Leap Years vs Hollywood Elixir®

A senior-dog cognition study and a broader daily formula offer different reasons to choose. Here is what each product brings to healthy aging.

By La Petite Labs Editorial 20 min read

Woman hugging a golden retriever while holding a Hollywood Elixir box
Contents

Leap Years has something worth considering when you compare longevity supplements for dogs: published research on its combination in senior dogs. Hollywood Elixir offers a different reason to choose it—a broader nutritional formula that brings NAD+ building blocks together with ingredients involved in cellular energy, antioxidant defense and immune function.

The choice becomes clearer when you understand what the dog study found and why Hollywood Elixir includes more than a precursor. La Petite Labs makes Hollywood Elixir and publishes this comparison. We reviewed the published research and current product information; this is not a hands-on feeding test.

Two different approaches to healthy aging

Leap Years, from Animal Biosciences, combines two interventions: an NAD+ precursor and a senolytic. Its brown LY-D2 chew is described as an NAD+ booster. The golden LY-D6 combines the booster with the senolytic and replaces the brown chew on two consecutive days each month. The current jar contains two golden and 29 brown chews. Leap Years product and directions.

Hollywood Elixir is our 17-active NAD+ longevity system, supplied as a powder to mix into food each day. It brings named NAD+ precursors together with ingredients selected for cellular energy, antioxidant defense and immune-health nutrition. It is not sold as the equivalent of Leap's senolytic regimen.

Both sit alongside your dog's food and ordinary care. A complete diet remains the nutritional foundation; the comparison is about the additional formula you want to use.

At a Glance

What is Leap Years for dogs?

Leap Years is an Animal Biosciences supplement regimen combining a proprietary NAD+ precursor with a senolytic. Golden LY-D6 chews replace brown LY-D2 chews on two consecutive days per month.

Product
Leap Years Daily Cellular Health System
Category
Dog healthy-aging supplement regimen
Format
Brown NAD+ booster chews, replaced by golden precursor-plus-senolytic chews on two consecutive days per month.
Why owners notice it
Published randomized research on the LY-D6/2 combination in senior dogs with cognitive impairment.
What to check
The actual study result, undisclosed active identities, current serving directions and the selected pack price.
Side by Side

The Plain Comparison

These products offer different reasons to choose. This table compares their actual designs and evidence; it is not a head-to-head clinical result.

questioncompetitorhollywoodwinner
Core approachProprietary NAD+ precursor plus monthly senolytic regimen.17-active daily formula spanning NAD+ nutrition, energy-related ingredients, antioxidants and immune-oriented companions.Choose the approach you want to add to your dog’s care.
Dog-study evidenceOwners reported fewer cognitive problems over three months. All groups improved, with the amount differing across groups and the largest reduction in the full-dose group.Ingredient biology and research; no equivalent finished-product cognition trial established here.Leap has the more direct product-regimen study in this comparison.
Ingredient disclosureBranded 200/600 mg totals; individual active identities and doses not specified. Inactive ingredients are listed.Named preparations and amounts for all 17 declared ingredients.Hollywood Elixir lets you inspect the broader composition.
Daily formatBrown chews on most days; golden chews on two consecutive days each month.The same powder in food daily, with the portion set by weight.Preference depends on your dog and feeding routine.
Food ingredientsSynthetic beef flavor; manufacturer says no animal protein. Brewer’s yeast contains a small gluten quantity.Whey protein isolate, chicken flavor and chicken liver powder are present.Use the complete list for a dog with dietary restrictions.
Why choose it?You value the precursor-and-senolytic approach and the specific senior-dog research behind the regimen.You want broader daily nutrition that considers energy production, antioxidant defenses and selected immune ingredients together.Our choice for that broader nutritional purpose is Hollywood Elixir.

Competitor label and pricing facts checked 2026-10-04. Sources are listed in the References section below.

Woman holding a Hollywood Elixir box beside a pug, a terrier and a food bowl

What the Leap Years ingredient information tells you

The Leap Years FAQ describes LY-D2 as a 200 mg NAD+ booster and LY-D6 as a 600 mg combination of booster and senolytic. Those figures do not identify the compounds or tell you how much of each is present. The FAQ explicitly says the product contains no NMN. Although it discusses other members of the precursor family, it does not name the one in the chew.

