The truth about NMN: Fountain of youth, or a waste of money?

With all the hype that this miracle molecule has been getting over the past few years, it almost feels like NMN is the key to living forever. Longevity and vitality are constantly at the forefront of our minds, and given that the average human lifespan nowadays is longer than ever, the desire to optimize our health only continues to grow so that we might live these extra years to the fullest. While this is largely due in part to the advancements of modern medicine, which has made incredible breakthroughs in treating illnesses that are actively ongoing, it’s the supplement industry that has truly revolutionized our ability to prevent diseases from ever taking hold in the first place. 

So, will NMN be a product that’s going to reshape the way we understand health and aging for years to come, or is this merely a fad that’ll soon be replaced by the next alleged “game changer” in the supplement industry?

Here’s the short answer: NMN is absolutely here to stay, and it’s only going to keep getting bigger. Not only is it an exceptional tool for slowing down human aging, regardless of how old someone is when they start taking it, but NMN can also work to reverse chronic diseases that are already present. Put simply, it’s never too late to experience the benefits of NMN, no matter how old you are. Over the next few minutes, we’re going to explain why NMN supplementation is such a groundbreaking innovation in health, and most importantly, why VERSO does it better than any other company on the market. 

 

First off, what even is NMN?

NMN is the abbreviation for a compound called nicotinamide mononucleotide. The reason there’s so much value in supplementing with NMN is because it’s the immediate precursor to a molecule known as NAD+, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. NAD+ is one the most critically necessary molecules for ALL living things regardless of complexity, from humans to bacteria, as it’s involved in almost every biological process within every single cell that supports life. This has been well documented for over a hundred years now, but recent research has been able to show that humans and other living organisms progressively produce decreasing concentrations of NAD+ as chronological life proceeds [1], [2]. 

The reason we need to supplement with NMN, the precursor to NAD+, rather than consuming NAD+ itself, is because NAD+ is too large of a molecule to be transported into a cell. However, NMN is small enough to be transported into our cells with ease where it can then be naturally and quickly converted into NAD+ after a single step. The only other viable option for increasing NAD+ concentrations in our cells would be to supplement with nicotinamide riboside (NR), which is the precursor to NMN. Therefore, NR would require two steps, as opposed to one, in order to be converted into NAD+ [3], [4].  

 

Alright, now why do we need NAD+ so badly?

The core function of NAD+ is to serve as a coenzyme. All physiological processes must be carried out with the assistance of enzymes, a class of proteins specifically designed to catalyze, or speed up, chemical reactions within the body. To further illustrate the point of how vital enzymes are, some biochemical reactions would take up to 2.3 billion years to reach completion without the help of an enzyme. So, without them, life would have never even had the chance to exist in the first place [5]. However, many enzymes cannot function on their own, requiring the help of a coenzyme in order to be activated. In humans, NAD+ is the most abundantly found coenzyme, and it assists in more chemical reactions than any other coenzyme. 

Most notably, NAD+ plays a key role in DNA repair, maintenance of neuronal brain function and mitochondrial health, prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, cell growth and signaling, sirtuin activation, metabolic regulation, and countless other processes [1], [2], [6]. Among the many different roles of NAD+, its involvement in sirtuin activity might be one of its most prominent and well-studied roles. 

 

How NAD+ interacts with sirtuins to extend cellular lifespan

Sirtuins are a very special family of NAD+ dependent proteins, totaling 7 in all, that are strongly tied to the health and longevity of countless intracellular functions. For example, one of the most heavily studied sirtuins is named SIRT1, and it is critical in the expression, regulation, and repair of DNA, which thereby makes it an integral component of how we understand the aging process [1], [4]. Whereas SIRT1 plays a vital role in DNA repair and transcription (the process of reading the genes in DNA and then creating proteins that “express” the DNA), SIRT3, SIRT4, and SIRT5 have been heavily tied to mitochondrial function and health, total number of mitochondria within a cell, and oxidative metabolism [7]. 

