Since the advent of NMN products, they have become popular in the name of “elixir of immortality” and “longevity medicine”, and related NMN concept stocks have also been sought after by the market. Li Ka-shing had taken NMN for a period of time, and then spent 200 million Hong Kong dollars on NMN development, and Warren Buffett’s company also reached a strategic cooperation with NMN manufacturers. Can NMN, which is favored by the top rich, really have a longevity effect?
NMN is nicotinamide mononucleotide (Nicotinamide mononucleotide), the full name is “β-nicotinamide mononucleotide”, which belongs to the category of vitamin B derivatives and is the precursor of NAD+, which can be converted into NAD+ through the action of a series of enzymes in the body, so NMN supplementation is regarded as an effective way to improve NAD+ levels. NAD+ is a key intracellular coenzyme that is directly involved in hundreds of metabolic reactions, especially those related to energy production. As we age, NAD+ levels in the body gradually decline. The decrease in NAD+ will impair the ability of cells to produce energy, and the body will experience degenerative symptoms such as muscle degeneration, brain loss, pigmentation, hair loss, etc., which is traditionally called “aging”.
After middle age, the NAD+ level in our body drops below 50% of the younger level, which is why after a certain age, it is difficult to return to the state of youth no matter how much you rest. Low NAD+ levels can also lead to many aging-related diseases, including atherosclerosis, arthritis, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and cancer, among others.
In 2020, the scientific community’s research on NMN was actually in the infancy, and almost all the experiments were based on animal and mouse experiments, and the only human clinical trial in 2020 at that time only confirmed the “safety” of oral NMN supplements, and did not confirm that the NAD+ level in the human body increased after taking NMN, let alone that it could delay aging.
Now, four years later, there are some new research advances in NMN.
In a 60-day clinical trial published in 2022 on 80 middle-aged healthy men, subjects taking 600-900mg of NMN per day were confirmed to be effective in increasing NAD+ levels in the blood, and compared with the placebo group, the subjects who took NMN orally increased their 6-minute walking distance, and taking NMN for 12 consecutive weeks could improve sleep quality, improve physical function, and improve physical strength, such as enhancing grip strength, improving walking speed, etc. Reduces fatigue and drowsiness, increases energy, etc.
Japan was the first country to conduct NMN clinical trials, and Keio University School of Medicine began a phase II clinical trial in 2017 after completing the phase I clinical trial to ensure safety. Clinical trial research was conducted by Shinsei Pharmaceutical, Japan and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Health, Hiroshima University. The study, which began in 2017 for a year and a half, aims to study the health effects of long-term NMN use.
For the first time in the world, it has been clinically confirmed that the expression of longevity protein increases after oral administration of NMN in humans, and the expression of various types of hormones also increases.
For example, it can be treated for the improvement of nerve conduction circuits (neuralgia, etc.), the improvement of immunity, the improvement of infertility in men and women, the strengthening of muscles and bones, the improvement of hormonal balance (improvement of skin), the increase of melatonin (improvement of sleep), and the aging of the brain caused by Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, ischemic encephalopathy and other diseases.
There is currently a lot of research to explore the anti-aging effects of NMN in various cells and tissues. But most of the work is done in vitro or in animal models. However, there are few public reports on the long-term safety and anti-aging clinical efficacy of NMN in humans. As can be seen from the review above, only a very small number of preclinical and clinical studies have investigated the safety of long-term administration of NMN.
However, there are already many NMN anti-aging supplements on the market, and manufacturers are actively marketing these products using in vitro and in vivo results in the literature. Therefore, the first task should be to establish the toxicology, pharmacology, and safety profile of NMN in humans, including healthy and disease patients.
All in all, most of the symptoms and diseases of functional decline caused by “aging” have promising results.
Post time: May-21-2024
