NMN supplements – how much should you take for the best results?

More and more people are turning to NMN supplements to improve their health, wellbeing and lifespan, but how much should you take for best results?

The last few years have seen a growing body of evidence suggesting nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) can help to increase levels of NAD+ and slow the aging process. With that has come an increase in the number of NMN supplements which promise a host of health benefits. The trouble is, research into the ideal dose levels is still ongoing, so people are left struggling to work out the optimum dose level for them.

What does NMN do?

Nicotinamide mononucleotide is a naturally occurring molecule which is a direct precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). This is the so-called miracle molecule, which is crucial in maintaining cell function, repairing DNA and powering our metabolic functions. Without it, the body becomes more susceptible to conditions such as heart disease, obesity, cancer and neurological disorders.

NAD+ levels decline with age which is why many people seek to boost levels through NMN supplementation. The body takes NMN, transforms it into NAD+ and puts it to work in the body. By boosting these levels, you can effectively turn the clock back and help to slow the rate of biological aging.

What is the best dose of NMN supplements?

The good news about NMN is that there are few if any side effects. One Harvard Professor who claims to take a gram a day of the stuff says the worst he’s ever experienced is nausea. Generally speaking, although research is still ongoing, it is considered safe to use. However, there is no recommended dose which means different companies will have their own recommendations for how much you should use.

Benefits of NMN supplements

These doses reflect most clinical trials which appear to show effective results for NMN at dose levels of a few hundred milligrams. For example, a study from the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology into the effect of NMN on the blood cells of middle aged people used dosages of 500mg. It found that NMN treatments significantly increased the telomere length in participants and levels of gut microbes.

A study this year in Japan recently released findings showing NMN supplementation could reduce drowsiness in older adults. It used doses of 250mg. Other studies using mice have typically used between 100mg and 500mg with some extending over one gram. Each of them appear to show it is effective and with no visible side-effects to report.

Once in the body, studies show NMN starts to work within a few minutes. It will have cleared the bloodstream and entered body tissue within 15 minutes which suggests people might start to feel effects relatively quickly.

Short term results might manifest themselves in feelings of greater alertness and energy levels. Longer term may be harder to measure, but for those hitting middle age and beyond, all the evidence shows that taking NMN at levels of around 100 to 500mg can have a positive effect on your biology.

Diet versus supplements

It is also possible to get NMN from your daily diet, particularly through fruit and vegetables such as avocado, broccoli or cabbage. This provides a much smaller amount of NMN than supplements, but if you have enough of these – along with a healthy overall diet – it can also help to slow NAD+ decline.

For a real anti-aging effect, though, it seems that you need the hit you get from complete NMN supplements. However, not all supplements are created equal. Tablets of the same size may contain different levels of NMN depending on their purity levels. Manufacturing NMN is expensive which can push up the cost.

To keep the price down, some manufacturers may combine it with other ingredients. These may be other compounds which could also have a beneficial effect. Alternatively, for cheaper or fake products they may simply be fillers which could potentially have harmful effects.

Premium manufacturers will label their products as being ‘pure’, but even this can be misleading. The reality is that nothing is 100% pure. The manufacturing process can produce trace amounts of other compounds. Even if these are in miniscule amounts, they can cause problems if the manufacturer does not check what they are. Some, therefore, will perform tests on those tiny impurities to check the overall product is indeed safe.

Before making a purchase it’s always worth checking the label to see exactly what any supplements contain and what testing measures have been used.

The slightly disappointing answer to the question of how much NMN you need, therefore, is it that it all depends. Research is still in progress and with each clinical trial we will get a better idea. For now, with no clear signs of serious side effects, the biggest question around dose levels will be more to do with price than health. With the top products being relatively expensive you won’t want to consume more than you can afford.