If we were to name the two most significant factors that contribute towards cellular aging and death, it would be the degradation of DNA and the progressive onset of mitochondrial dysfunction [4]. As an organism ages, DNA is constantly being put under stress by environmental factors outside the body, such as UV radiation or exposure to carcinogens, but it is also being damaged from within every time our strands of DNA are replicated and transcribed. It’s for these reasons that we have a plethora of proteins, such as SIRT1, that work to repair this damage and prolong cellular lifespan. If DNA damage is left unchecked, the DNA will eventually become unreadable by transcription proteins, and in that case, genes cannot be expressed, leading to the cell undergoing programmed cell death through apoptosis or senescence. Therefore, the longer a cell can keep its DNA in pristine condition, the longer the cell will live – and the longer our cells live, the longer we live!

Additionally, every process within a cell can only be carried out if it has access to a source of energy. As some of us might remember from middle school science class, the mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, meaning that they serve as the primary source of energy production for the cell to continue functioning [7]. Over time, the mitochondria in our cells decay, producing decreasing amounts of energy until the cell reaches a point where there isn’t enough energy to support life anymore, causing the cell to die. This is a very natural process, but research has shown that the more NAD+ there is available, the slower the mitochondria will decay, allowing cells to live longer and operate more effectively during that extended lifespan [6]. 

 

NMN can prevent and reverse chronic diseases

In biology, homeostasis is absolutely everything. Every single aspect of life requires a very specific range of conditions in order to thrive, and anytime a certain variable becomes overly abundant or scarce (such as levels of NAD+), it’s only a matter of time before serious complications arise. In a very basic sense, that’s why organisms age; because homeostasis falls out of order and it can no longer be maintained. 

In the case of NAD+, it has been explicitly shown to decrease in concentration as people age. As a result, all NAD+ dependent enzymes decrease in activity, with sirtuins being the most well documented family of enzymes in this scenario. However, there have been countless studies conducted in both humans and mice on the effects of cellular longevity with NMN supplementation, all of which have shown that supplementing with NMN is able to significantly prolong a cell’s ability to maintain proper NAD+ homeostasis as we age [8].  

By increasing cellular concentrations of NAD+ as a means to promote longevity, a direct correlation has been established between improved NAD+ homeostasis and the delay or reversal of certain age-related chronic diseases. Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular atherosclerosis, cardiac ischemia and reperfusion, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and various cancers are just few of the most common ailments that NMN supplementations can help prevent and reverse [4], [6], [8], [9].  

 

Safety of NMN in humans

To date, all clinical trials and research studies that have tested NMN supplementation in humans have shown promising results with no concerns for safety. Afterall, the concept of supplementing one’s diet with a compound already naturally found in the body is not a new idea. For example, creatine is the most heavily researched and scrutinized supplement on the market, right next to your average daily multi-vitamin. Creatine is already found in our bodies naturally, but supplementing it merely serves to increase its total concentration in our bodies, and all research studies have consistently shown that creatine supplementation is extremely effective with no risks to one’s health whatsoever. NMN supplementation is no different, and similar to creatine, research so far has exclusively yielded significant, positive results with no side effects or detriments to one’s health. 

The first human clinical trial with NMN administration began in 2016 in Japan at Keio University School of Medicine and concluded in late 2019. The results of this study were an incredible success, because over that 3-year period, no safety concerns were ever raised. Furthermore, the authors stated that their results indicated NMN could be a promising therapeutic tool for mitigating age-related disorders in humans [10], [11].  

Since then, many more human trials have been conducted, with the two most popular ones being published by Fukamizu et al in August 2022 [12], and Yi et al in December 2022 [13]. Incredibly, both of these studies were conducted as randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-dependent clinical trials - the absolute gold standard of clinical trials and research studies. Fukamizu et al showed NMN to be safe and effective when dosed at 1250 mg once daily, and Yi et al showed NMN to be safe in doses of 900 mg once daily. Both of these doses are far higher than what is necessary to yield a positive effect on cellular health, and yet NMN is stillperfectly safe, which is extremely comforting. 