That distinction matters if you are comparing Leap with a named NR supplement: you cannot use the 200 mg figure as an NR dose or conclude that it is stronger than Hollywood Elixir's declared NR tartrate preparation. The inactive ingredients are a separate question, and Leap does list them. Apple pectin, brewer's dried yeast, flaxseed ingredients and synthetic beef flavor are among the disclosed carriers. Our Leap Years review covers the brand's public product information more broadly.

Woman in sportswear holding a Hollywood Elixir box beside a black-and-tan dog outdoors

What a senolytic is intended to do

A cell can stop dividing yet remain alive. Some of these senescent cells release signals that affect nearby tissue, including signals involved in inflammation. Senolytics are studied for their ability to remove such cells. That is the idea behind the second part of Leap's regimen: pair support for NAD+ with an intervention aimed at senescent cells.

It is an interesting research approach, but the mechanism and the dog result are different questions. The published Leap study did not measure whether senescent cells were cleared. It tested changes in the dogs' cognition and function. Understanding that distinction helps you read the study on its own terms. Simon et al., 2024.

Woman holding a Hollywood Elixir box above her forehead beside a Bernese mountain dog outdoors

Inside the Leap Years senior-dog study

The 2024 study in Scientific Reports was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled. Dogs received placebo, a lower dose or a full dose of the proprietary LY-D6/2 combination. The three-month analysis included 59 dogs, all at least ten years old and enrolled with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.

Owners completed the Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating questionnaire. Its 13 behavioral questions cover areas including orientation and memory; a lower score means fewer owner-reported signs of cognitive difficulty. Researchers also used in-house cognitive tasks, activity monitors and measures of physical function. Blinding matters here: neither an owner's hope that a product works nor their disappointment should determine which group appears to improve.

The paper describes capsules, with the precursor given daily and the senolytic on two consecutive days per month. Leap links its current chew system to this research; the paper does not independently establish that today's chew formulation and dose are identical. Animal Bioscience funded the university-run study.

Golden retriever nuzzling a woman holding a Hollywood Elixir box on the grass beside a food bowl

What improved—and what did not

Owners reported fewer signs of cognitive difficulty over the first three months, reflected in lower questionnaire scores. All three groups improved, but the amount of change differed significantly across groups, with the greatest reduction in the full-dose group. That is a useful finding and a legitimate reason to take Leap Years seriously. The activity monitors, in-house cognitive tests, gait and frailty measures did not show significant treatment-group differences.

Leap's widely used 89% figure comes from a different way of counting the results: 16 of 18 full-dose dogs had stable or improved scores, compared with 12 of 20 placebo dogs, or 60%. That particular comparison was not statistically significant. It should not be read as an 89% chance that the supplement will help your dog. The significant score-change analysis and the 89% count are not interchangeable.

The authors also reported that the earlier cognitive effect was not maintained from three to six months. The useful takeaway is an early improvement in owner-reported cognitive problems; the study did not establish better movement, greater measured activity or a lasting cognitive benefit. Read the full study and supplementary results.

“Leap Years brings a senior-dog cognition study. Hollywood Elixir brings a broader daily nutritional formula.”

How much does that result tell you about your dog?

The research is most relevant to the kind of dogs enrolled: older dogs already showing cognitive impairment. It cannot tell an owner of a healthy middle-aged dog how much benefit to expect. Nor did it measure NAD+ levels or how long the dogs lived.

If the studied regimen is the main reason you are considering Leap Years, bring that question to your veterinarian in the context of your dog's actual symptoms. If you are choosing daily nutrition for healthy aging, the ingredients and their purpose deserve just as much attention. That is where the comparison with Hollywood Elixir becomes more useful.

Overhead view of a black-and-white dog beside a food bowl and Hollywood Elixir box

Why Hollywood Elixir includes more than a precursor

Hollywood Elixir approaches healthy aging through a wider range of daily nutrition. Alongside NR and niacin, its 17-active formula includes CoQ10, antioxidants, selected immune-support ingredients and whey protein isolate. The reason for that breadth is easier to see by following two ordinary jobs inside a cell: producing usable energy and dealing with reactive molecules.

