Few weeks ago I wrote about longevity & health IVs, which have become quite a fad the past few years. With one of them being the NAD+ one, which is advertised as an anti-ageing treatment. Another reason it’s gained a lot of popularity is due to Dr Sinclair, a longevity professor from Harvard, where in his book he lists NMN as part of his anti-ageing protocol. But what’s the science behind these molecules, and can they really enhance longevity?
NMN and NAD+: What’s the Connection?
Before we dive in any further, we need to understand NMN and NAD+’s relationship.
Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) is a naturally occurring molecule that serves as a precursor to Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+), meaning your body converts NMN into NAD+. NMN is made from vitamin B3 (aka Niacin). Within our cells two NMN molecules are added together to form NAD+.
NAD+ is an essential coenzyme present in every cell of your body, which plays a major role in energy metabolism and maintaining overall cellular health. It helps convert nutrients into energy, supports vital cellular functions, and is critical for processes like DNA repair. It also helps regulate proteins called sirtuins, which are linked to ageing and longevity. This coenzyme is crucial for sustaining life and ensuring cells perform efficiently, influencing longevity, repair mechanisms, and metabolic regulation.
Naturally as we age, NAD+ levels naturally decline, which is thought to contribute to age-related conditions and a loss of vitality. So, the theory is that by boosting NMN levels through supplementation, we can increase NAD+ levels, potentially reversing or slowing some of the effects of ageing.
How to go about it?
There’s two ways of approaching NMN and NAD+, one was is taking NMN in order to aid with the NAD+ production as it’s the precursor, and the other way is to directly supplement with NAD+.
Another factor that can and does affect the efficacy and bioavailability of the supplement is the molecule size. NMN is smaller compared to NAD+, so it can be absorbed more easily; this greater bioavailability ensures that it will reach your bloodstream. NAD+ cannot be absorbed well by the digestive system nor is it taken up by cells either - this pretty much makes oral supplementation pointless (source).
So as the larger molecule of NAD+ cannot be absorbed via our membranes, that’s why many suggest taking NMN instead. Now, as for the NAD+ IV drip therapies, in theory they might work as it directly goes into your bloodstream, but as far as I am aware there is not conclusive research on their effectiveness.
Current Research
A lot of the hype around NMN and NAD+ was sparked by research from Dr Sinclair, as mentioned before. However, regardless of his Harvard status, there has been a lot of negative attention around his work, both academically and not, as apparently he made millions selling supplements that were promised to be anti-ageing but weren’t really working. But I’m diverting, so back to NMN.
There have been a few trials using NMN, as per the table above, which looked at if the treatment was initially safe, the effect on NAD+ metabolome, and if there were any changes in the area of interest, e.g., cardiovascular function or body composition. It’s also important to note that just because NAD+ levels may be raised this does not equate to a huge improvement in the function of the cells and organs affected by it. All reported that the NMN treatment was indeed safe, but did not always improve the physical / clinical state of the participants.
So, is it worth it?
I mean, NMN is readily available as a supplement, and so is NAD+ both in pill form and as and IV drip, for the latter. Now, do they actually work and by how much? I’m not sure to be honest… I’ve read of cases where great improvement has been observed for arthritis where swelling was significantly reduced and so did pain. Pain could possibly be seen as a placebo, but the reduction of the swelling definitely not.
NMN naturally occurs in some foods, those include avocados, broccoli, cabbage, raw beef and tomatoes. Additionally, eating foods high in vit B3 also supports NAD productions as NMN is a derivative of vit B3. So that’s a natural way of boosting your levels.
But long story short - would I try it? Maybe yes, maybe not. I can see why it may aid in longevity and healthy ageing, but also the efficacy has yet to be determined. Also, there are many more precursors to NAD+ besides NMN, those include:
tryptophan
nicotinic acid (NA), aka niacin a form of vitamin B3
nicotinamide (NAM)
nicotinamide riboside (NR)
dihydronicotinamide riboside (NRH)
So, as you can see it gets a bit more complicated, it’s not as simple as you take NMN → NAD+ increases → longevity achieved. Which is the best precursor to take? How much should you take? And also, for how long? Maybe -or definitely- I’m overthinking this, but the most common ones to supplement with are NMN and NR.
There’s many options of how to go about it. It does not appear that there’s an obvious wrong way - besides the oral supplementation of NAD+, but maybe more research is needed on an individual level. But that being said, hopefully I’ve not confused you with the inconclusiveness but rather you given you some food for thought!!
I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for taking some time out of your day to read to my post! If you did, click on the ❤️ button below. See you next week! :)
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You have such a great way of explaining and breaking things down for us to understand. I believe that NAD+ is a great tool in the toolbox, not just for anti-aging but for metabolic health. We should be getting these co-enzymes from our food ideally, but sometimes we need a little boost. Interesting that oral supplementation is pointless. And maybe for some even absorption through food is hard if there is some issues with gut health. Of course, my mom's case is anecdotal, (thanks for linking it) the change in a month (along with diet changes) was pretty positive. Even her physiotherapist wants to learn more about NAD+.
These are always so fascinating. Thank you for the wonderful and informative read!