NMN is the short abbreviation for nicotinamide mononucleotide. You can find NMN in many vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, avocado, etc. It is also present in some red meats but in low quantities. In our bodies, NMN acts as a source of cellular energy. With the help of an enzyme, it is an essential substance in the NAD+ synthesis, which is the reason why NMN is often described as an NAD+ booster. Once absorbed in the gut, NMN transforms into NR (nicotinamide riboside). NR enters the cell and helps in the cellular synthesis of NMN and NAD+. NMN comes in two forms, namely alpha and beta. The beta form is the active one being most potent in the human gut, and easier to absorb.
NAD+ binds with various proteins in the cell, some of which are responsible for DNA damage repair. With the progression of age, NAD+ levels significantly decrease. This depletion leads to inefficient DNA repairs, which, on the other hand, results in loss of information – the actual cause of aging.
Our bodies have fascinating mechanisms to keep us alive and well. We do not want to override them as they are more complex than anything we have built so far. Direct administration of NAD+ bypasses some of those circuits. It also has a fair amount of side effects like anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia. In some cases, NAD+ even demonstrates poor absorption capabilities through the cellular membrane compared to NMN.
Both molecules are found naturally in foods, and both demonstrate promising capabilities to treat certain conditions in mammals. However, in the latest studies, NMN is taking an extra edge. It showed promising results in treating Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, age-associated weight gain, and, most importantly, aging and the associated NAD+ depletion. Researchers are currently looking to expand this list. Still, it will take time for trials to confirm the other benefits NMN might have.
Despite that NMN can be found naturally in foods, it is almost impossible to get the quantities that researchers found to make a difference. In the very best case, you can get 1.6mg of NMN per 100 grams of vegetables (avocados, tomatoes). To get the 600mg dose, you will need to consume approximately 37.5kg vegetables per day. In other words, there is no way to get that quantity of NMN in your body in a natural way through food.
The decline in NAD+ levels begins after the organism has fully developed. Development is strongly individual, but approximately after the age of 16-25, your NAD+ levels will start dropping. Although you do not have physical marks of aging, on the cellular level, the decline has begun. Supplementing NMN can keep your NAD+ levels and mitigate a series of symptoms of aging.
Thousands of people, taking NMN orally for at least a month from all over the world, are sharing mostly the following benefits:
Those symptoms have not been confirmed in a clinical trial as they take several years to complete. Despite that the amount of people sharing them is considerable, this cannot be used as a medical claim.
Initial laboratory tests demonstrated the possibility of increasing the lifespan of mammals with about 20-30%. Clinical trials are on the go to determine how much precisely will be the increase of the lifespan of humans. However, age is not the most critical metric. Currently, people above 60 suffer from a series of conditions, which are interfering with their usual way of life. The goal of NMN is to lift this limit and provide more healthy years to people.
A Japanese human trial started in 2016 and concluded in 2019 that NMN is safe for humans. So far, no one has reported any harmful side effects while administering NMN. All researches so far suggest that NMN is safe to take, and people taking the supplement do not have any complaints. Everyone from VitaeSpan’s team is taking advantage of NMN daily. If you, however, feel any discomfort, please consult a doctor.
Even bought directly from manufacturers in large quantities, NMN is still expensive. The price varies between 2300 and 2800 USD per kilogram, depending on purity. The main reason for the high price is the complex process of production. Right now, the refinement is an expensive and troublesome procedure. There are a couple of researches on the go for more effective production, which may lead to price reduction, but we won’t see those in the next couple of years. Our supplement packs 18 grams of pure NMN, and the final price includes putting it in slowly absorbing capsules, packaging, labeling, marketing, distribution, and operational costs. If we could offer it for less, believe us, we would. A few manufacturers have lower prices than ours. After doing the math, you decide for yourself how they achieved that price. Premium quality is expensive.
To produce our articles, we use scientific documents and materials from acknowledged sources. By no means we want or can cover their entire content. We support the scientists who did the heavy lifting by buying their articles and books, as this is one of their few income sources. Scientific research is hard, and it barely has the support it deserves. If you want to help, read their books and publications.