Woman smiling beside a golden retriever, a green food bowl and a Hollywood Elixir box

From food to usable energy

Food contains energy, but cells need a series of chemical reactions to put it to work. As nutrients are broken down, NAD+ accepts electrons and becomes NADH. Those electrons can enter the machinery inside mitochondria that helps produce ATP, the molecule cells use to power much of their activity. CoQ10 carries electrons within that machinery. The mitochondrial reaction explains why NAD+ and CoQ10 belong in the same nutritional conversation.

An NAD+ precursor has a different job from CoQ10. It supplies material that cells can use to make NAD+. Hollywood Elixir declares NR tartrate, 60 mg, alongside niacin, 2 mg, per full sachet. It also includes CoQ10 and B vitamins such as riboflavin, used to make coenzymes involved in energy metabolism. These are distinct choices within the formula, not several names for an energy stimulant.

Our guides to NAD+ for dogs and mitochondrial nutrition explain those roles in more detail.

See how cells make, use and recycle NAD+ in our NADome and NADomics guide.

Man holding a Hollywood Elixir box while sitting on an outdoor sofa with a golden retriever

Antioxidant defenses do another job

Reactive molecules form during normal metabolism. Cells have ways to manage them, and one involves glutathione. In its reduced form, glutathione helps an enzyme convert hydrogen peroxide into water. That concrete action is one part of what “antioxidant defense” means. Glutathione-peroxidase reaction.

Hollywood Elixir includes reduced L-glutathione alongside vitamin C, vitamin E, astaxanthin, resveratrol, quercetin and blueberry powder. Those ingredients widen the antioxidant side of the design beyond a single compound. Energy production and the handling of reactive molecules happen in the same cell; the formula considers both.

For the fuller explanation, see our guide to antioxidant supplements for dogs.

The immune ingredients bring another line of research

The formula also looks beyond energy metabolism. Hollywood Elixir includes yeast beta-1,3/1,6-glucans, reishi extract and spirulina as part of its immune-health nutrition. Dog research gives those selections a context of their own, though the studies need to be read carefully.

In a 24-dog yeast beta-glucan study, researchers followed immune responses around vaccination. Some immune-cell patterns changed, but antibody titers were not higher. A separate 30-dog spirulina diet study found higher vaccine-specific antibodies and fecal IgA, an antibody measured in the gut, at some visits.

These studies help explain the selection of immune-oriented ingredients alongside NAD+ nutrition. Reishi is another declared part of the design; the two studies above do not test its contribution. The beta-glucan guide takes a closer look at that ingredient.

Together, the biological roles and ingredient studies explain why we formulated Hollywood Elixir this way. They are not a trial of the finished powder: the dog diets used different preparations and exposures, and neither established better protection from infection.

“Cells need both usable energy and defenses against reactive molecules. Hollywood Elixir includes ingredients for both roles.”

Spotted gray dog beside a Hollywood Elixir box held in a person's hand

The complete Hollywood Elixir formula

The full formula matters more than any three headline ingredients. These are the 17 declared preparations per 2.5 g sachet:

  • Nicotinamide riboside tartrate — 60 mg
  • Coenzyme Q10, 98% ubidecarenone — 40 mg
  • Reduced L-glutathione — 50 mg
  • Resveratrol extract, 98% from Polygonum cuspidatum — 15 mg
  • Quercetin dihydrate, 95% — 25 mg
  • Natural astaxanthin, 2% preparation — 2 mg
  • Vitamin E, D-alpha tocopheryl acid succinate 1210 — 15 IU
  • Yeast beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae — 50 mg
  • Reishi extract, 35% polysaccharides — 25 mg
  • Organic spirulina powder — 50 mg
  • Blueberry fruit powder — 50 mg
  • Whey protein isolate, 90% — 250 mg
  • Niacin, vitamin B3 — 2 mg
  • Vitamin B6, pyridoxal 5-phosphate — 1 mg
  • Riboflavin, vitamin B2 — 0.5 mg
  • Vitamin B12, methylcobalamin 1% trituration on DCP — 0.25 mg
  • Vitamin C, ascorbic acid — 10 mg

Read the preparation as well as the number. The astaxanthin entry is 2 mg of a 2% preparation, not 2 mg of pure astaxanthin. The B12 entry is the weight of a 1% premix, not 0.25 mg of pure B12. Whey protein isolate contributes amino acids, but its 250 mg inclusion is not a replacement for the protein in a meal. The complete ingredient guide gives you the exact forms behind the formula.

