Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) is a direct precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a key coenzyme in the human body. As NAD+ levels gradually decline with age or external stress—subsequently impairing cellular energy metabolism and repair functions—NMN supplementation has become an important approach to maintain NAD+ homeostasis and exert health benefits. Below is a detailed interpretation of NMN’s health benefits for humans from six aspects, combined with scientific mechanisms and research evidence.
01 Protects Cardiovascular Health
The normal function of cardiovascular cells, including rhythmic contraction and relaxation, relies heavily on sustained and stable energy supply and a healthy metabolic state. As a direct precursor of the key coenzyme NAD+, NMN can significantly increase NAD+ levels in cardiomyocytes and vascular cells, thereby enhancing mitochondrial energy metabolism efficiency and providing a dynamic foundation for the continuous work of the heart.
At the molecular level, NAD+ elevated by NMN activates deacetylases such as SIRT1, exerting a strong cytoprotective effect. This effect is particularly crucial in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury models: it not only directly reduces myocardial cell damage and apoptosis by alleviating oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammatory responses but also significantly improves vascular endothelial function. By promoting endothelial cells to release nitric oxide (NO), NMN effectively regulates vasodilation, maintains vascular elasticity, and helps lower blood pressure and delay the progression of atherosclerosis.
02 Improves Sleep Quality
A team from the University of Tsukuba in Japan conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 108 healthy elderly people over 65 years old for a 12-week intervention. The study found that persistently supplementing 250 mg of NMN every afternoon for 12 weeks is a potential strategy that may help improve energy, sleep, and lower limb mobility, and showed good safety under the study conditions.
Mechanistically, NMN exerts potential neuroprotective effects by increasing NAD+ levels. Its mechanism lies in enhancing the energy metabolism and stress capacity of nerve cells, thereby helping to alleviate the stress state of the nervous system and reduce psychological tension. This nourishing and stabilizing effect on the nervous system can promote deep physical and mental relaxation, create favorable conditions for entering and maintaining deep sleep, and ultimately achieve an overall improvement in sleep quality.
03 Protects the Liver
As the metabolic center of the human body, the liver is susceptible to internal and external factors such as alcohol and toxins, leading to oxidative stress and functional damage. Studies have shown that NMN supplementation can effectively increase liver NAD+ levels, exert liver-protective effects in multiple dimensions, and provide important support for maintaining liver health.
Its protective mechanisms are mainly reflected in three aspects: at the epigenetic level, NMN corrects aging-related metabolic disorders by regulating the protein acetylome; in antioxidant defense, it activates the Sirt3 pathway to enhance free radical scavenging capacity and maintain redox homeostasis; at the same time, it inhibits inflammatory pathways such as NF-κB, reduces the release of pro-inflammatory factors, and alleviates liver inflammatory responses. These mechanisms work together, enabling NMN to show clear protective effects in animal models of alcoholic liver injury and liver fibrosis.
04 Enhances Exercise Endurance
During exercise, the body requires efficient energy supply to support continuous muscle work. By increasing intracellular NAD+ levels, NMN activates the SIRT1-PGC-1α signaling pathway, significantly enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis and function, thereby optimizing energy metabolism efficiency. This allows the body to more effectively utilize oxygen and nutrients during exercise, comprehensively improving exercise endurance.
Notably, when NMN is combined with time-restricted fasting, it can not only improve exercise capacity through the above mechanisms but also further optimize the systemic metabolic environment by regulating the gut microbiota. During the exercise recovery phase, the antioxidant effect of NMN can effectively scavenge free radicals accumulated during exercise, reduce oxidative damage, and at the same time, promote the clearance of metabolic products such as lactic acid and muscle tissue regeneration through NAD+-dependent cellular repair mechanisms, thereby significantly alleviating exercise fatigue and muscle soreness and promoting faster physical recovery.
05 Regulates Blood Glucose Levels
Insulin, as the core hormone regulating blood glucose, its decreased sensitivity is a key factor leading to abnormal blood glucose and diabetes. Studies have found that NMN has a dual mechanism of action in blood glucose regulation. Clinical studies have confirmed that NMN supplementation can significantly increase plasma insulin levels in healthy subjects, providing direct evidence for understanding its metabolic regulatory effects.
At the molecular level, NMN activates signaling pathways such as SIRT1 by increasing NAD+ levels in the body, thereby optimizing the response efficiency of insulin receptors and enhancing the ability of cells to take up and utilize glucose. This synergistic effect of improving insulin secretion and enhancing insulin sensitivity jointly maintains blood glucose homeostasis, providing a new scientific perspective for intervention strategies for metabolic diseases.
06 Improves Mitochondrial Function
Mitochondria are the "energy factories" of cells, whose core function is to convert nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) usable by cells. By increasing NAD+ levels in mitochondria, NMN directly activates the activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, thereby significantly improving energy conversion efficiency and providing more sufficient energy support for cellular physiological activities.
Notably, the latest research has revealed the underlying mechanism of NMN in protecting mitochondria. In Alzheimer's disease models, NMN significantly enhances mitochondria's ability to respond to internal stress by activating the ATF4 transcription factor-mediated mitochondrial unfolded protein response. This mechanism works synergistically with NMN's inherent antioxidant properties to jointly maintain the integrity of mitochondrial structure and function, effectively delaying the decline of cellular metabolic function.
The health benefits of NMN for humans described in this article are all based on published scientific research conclusions. However, it should be noted that the actual application effects of NMN may be affected by factors such as dosage differences and individual physiological status (e.g., age, basic health status), resulting in individual differences. To ensure safety, it is recommended to consult a professional physician before considering NMN supplementation to avoid blind use.
References
- Camacho-Pereira, J., Tarragó, M. G., Chini, C. C., et al. (2016). CD38 dictates age-related NAD decline and mitochondrial dysfunction through an SIRT3-dependent mechanism. Cell Metabolism, 23(6), 1127-1139.
- Wang, Y., Li, M., Zhang, H., & Chen, J. (2024). NMN activates ATF4-dependent mitochondrial unfolded protein response in Alzheimer's disease models. Cell Death & Disease, 15(10), 689-702.
- Liu, X., Zhang, L., Wang, Q., & Li, H. (2024). NMN restores neurovascular function via SIRT1 activation in aged mice. GeroScience, 46(5), 2145-2160.