At certain doses, NMN supplements may help improve insulin sensitivity and heart function, reduce fatigue, and have few side effects. However, you should consult your doctor before trying them.
If you're interested in aging and longevity initiatives, you've probably heard of NMN, which stands for nicotinamide mononucleotide.
It’s a molecule your body produces naturally, but some people also take it as a supplement. Scientists, such as Harvard professor and longevity expert David Sinclair, are currently studying its potential promise for a variety of health areas, including:
- Diabetes
- Liver diseases
- Brain health
- Cardiovascular health
- Fitness training
- Sleep
Research on the effects of NMN supplements is still evolving, and more studies are needed.
We've partnered with Wonderfeel®, a biotechnology and health company based in San Francisco, California, to bring you an overview of NMN and the research available to date regarding its potential benefits, optimal dosage, side effects, and safety.
What is Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN)?
Simply put, NMN is a natural molecule that plays a role in providing energy to your body.
NMN is a type of molecule called a nucleotide. Nucleotides have many roles in the body, including being the building blocks of DNA.
In your cells, NMN is converted into another molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Your body needs NAD for many different functions related to metabolism and energy production.
You can think of NMN as the raw material and NAD as the refined version that your body can use.
The amount of NAD your body can make depends on the amount of NMN available in your body.
Benefits of NMN
All cells in your body use NAD and therefore need NMN, its precursor, to function properly. NAD helps cells regulate a number of important functions to keep cells running smoothly, including:
- Energy conversion
- DNA repair
- Gene expression
- Response to cellular stress
It is important that your cells have enough NMN to produce enough NAD to support these functions.
The levels of NMN in your body decrease over time, and so do your NAD levels. This may contribute to some of the health effects you may experience as you age.
For example, research has shown that people with age-related diseases, including diabetes and liver disease, may have lower levels of NMN and NAD. Test-tube and animal studies also suggest that NMN may play a role in other aspects of aging, including heart and brain health.
NMN vs. NR
If you’ve heard of NMN, you’ve probably also heard of nicotinamide riboside (NR). NR is another molecule similar to NMN that people also take as a supplement to support healthy aging. Evidence suggests that the body converts NR into NMN, and NMN is then converted into NAD.
Potential Benefits of NAD
Since supplementing with NMN may help your body produce more NAD, it’s also important to look at the research on the benefits of NAD. Studies on NAD have shown its potential benefits:
- Increase longevity: In your cells, NAD activates a group of proteins called sirtuins, which help repair DNA. Sirtuin activity is linked to longevity. Conversely, low NAD levels are linked to age-related diseases.
- Protect the brain: NAD is thought to regulate the production of a protein that helps protect cells from mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. These cellular stressors have been implicated in a number of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.
- Reduce the risk of heart disease: Research in mice has found that high levels of NAD in the blood can reverse age-related damage to arteries, which may help protect against heart disease.
- Protection against cancer: High NAD levels may help protect cells from oxidative stress and DNA damage, factors that have been linked to the development of cancer.
- Helps reduce jet lag symptoms: Research shows that NAD can help regulate the body's biological clock, which may help reduce symptoms of jet lag or other circadian rhythm disorders.
- Support aging muscles: Studies in old mice show that high blood levels of NAD improve muscle function, strength, and endurance in old mice.
More research is needed on NMN and NAD
It should be noted that the above benefits were found for NAD, not NMN specifically. More research is needed on the benefits of NMN and NAD.
Recent research has found that supplementing with NAD doesn't provide these potential benefits — but supplementing with NMN may.
“The real breakthrough recently has been our understanding of how to bring NAD levels closer to youthful levels,” says Professor Andrew Salzman, MD, a Harvard Medical School alumnus and prominent drug inventor leading NAD and NMN research at Wonderfeel®.
“We now know that it's impossible to do that by giving NAD orally or intravenously — because NAD doesn't have a mechanism to get into cells.
“However, it is possible to do this by providing the starting material for NAD, which is NMN. Cells have developed a receptor for NMN — a special protein on the cell surface that binds to NMN and transports it into the cell. Once inside the cell, NMN is metabolized by enzymes in the cell to produce NAD.”
