamandis he said he found it hard on his stomach and now takes it only occasionally, with berberine as the everyday replacement - a plant compound that activates AMPK, the enzyme involved in how cells manage energy, and needs no prescription.
The honest picture on berberine is the one we laid out in our full berberine guide: real, research-backed effects on blood sugar and metabolic health, modest in size, and never a substitute for prescribed medicine. It can also interact with several common medications, so if you take anything prescribed, a word with your GP or pharmacist comes first. The capsule we stock, Berberine with Resveratrol, pairs 800mg of berberine with 200mg of resveratrol per daily serving - two items from his stack in one product, though note his resveratrol dose is a good deal heavier than any capsule provides.
Spermidine - 1 to 2mg
Spermidine is tied to autophagy, the body's cellular clean-up process, and Sinclair takes a small daily dose. The mechanism is genuinely interesting; the trial record is mixed. The largest human trial to date, a 12-month randomised controlled trial in older adults with early memory concerns, found no significant memory benefit over placebo (trial). We say the same on our longevity page, because a strong rationale with mixed results is exactly the sort of thing you should know before buying. If it still interests you, Spermidine with Astaxanthin is ours.
Vitamin D3 and K2
The least exotic items in the stack, and the easiest to copy: vitamin D3 with K2, daily. Vitamin D holds an EU-authorised role in the normal function of the immune system, and if you live in Ireland it is the one worth taking seriously - we get limited sun for a good chunk of the year, so running low over winter is common. On our shelf: Vitamin D3 3,000iu and Vitamin K2 MK7.
Omega-3
Sinclair has named fish oil among his daily basics. We carry Krill Oil and Max DHA Antarctic Krill Oil with Astaxanthin, and if you are weighing up which format earns its place, our krill oil vs fish oil comparison gives you the honest version.
The prescription end - rapamycin, metformin, statin, aspirin
Per his 2025 comments, Sinclair takes rapamycin roughly four times a year, metformin occasionally, plus a statin and low-dose aspirin. All of these are prescription medicines or clinician-supervised decisions with real risk profiles. They are doctor conversations, not shop ones - we do not sell them, and no supplement is a stand-in for any of them.
What he has dropped
This deserves as much attention as what he takes. As of 2025, taurine and TMG are out of the stack, and quercetin went earlier over concerns it might interfere with other pathways he cares about. Two lessons there: the stack is a moving target that follows the data, and most "Sinclair stack" articles online are describing a version he has already abandoned.
The half he would say matters more
Sinclair is consistent on this point: the supplements sit on top of the routine, not underneath it. He practises time-restricted eating (famously skipping breakfast), trains regularly, and treats sleep as non-negotiable. If the fasting side interests you, our honest fasting guide covers the formats from 16:8 upward, and what happens to your gut after a fast covers the recovery end.
The honest bit
Sinclair is brilliant and polarising in roughly equal measure, and you deserve both halves. That NAD+ precursors raise NAD+ in humans is well demonstrated. Whether raising NAD+ extends human life is still an open research question - we say exactly that on our longevity page, and this article does not change it. His critics, including other longevity researchers, argue he gets ahead of his own field's evidence, and in March 2024 he stepped down as president of a research academy he co-founded after a row over an "age reversal" claim made by one of his companies.
None of that makes the compounds uninteresting. It makes the honest framing more important. You can find his reasoning compelling without buying every conclusion, and everything above is stocked and labelled on that basis - the mechanism, the evidence, and the limits, in that order.
Frequently asked questions
What supplements does David Sinclair take daily?
Based on his most recent public comments, the daily core is NMN (about 1g), resveratrol (about 1g, with fat), berberine, spermidine (1 to 2mg), vitamin D3 with K2, and fish oil. Rapamycin, occasional metformin, a statin and low-dose aspirin sit at the prescription end, under medical supervision.
Does David Sinclair endorse any supplement brand?
No. He has repeatedly said he does not endorse consumer supplement brands, and nothing on this page is endorsed by him - it is our honest mapping of his publicly described routine to what we stock. He has commercial interests of his own in the longevity field, which he declares.
Should I take NMN or NR?
Both are precursors your body converts into NAD+. Sinclair takes NMN; NR has the longer record of published human trials showing it raises NAD+. Our NMN vs NR guide covers the trade-off in full - many people simply pick one and stay consistent.
Will any of this make me live longer?
The honest answer is that nobody knows yet. These compounds are shown to raise NAD+ or act on ageing-related pathways in people, but a proven human lifespan effect does not exist, whatever the more excitable corners of the internet suggest. Cellular support with promising but unfinished science is the accurate framing.
Most of the stack above lives in our Longevity & Anti-aging range if you want to browse it in one place. Order by 4pm and we'll ship it the same day from Dublin.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting a supplement, and never change or stop a prescribed medicine without medical guidance.