Golden retriever nuzzling a man holding a Hollywood Elixir box beside a food bowl

Choose the serving before choosing the pack

Hollywood Elixir's current directions are half a sachet daily for pets under 7 lb, one sachet for 7–30 lb, and two sachets above 30 lb. The ingredient amounts above describe one full sachet. A dog's daily amount therefore depends on the serving band.

Leap's current website needs an extra check at some weight boundaries. For example, its product page places a 55 lb dog in the two-chew band, while the homepage includes 55 lb in the one-chew band. That is a material difference in both quantity and cost. Confirm the current directions with Leap and the label on your pack if your dog falls near a disputed boundary; do not average the two directions. Product directions, homepage.

Golden spaniel eating from a green bowl beside a Hollywood Elixir box

A monthly chew calendar or the same daily powder

Leap's calendar is straightforward once it is set: mark the two consecutive golden-chew days each month, then use brown chews on the remaining days. Hollywood Elixir uses the same formula in food every day. A dog who enjoys a chew may suit the first format; an owner who prefers a food-mixed supplement may prefer the second. Neither format guarantees that a particular dog will accept it.

Ingredients can settle the practical choice. Leap uses synthetic beef flavor and says it contains no animal proteins, although its brewer's yeast contains a small amount of gluten. Hollywood Elixir contains whey protein isolate, chicken flavor and chicken liver powder, as well as yeast extract, glycine and hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin. If your dog follows an elimination diet or has a known food sensitivity, review the complete lists rather than choosing by flavor name alone.

What quality information can you inspect?

Leap describes cGMP manufacturing, FDA-registered facilities and batch testing. These are manufacturer quality claims; facility registration is not an approval of the supplement's benefits. We did not locate a public lot-specific certificate on the Leap pages reviewed. You can ask the company for documentation for the lot you would receive.

Hollywood Elixir offers a COA Lookup. Match the lot on your pack and read what the actual record covers. For example, the current record for lot 2604066 is a manufacturer quality summary from NutraSky, with reported criteria including microbiological and heavy-metal checks. It is not an independent assay of every active ingredient or proof of clinical effectiveness. Our supplement quality guide explains those distinctions.

A useful price comparison starts with a particular dog

For a 30 lb dog, the published directions agree on one Leap chew or one Hollywood Elixir sachet daily. At the time of this review, Leap's Medium one-month option was US$59.95 for 31 chews; Hollywood Elixir's Standard 30-sachet pack was US$89. These are one-time pack prices, before any shipping or tax. The pack lengths differ by a day.

Hollywood Elixir also offers a Standard 90-sachet pack for US$199. Above 30 lb, its serving doubles, so compare the appropriate Double pack rather than assuming the Standard price covers a month. Leap's serving also changes with weight. Check the current selected option before ordering.

The reason to pay for Hollywood Elixir is its wider nutritional composition: the NAD+ precursors, energy-related ingredients, antioxidant selection and immune-oriented companions explained above. Leap options, Hollywood Elixir options.

Woman holding a Hollywood Elixir box beside a dapple dachshund and green food bowl on a sofa

Starting or changing your supplement routine

Treat the formulas as alternatives to consider, rather than automatically giving both. The Leap study did not test the combination with Hollywood Elixir, and the undisclosed compounds make overlap harder to assess. If you are switching from another supplement or your dog takes medication, bring the labels and current amounts to your veterinarian; there is no universal washout interval established by this comparison.

