Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN)

Nicotinamid mononukleotid (NMN) is a naturally occurring compound found in the cells of our bodies and is closely related to NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide), a coenzyme essential for various cellular processes, including energy metabolism, DNA repair, and cellular signaling. The decline of NAD+ levels has been associated with aging and various age-related diseases.

Key points about NMN include:

1. Precursor to NAD+: NMN is a direct precursor to NAD+, meaning it plays a critical role in producing this essential coenzyme. By supplementing with NMN, researchers hypothesize that we can boost NAD+ levels in the body.
2. Potential Anti-Aging Properties: Preliminary studies, primarily in mice, suggest that NMN supplementation can confer various health benefits, such as improved energy metabolism, enhanced DNA repair, and potentially slowed aging processes.
3. Safety and Dosage: While NMN shows promise, comprehensive studies on its long-term safety, effective dosage, and potential side effects in humans are ongoing.
4. Natural Sources: NMN is found in several food sources, including broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, avocados, and edamame, albeit in small quantities.
5. Research Frontier: NMN and its impact on longevity is an active area of research, with new findings and insights emerging regularly.

Taking NMN

When to Take

Our body has a natural rhythm where NAD levels fluctuate throughout the day rather than remaining constant, closely tied to our circadian rhythms. A study by Shin Imai and his team highlighted that NAD plays a crucial role in regulating our body's internal clock. The Sirt-1 gene, which is influenced by NAD, signals our body when it's time to eat or sleep.

For those considering NMN supplementation, it's recommended to take NMN in the morning when the natural rise in NAD and Sirt-1 activity should happen. Taking NMN e.g. at night might disrupt the NAD cycle and potentially affecting the sleep or hunger. This can be especially beneficial for frequent travelers trying to adjust to a new time zone, as a morning dose of NMN can help reset the body's internal clock and reduce jet lag.

Effects

• Human studies have shown that show that taking 1000 mg over 10 days raises your NAD levels about two-fold. But you can go as high as 2000 mg and triple the amount.

NMN in food

NMN is present in various types of natural food.

Food Type	Name	mg/100g-Food
vegetable	edamame	0.47–1.88
vegetable	broccoli	0.25–1.12
vegetable	cucumber seed	0.56
	cucumber peel	0.65
vegetable	cabbage	0.0–0.90
fruit	avocado	0.36–1.60
fruit	tomato	0.26–0.30
other	mushroom	0.0–1.01
meat	beef (raw)	0.06–0.42
seafood	shrimp	0.22

Studies

Study	Design	Participants	Outcome
Effect of oral administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide on clinical parameters and nicotinamide metabolite levels in healthy Japanese men	singe admission of up to 500 mg oral admission at 9 AM	10 healthy men 40-60 years	admission was safe and well-tolerated
Nicotinamide mononucleotide increases muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic women	randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind 10-week 250 mg/day	25 postmenopausal women with prediabetes overweight or obese (BMI 25.3 - 39.1) 56 - 66 years 12 placebo, 13 NMN group	increase in skeletal muscle insulin signaling, insulin sensitivity, and muscle remodeling improvement in muscle insulin sensitivity is clinically relevant and is similar to the improvement observed after ~10% weight loss

See also

• Wikipedia article about NMN