Benefits of NMN supplementation
Given the health benefits of NMN, some experts believe that NMN supplementation may help reverse the effects of aging. Some even consider NMN to be the “fountain of youth,” at least as demonstrated in animal models.
Below, we'll take a closer look at the human research surrounding NMN supplementation, including potential benefits, safety risks, and available data on the most effective dosage.
Is NMN supplementation effective?
Studies in animal models, particularly mice, suggest that NMN supplements may have a variety of benefits, including reversing aging and improving cognitive health.
But does NMN supplementation really work for humans?
This is a difficult question to answer at this time. Research on the effects of NMN supplementation in humans is still relatively new, and very few clinical trials (the gold standard for demonstrating clinical benefit) have been published.
One study looked at the effects of supplementing with 250 milligrams (mg) of NMN daily for 10 weeks in postmenopausal women with prediabetes and overweight or obesity. Those taking NMN had increased insulin sensitivity and insulin signaling.
Note that two authors involved in this study are also inventors of patents related to the use of NMN.
Another recent study examined the effects of NMN supplementation on exercise training in amateur runners. In this study, 48 runners between the ages of 27 and 50 took NMN capsules at doses of 300, 600, or 1,200 mg per day for 6 weeks or took a placebo.
At the end of the six weeks, those taking NMN in addition to their usual exercise program had greater aerobic capacity than the placebo group, and the higher dose produced greater gains. The researchers suggest this may be related to increased oxygen uptake.
Another recent study examined the effects of NMN supplementation on sleep quality in Japanese adults aged 65 and older. Participants in this study were divided into two groups, one taking 250 mg of NMN and the other taking a placebo for 12 weeks.
Although NMN supplementation did not appear to improve sleep quality, researchers did note improvements in sleepiness and muscle sensitivity in those who took NMN in the afternoon compared to the placebo group or those who took it in the morning.
Can NMN help with anti-aging?
Levels of NMN and NAD naturally decline with age, so many researchers have suggested that NMN supplementation may help address age-related health problems.
A study in 10 Japanese men found that supplementing with NMN (100, 250, or 500 mg) increased blood levels of NMN byproducts, including NAD.
Insulin resistance can develop with age and is one reason why diabetes is becoming more common in older adults. While studies have not specifically looked at the effects of NMN supplementation, existing research suggests that NMN supplementation may help you maintain or regain insulin sensitivity as you age.
More research on this effect in humans is needed to investigate this potential benefit.
Additionally, NMN supplementation has also been shown to reduce sleepiness and improve muscle sensitivity in older adults, which may improve both physical and mental health as we age.
How to increase NMN levels naturally?
NMN is found naturally in a number of foods. Some food sources rich in NMN include:
- Avocado (0.36 to 1.60 mg per 100 grams)
- Broccoli (0.25 to 1.12 mg per 100 grams)
- Cabbage (up to 0.9 mg per 100 grams)
- Tomato (0.26 to 0.30 mg per 100 grams)
- Raw beef (0.06 to 0.42 mg per 100 grams)
Small amounts of NMN are also found in cow's milk, cucumbers, and edamame beans.
Studies in mice show that the digestive system easily absorbs NMN, but more research is needed to investigate how eating NMN-rich foods can increase NAD levels in your cells.
Is NMN safe, and are there any side effects?
NMN is an ideal supplement for boosting cellular NAD levels because it is well tolerated by the body, and both human and animal studies have shown it to have few side effects.
Human studies have shown that doses up to 1,200 mg per day are safe to use.
Dosage
With limited data on NMN supplementation, it is difficult to determine an ideal dosage. Studies have found health benefits with doses as low as 250 mg of NMN per day, up to a maximum of 1,200 mg per day.
Only three studies, including the studies described above, have examined the effects of NMN supplementation across a range of doses. Importantly, safety was not shown to differ between the doses of NMN used.
In a study involving amateur athletes, the aerobic benefits of NMN supplementation were greater with high doses (1,200 mg) than with low doses (300 mg). However, no difference in benefits was observed between high and medium doses (600 mg).