The Acute and Longitudinal Effects of Muto Supplementation on Physiological Outcomes in Endurance/Resistance Training

PhD Scholarship and Top-up Scholarship

This PhD establishes a research partnership between the University of Newcastle and MUTO Longevity Ltd to examine the acute and longitudinal effects of a multi-pathway NAD⁺ supplement on exercise performance, training adaptations, and inflammaging profile in middle-aged, physically active adults in a randomised, placebo-controlled design framework.

Biological ageing is associated with a progressive decline in mitochondrial efficiency, NAD⁺ availability, skeletal muscle function, and inflammatory regulation which are changes that are measurable, and potentially modifiable, in middle-aged adults. A key driver of this decline is the age-related depletion of NAD⁺, a molecule central to mitochondrial energy production, DNA repair, and the regulation of sirtuin enzymes that govern cellular resilience. Plasma NAD⁺ levels fall by approximately 60% over the human lifespan, driven by rising demand from inflammatory pathways and declining biosynthetic capacity. While exercise remains a potent intervention for healthy ageing, emerging evidence suggests that targeted nutraceutical supplementation may amplify adaptive responses to training by addressing the cellular conditions that limit performance and recovery.

This project is funded through an industry partnership with MUTO, an international performance and longevity supplementation company, who will provide co-funding for the scholarship top-up in addition to the Commonwealth-provided RTP scholarship. MUTO’s formulation is designed around the principle that restoring NAD⁺ alone is insufficient if the inflammatory conditions driving its depletion are not simultaneously addressed. Rather than targeting a single pathway, the formulation is constructed to act across interconnected biological systems through improved NAD⁺ metabolism and replenishment, mitochondrial efficiency, senolytic clearance of dysfunctional cells, upstream attenuation of inflammageing, and nutrient absorption and bioavailability.

MUTO’s multi-pathway architecture reflects the understanding that age-related physiological decline is not driven by a single mechanism, and that meaningful intervention requires simultaneous support across the network of systems that govern cellular energy, resilience, and repair. The formulation is informed by over 300 peer-reviewed studies and recent randomised controlled research confirming approximately 2-fold increases in whole-blood NAD⁺ with supplementation versus placebo. How exercise interacts with the targeted multi-pathway action of MUTO to influence exercise induced fatigue (acutely) and fitness adaptations (longitudinally) remains to be examined.

The project aims to explore the ergogenic potential of MUTO supplementation in active middle-aged adults, with a particular focus on its ability to mitigate fatigue, enhancing both resistance and endurance training adaptations, and attenuating inflammaging. The project is organised around interconnected research priorities including exploring the influence of MUTO supplementation compared to placebo on 1) acute fatigue outcomes, 2) adaptations to a mixed endurance- and resistance-type training programme, and 3) physiological underpinning of inflammaging. The project will employ a comprehensive, multi-level assessment framework spanning physiological and exercise performance domains. Outcomes will capture the full physiological response to the intervention, encompassing aerobic capacity and exercise efficiency, neuromuscular strength and power, mitochondrial function, markers of systemic inflammation, autonomic regulation, and biological age. Together, these measures will allow the candidate to determine whether nutraceutical supplementation augments the adaptive response to training, and through which physiological pathways those effects are most pronounced.

​​​A distinctive feature of this studentship is the opportunity for the candidate to undertake short-term engagements with MUTO (United Kingdom), providing direct exposure to product formulation and evidence synthesis, commercial research strategy and trial planning, and research networks within the broader longevity science and nutraceutical industry. Placement timing and duration will be agreed in consultation with the supervisory team and industry partner. There are additional opportunities for collaboration with PhD Candidates and academic teams working in collaboration with MUTO at Coventry University (United Kingdom) and University of Westminster Centre of Nutraceuticals (United Kingdom).

Note: The project may be adapted to suit the interests and skills of the PhD Candidate.