As we age, our bodies slow down the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Recent studies have revealed that low cellular levels of NAD+ cause ageing related disorders and chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and vision impairment.
Many experts believe that combating the decline of NAD+ levels may hold the key to reverse signs of ageing and chronic disease.
Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) is a NAD+ precursor, and has been shown to effectively increase cellular levels of NAD+.
Whilst human studies on NMN are limited, the information we do have has been overwhelming positive and proves to hold enormous promise for the potential of this molecule.
One recent study which involved administering NMN to a group of 20-month old mice – the equivalent of 70 in human years.
The study found that the mice that supplemented with NMN showed between a 56 and 80 percent greater exercise capacity, compared with untreated mice in the study.
Other studies have shown increased metabolism, reduced cardiovascular disease, increased energy, improved eye function and increased bone density from supplementing with the molecule.
NAD+ is essential for many of our bodies processes, and whilst NAD+ levels fall as we age, supplementing with NMN can increase NAD+ levels, thus combating many age related diseases.
As mentioned, human studies on supplementing with NMN are limited, with most of our information coming from animal studies.
Because of this, the definitive number of benefits are still in question, however the potential benefits are vast.
NMN is quickly and efficiently utilized in all cells and tissues throughout the body, making it very effective at restoring cellular NAD+ levels.
Whilst there are other NAD+ precursors available on the market, NMN has been shown to be most effective.
Increasing NAD+ levels has been shown to fight many age related diseases and disorders.
One set of genes called the Sirtuin Genes have been shown to be responsible for improved health and increased lifespan in animal. By increasing NAD+ levels, the sirtuin genes are able to function at an optimal rate.
The sirtuin genes are responsible for things such as DNA repair, reducing inflammation and boosting stress resistance.
NAD+ plays a key role in helping your brain cells age well.
A recent study on mice with Alzheimer’s disease showed that supplementing with NMN resulted in the mice performing significantly better in memory based tasks.
A group of 32-month old mice – the equivalent of 90 human years – receiving NMN were able to run 1.6 time further, on average, than the untreated mice.
“These are really old mice so our finding that the treatment doubles their running capacity is nothing short of intriguing,”
As we age our blood vessels become thicker, stiffer and less flexible, which can lead to increased blood pressure – making your heart work harder.
In animals, raising NAD+ helped reverse age-related changes to arteries.
NMN boosts NAD+ levels in the body, which can be linked to portal health benefits.
A recent study was conducted on humans to test how safe NMN consumption on humans would be.
The study administered doses of 100, 250, and 500mg and concluded that in general, the drug is safe and well tolerated, with no adverse effects being discovered.
It is important to note that higher dosages (>500mg per day) have yet to be tested on humans, so sticking between the 100-300mg daily dose is advised.
Most providers of the NMN supplement suggest daily intakes of 100-250mg per day to be an effective and safe amount.
NMN supplementation appears to be safe with few side effects. However, its long-term effects in humans are still relatively unknown.
NMN is an effective supplement for boosting our bodies cellular NAD+ levels. Whilst the majority of evidence leads to suggest NMN supplementation provides many benefits, with little portal risk, the number of human based studies are limited.
More high-quality human studies are needed before conclusive arguments can be made. Until such time as these studies are conducted, supplementing with NMN at a daily dose of 100-300mg is at the very least, harmless.