Keep a few ordinary observations: appetite, stools, sleep, comfort on walks and interest in familiar activities. The senior-pet baseline tracker can help you record them. A better week is welcome, but it does not by itself show which ingredient caused it. Do not increase the serving simply because you have not noticed a change.

Woman cuddling a brown-and-white spaniel while holding a Hollywood Elixir box

When the change deserves a veterinary visit

New disorientation, an altered appetite or a change in walking can have more than one cause. A longevity supplement is not a diagnosis. Tell your veterinarian when the change began and bring a list of foods, supplements and medicines; a short video can make an intermittent behavior easier to describe. AAHA senior-care guidance.

Leap's trial did not attribute serious adverse events to treatment, but that does not make every dog's experience predictable. Its FAQ also describes reported side effects. If a new symptom appears after starting either product, contact your veterinarian rather than treating it as a normal adjustment or a sign that the supplement is working.

Which would we choose?

Hollywood Elixir is our choice for broad daily cellular nutrition. Supplying material for NAD+ is one part of that job. The formula also includes ingredients involved in turning food into usable energy, managing reactive molecules and immune-health nutrition. Those different roles give the wider composition its purpose.

Leap Years offers the more direct research on its particular precursor-and-senolytic regimen. Hollywood Elixir offers the nutritional range explained here, brought together in a daily food-mixed powder. Explore the complete formula, then choose the serving and pack for your dog.

“Hollywood Elixir makes NAD+ nutrition part of a broader daily formula, with ingredients for energy production, antioxidant defenses and immune support.”

Educational content only. This material is not a substitute for veterinary advice. Always consult your veterinarian about your dog’s specific needs. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Glossary

  • NAD+: A coenzyme involved in moving electrons as cells use nutrients for energy. NAD+ guide.
  • NAD+ precursor: A starting material used to make NAD+. Nicotinamide riboside is one; it is supplied as NR tartrate in Hollywood Elixir.
  • ATP: A molecule cells use to power much of their activity.
  • Senescent cell: A cell that has stopped dividing but remains alive and can release signals affecting nearby tissue.
  • Senolytic: An intervention studied for removing senescent cells.
  • Reduced glutathione: A form of glutathione that participates in cellular antioxidant reactions, including peroxide handling. Glutathione guide.
  • Placebo-controlled study: A comparison with a control treatment that helps separate treatment effects from other changes and expectations.
  • Preparation weight: The amount of a specified extract, salt or premix. It is not automatically the amount of a pure active compound.

Related Reading

Aging & Senior Dog Guidance
• Dog Age Calculator
• Dog Lifespan by Breed
• Dog Dementia
• Lethargy in Dogs
• My Dog Won't Eat
• Dog Pacing At Night
• Dog Licking Paws
• Can Dogs Dehydrate

Healthy Aging Support
• NAD+ for Dogs
• NMN for Dogs
• Antioxidants Supplements for Dogs
• Best Senior Dog Supplements & Vitamins
• Rapamycin for Dogs

References

Product facts, public claims, ingredient details, and quality-language checks were checked against the references below.

  1. Brand source Leap Years: current product and options Manufacturer product, routine, serving and listed pack facts; not independent efficacy evidence.
  2. Brand source Leap Years: current FAQ Declared ingredient information, quality claims and reported effects; proprietary identities remain undisclosed.
  3. Brand source Leap Years: homepage Manufacturer weight bands; some boundaries differ from the product-page directions.
  4. Research source Simon et al. 2024: LY-D6/2 and cognition in senior dogs Full randomized trial and supplements; impaired senior population, capsules, measured endpoints and follow-up limits.
  5. Brand source Hollywood Elixir: full ingredient guide Manufacturer ingredient forms and declared preparation weights.
  6. Brand source Hollywood Elixir: product and serving options Manufacturer portion, pack and US-dollar price information.
  7. Research source Ratajczak et al. 2016: NRK1 and NAD precursor metabolism Cell/mouse mechanistic research; not a dog oral NR-tartrate or finished-product trial.
  8. Institutional source Reactome: NADH-to-ubiquinone electron transfer Curated normal cellular reaction; not evidence that a supplement improves canine activity.
  9. Institutional source Reactome: glutathione-peroxidase reaction Explains peroxide handling; does not establish oral delivery or an HE outcome.
  10. Institutional source NIH ODS: riboflavin Explains riboflavin’s role in the coenzymes used in normal energy metabolism.
  11. Research source Fries-Craft et al. 2023: dietary yeast beta-glucan and canine immune response 24-dog dietary study with distinct preparations/exposures; no higher antibody titers or finished-HE finding.
  12. Research source Satyaraj et al. 2021: dietary spirulina and canine immune measures 30-dog diet study; immune markers at specified visits, not proof of infection prevention or HE efficacy.
  13. Brand source La Petite Labs: COA Lookup Current lot record is a manufacturer quality summary; scope must be read per document.
  14. Institutional source AAHA: evaluating the healthy senior pet Veterinary assessment context and history; no endorsement of either supplement.
  15. Institutional source FDA: complete and balanced pet food Nutritional adequacy context; supplements do not replace the complete diet.