 

3 reasons why VERSO is the best NMN supplement brand!

1. We don’t just sell you plain NMN. Instead, we designed our flagship product, Cell Being, to be the most superior NMN product on the market by also formulating it with trans-resveratrol and TMG. Together, these two ingredients powerfully enhance the already incredible benefits of NMN!

2. As a part of our mission to prove that VERSO is the NMN industry’s premier supplement company, we’ve gone the extra mile to conduct chemical stability tests on our NMN (with incredible success) – something that no other brand out there has done.

3. Not only are our products 100% chemically stable, but they’re also 100% pure and dosed exactly as advertised. Don’t worry, we have even more tests to back this up, too!

  

What is trans-resveratrol? 

While NMN activates sirtuins by increasing intracellular concentrations of NAD+, trans-resveratrol (Rsv) takes a different approach to sirtuin activation. In fact, Rsv has been shown to bind directly to sirtuin proteins, immediately activating them without using up our stores of NAD+, while also upregulating the rate at which our DNA creates sirtuin proteins [14].

Moreover, when Rsv binds directly to SIRT1 proteins, mitochondrial biogenesis is upregulated, which means that cells will start to create more mitochondria, leading to there being an even larger supply of energy producing organelles that will work to further prolong cellular life [15].

 

What is TMG?

When it comes to NMN supplementation, it’s crucial to also supplement with compounds that can serve as methyl donors, because NAD+ metabolism is unavoidably intertwined with the rate that our body consumes its total supply of methyl groups [16].  

As we increase intracellular concentrations of NAD+, we also boost the frequency at which NAD+ interacts with our DNA though a mechanism called methylation, thereby depleting our supply of methyl groups at a much higher rate [17]. So, in order to help maintain proper homeostasis, we must supplement with a methyl donor molecule, such as TMG, to counteract the increased depletion rate of methyl groups caused by NMN supplementation.

 

 A bit more about VERSO’s stability tests!

The chemical structures of any molecule are designed to exist under very specific conditions. If a molecule’s environment deviates from this range, the structure will then degrade, rendering the compound useless at best, or dangerous for consumption at worst.  

With that in mind it’s an absolute top priority for VERSO to ensure that our NMN products arrive on your doorstep in pristine condition. Since we ship everything in airtight packages that are shielded from UV radiation by the parcel it travels in, temperature is the only relevant environmental variable that could possibly pose a threat to the chemical integrity of our NMN.   

We conducted an experiment in a verified third-party laboratory where our NMN and trans-resveratrol products were exposed to temperatures of 104°F (40°C) for 30 days nonstop. After comparing the molecular structure of these compounds before and after the experiment, there was no significant observable degradation! If you’re curious about diving deeper into the data on this experiment, check out the full posting on our official stability test here.

 

Purity, safety, and transparency above all else

Here at VERSO, we take pride in our commitment to sourcing the highest quality ingredients on the market while maintaining full transparency in our product formulation. All our products undergo several rounds of strict testing, proving that there are no impurities and you’re not getting short changed on any ingredient dosages. Take a look at our website’s “Testing” tab to see exactly what we mean!

We even go the extra mile by only manufacturing our products in GMP compliant, FDA registered facilities within the United States. Then, as an extra safety precaution, when the products make it to our fulfillment center, everything is kept in cold storage in order to prevent any ingredients from being exposed to elevated ambient temperatures for prolonged periods of time.

At the end of the day, your safety is as much of a top priority for us as is optimizing your vitality through NMN supplementation! So, why not give it a try? You only get to live this life once, and you deserve to live the longest, most fulfilling one possible. Lucky for you, our NMN is designed exactly for that purpose!

 

Author: Ethan Iles

Ethan is a medical student at the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University. Upon graduating, he plans on practicing medicine as an emergency physician with a specialty in public health.

Works Cited

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13. Yi L, Maier AB, Tao R et al. The efficacy and safety of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supplementation in healthy middle-aged adults: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-dependent clinical trial. GeroScience 45, 29–43 (2023). doi: 10.1007/s11357-022-00705-1.

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