What is the dietary supplement NMN?

The full name of NMN is β-nicotinamide mononucleotide, which is a small molecule substance that exists in the human body. Its core identity is the synthetic precursor of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). In the past decade, it has become one of the most popular Internet celebrity dietary supplements in the field of anti-aging due to its research on aging.

Two years ago, I bought two bottles from overseas with my senior brother who was doing nutrition intervention research. During that time, he stayed up late for more than half a month while working on a project. Before, he always had to be groggy for two days before he could recover. After taking it for less than half a month, he did say he felt less tired when he woke up the next day. However, it did not have the effect of reducing wrinkles and making people look five or six years younger as advertised by the merchants. I stopped taking it after half a year. After all, no one can be sure about the safety of long-term use.

Many people are curious about the logic of its function. In fact, you can think of NAD+ as the "energy dispatcher" in cells. It is indispensable for energy production metabolism, repairing damaged DNA, or regulating the body's inflammatory response. After a person reaches the age of 30, the NAD+ content in the body will be halved almost every 10 years. Many aging-related functional declines are related to the decline of this indicator. Scientists will think about bringing the NAD+ level in the body back to a more youthful state by supplementing its precursor NMN.

It’s just that the current research is far from the “final conclusion” stage. Most of the conclusions that NMN can extend life and resist aging come from mouse experiments. When old mice are supplemented with sufficient amounts of NMN, it can indeed be observed that their exercise capacity and glucose metabolism indicators are closer to those of young mice. However, the physiological structure of mice They are far different from humans. Not only are the sample sizes of the human clinical trials published so far small, but most of the cycles are only a few months. They can only prove that short-term use has no obvious side effects. As for whether taking it continuously for five or ten years will cause additional burden on metabolism, and whether it can really slow down the aging rate of humans, there is no solid conclusion yet.

Our country has not yet approved the production and marketing of NMN as a raw material for general food or health food. The relevant products currently available in the country are either overseas models through cross-border e-commerce channels, or non-compliant products that are sidelined as daily chemical raw materials. Any promotion that mentions "curing diseases", "anti-aging" and "prolonging life" is essentially an illegal operation that exaggerates the propaganda.

At present, the attitude towards it in the circle is quite divided. Many people who are concerned about anti-aging have been taking it all year round, saying that their sleep quality and fatigue are indeed much better than those of people of the same age. Some scholars in the field of public health feel that the current marketing is too excessive. What most people spend thousands of dollars to buy is actually a psychological comfort. After all, anti-aging is the result of multiple factors such as work and rest, diet, and exercise. Taking supplements alone will certainly not be able to support the "reverse growth" gimmick. If you are really tempted to give it a try, it is best to check whether you have any underlying metabolic diseases and ask your doctor for advice before starting. Don't pay the IQ tax when your head gets hot.