FAQ

What is the main difference between Leap Years and Hollywood Elixir?

Leap combines a proprietary NAD+ precursor with a monthly senolytic regimen and has published research in cognitively impaired senior dogs. Hollywood Elixir combines 17 declared ingredients for broader daily cellular nutrition, including NR tartrate, CoQ10, glutathione and immune-oriented companions.

Is the Leap Years senolytic chew weekly or monthly?

Monthly. Current directions call for the golden LY-D6 chew on two consecutive days per month, replacing the brown LY-D2 chew on those days. Use the current directions for your dog’s weight.

Does Leap Years contain NR or NMN?

The current FAQ explicitly says it does not contain NMN. It does not identify the actual precursor, so discussing NR in its educational material is not confirmation that NR is in the chew.

What did the Leap Years study actually find?

Owners reported fewer cognitive problems over the first three months, reflected in lower questionnaire scores. All groups improved; the amount of change differed significantly across groups, with the greatest reduction in the full-dose group. Activity monitors and in-house cognitive tests did not show significant group differences. Lifespan was not measured.

Does the 89% figure mean an 89% chance of helping my dog?

No. It counts full-dose dogs whose questionnaire scores were stable or improved: 16 of 18, compared with 12 of 20 placebo dogs. That separate comparison was not statistically significant and is not an individual probability of benefit.

Why does Hollywood Elixir include CoQ10 and glutathione with NR?

They have different biological roles. NR can supply material for NAD+; CoQ10 carries electrons in the mitochondrial machinery that produces ATP; reduced glutathione participates in peroxide-handling defenses. This explains the formulation rationale, not a measured effect of the finished powder.

Does Hollywood Elixir have the same dog-study evidence?

No. The Leap study belongs to its proprietary LY-D6/2 combination. Hollywood Elixir’s rationale draws on ingredient biology and relevant ingredient research; it does not have an equivalent finished-product cognition result in this comparison.

How much Hollywood Elixir should a dog have?

Current directions are half a sachet daily below 7 lb, one sachet at 7–30 lb, and two sachets above 30 lb. One full sachet is 2.5 g. Follow the current product directions and review individual medical needs with your veterinarian.

Can a dog take Leap Years and Hollywood Elixir together?

The combination has not been established by the studies reviewed. Do not assume that two longevity products are complementary for your dog; review the full routine and any medication with your veterinarian before combining them.

Which is better value?

At 30 lb, current directions call for one Leap chew or one Hollywood Elixir sachet daily. The named one-time packs are US$59.95 for 31 Leap chews and US$89 for 30 Hollywood Elixir sachets. Choose based on the studied regimen or broader nutritional composition you want, then confirm the correct pack and current price.

Dalmatian looking toward a Hollywood Elixir box held in a person's hand

Discover LPL-01: How This Fits Into a Larger Canine Longevity System

Aging in dogs is not driven by a single pathway. It’s the result of interacting biological systems—energy metabolism, oxidative stress, immune signaling, and structural integrity—changing over time.

This article explores one piece of that puzzle. If you want to understand how these pieces connect—and what actually moves the needle—you need to zoom out.

Start with the underlying science: