Does NMN Cause Weight Loss? The Science Behind It

As we get older, one of the common health problems that we need to face is excess weight gain. It becomes harder to lose weight despite physical activity and portion control because your metabolism has significantly decreased. This results in age-related weight gain that can lead to a host of other health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Recently, many people have turned to NMN supplementation to lose weight and help fight metabolic diseases. But how does NMN cause weight loss, and how much should you take to curb weight gain? In this guide, we answer your questions about NMN’s numerous health benefits and how you can take it to lose weight.

What Is NMN?

Also known as nicotinamide mononucleotide, NMN is a derivative of vitamin B3 (niacin). This naturally occurring molecule is produced in the body and can be found in various food sources such as dairy, vegetables, and fruit.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is essential to numerous bodily functions like metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and gene expression. To efficiently control these functions, NMN synthesizes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+).

However, the amount of NAD+ that the human body produces will gradually lower due to age-associated physiological decline. As your NAD+ levels decrease, cellular division slows down. This cellular decline kicks off the aging process. By the time a human being reaches the age of 50, they may only have half the NAD+ levels that they had in their 20s.

You can try to boost your NMN levels by eating certain fruits and vegetables, but it’s difficult to reach the recommended daily dose of 250 mg through food intake alone. This is why some healthcare professionals have recommended taking an NMN supplement.

What Happens When Your NMN Levels Drop?

As you age and your NAD and NMN levels start to lower, age-associated physiological decline begins. The older you are, the more likely you are to suffer from the following health problems:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Vision impairment or loss
• Metabolic diseases like insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
• Mitochondrial dysfunction
• Infertility

How Aging Causes Weight Gain

As people get older, they often find that they struggle with excess weight gain. Here are some reasons why weight loss becomes harder as we get older, even with caloric restriction and physical activity.

Age-Associated Declines In Metabolism

When the human body ages, its metabolism slows down. This means you won’t need as many calories in a day to function healthily.

Because of this, even though you’re eating the same diet and have the same level of physical activity you did in your twenties, you may find yourself struggling with unwanted weight gain. This can be made even worse if you cut back on exercise or eat a high-fat diet.

Changes In Body Composition

As you get older, your muscle mass decreases and fat mass increases. You may also lose muscle if you have age-associated health conditions such as arthritis.

Because fat cells burn fewer calories than muscle tissue, you need fewer calories to maintain your bodily functions. However, most people don’t practice caloric restriction despite this, leading to increased body weight as they age.

Hormonal Changes

Getting older causes hormonal changes in both men and women. Testosterone and estrogen affect fat distribution, mood fluctuations, and muscle strength and mass. Simply put, lowered levels of these hormones in men and women can make your body less effective at weight loss.

Additionally, your pituitary glands slow down their production of growth hormones when you get older. Growth hormone is responsible for building muscle mass. The less growth hormone present in your body, the harder it is to maintain and build muscle. The harder to gain and keep muscle, the more fat you start to accumulate – it’s a snowball effect that leads to gradual weight gain.

How NMN Increases Weight Loss

Some consumers may have read that NMN helps shed excess weight, but how does it work? Here’s a quick guide to how NMN supplementation can improve metabolism and help with age-associated weight gain.

Improved Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin sensitivity refers to the body’s responsiveness to insulin. When you have higher insulin sensitivity, your body has better glucose tolerance and uses sugar more efficiently, leading to lower blood sugar levels.

One effect of age-associated physiological declines is insulin resistance, which can lead to higher blood glucose levels, weight gain, and, gradually, metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes. Research has shown that NMN administration has remarkable therapeutic effects on aged mice, reducing their decline in insulin sensitivity. This has led to further studies on NMN benefits related to plasma insulin levels and glucose tolerance in humans.

Improved Cellular Energy Metabolism

As you age, your cells start to lose their energy metabolism, which is the ability to break down nutrients into energy. NMN supplementation increases NAD+ levels and activates Sirtuin genes (Sirt2), also known as anti-aging genes.

Sirt2 is known to regulate oxidative stress on cells, preventing mitochondrial dysfunction and helping cells reproduce and function normally. On the other hand, higher NAD+ levels have been found to boost cellular energy production and metabolism, improve mitochondrial function, and avoid cell death.

By curbing the age-related decline in cell metabolism, NMN helps your body break down and use nutrients more effectively, resulting in weight loss.

Boosted Sirtuin Levels

Sirtuins, also known as SIRTs, are frequently called your “skinny genes”. This is because they affect your cells’ ability to process nutrients and convert them into energy. High levels of sirtuins can improve fat burning, helping the body stay lean.

However, your sirtuin levels decline as you age. This is because sirtuins only function when there are sufficient NAD levels, and your NAD levels go down rapidly when you get older.

By boosting NAD levels, NMN supplements promote sirtuin activity and stimulate your metabolism. This results in healthy fat burning and gradual weight loss.

The Side Effects Of NMN

Until today, there are no side effects from NMN supplementation documented in humans.

In recent human clinical trials conducted by the Keio University School of Medicine in Japan, subjects were provided with 100, 200, and 500 mg doses of NMN. Results showed that there were no significant side effects and no gastrointestinal issues, changes to heart rate, or differences in blood pressure.

More studies are being conducted to determine the effects of long-term NMN administration, especially amongst women and people with age-related complications.

How To Avoid Side Effects From Taking NMN

NMN can break down into nicotinamide, a NAD precursor that is generally highly tolerated by the body. However, higher doses can lead to the following side effects:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Liver toxicity

Here are some tips to take safe doses and keep your NMN supplements in good condition. These simple reminders will help you avoid the side effects of nicotinamide consumption.

Don’t Exceed Your Recommended Dose

Higher doses of NMN can increase the risk of experiencing side effects. Start with the minimum dose of 250 mg if you’re less than 50 years old. For adults over 50 years old or who weigh over 90 kg, you can start with a daily dose of 500 mg/day. In no case should your daily dose exceed 1.2 mg/day.

Throw Expired Supplements Out

Check your supplement’s label to find out its expiry date. While expired supplements may still have some effects, they will have reduced potency. Their ingredients will have started degrading, increasing the risk of experiencing side effects. If your supplements are expired, throw them out.

Store Your NMN Supplements Properly

To keep your NMN supplements in good condition, it’s strongly recommended that you store them in a cool, dry area like a fridge. Exposing your NMN supplements to humidity and high temperatures can cause your NMN to transform into nicotinamide.

How To Take NMN As Part Of A Healthy Body Weight Routine

There are two ways that you can introduce NMN into your daily routine for weight loss: orally or sublingually. With oral administration, you can take your NMN as a capsule or mix an NMN powder into your food or drink. However, taking NMN as a sublingual supplement helps your body absorb it faster as it goes directly into soft tissue and diffuses straight into your bloodstream.

The daily dosage of your NMN supplements will vary depending on your age. Those who are aged 50 years old or younger should start with an initial dose of 250 mg/day. After one to two weeks, they can increase this dose to 500 mg/day.

Those who are older than 50 can start with a daily dose of 500 mg/day. Gradually, they can increase their daily dose to a maximum of 1g/day if they feel comfortable with the supplement and don’t experience side effects.

NMN administration is best done in the morning. Ideally, you should take it after breakfast to improve the absorption of this essential molecule throughout the day.

What Are The Other Health Benefits Of NMN?

NMN supplements can promote normal body weight, but it has other positive effects that can make you feel fitter and stronger. Combined with healthy caloric restriction and exercise, NMN supplements can combat many of the problems caused by age-associated decline.

Here are some of the biggest health benefits of NMN apart from weight loss.

Improved Brain Function

NMN promotes blood flow to the brain and improves brain energy metabolism. As a result, it can reduce brain fog, sharpen focus, and improve memory. Its ability to boost NAD+ levels and reduce nerve cell degeneration can prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Tumor Suppression

Both human and animal models have found that NMN administration makes a significant difference in tumor suppression. This is due to its enhancement of immune cells that attack cancer cells. These promising findings have led scientists to pursue further studies of NMN’s potential as a cancer-fighting supplement.

Improved Blood Flow And Vascular Function

NMN increases NAD+ levels in the heart, and many users have found that this has improved their cardiac health. Reports include significant differences in stamina and endurance, as well as improved aerobic capacity.

Better Eye Health

As you age, the area around your retinas begins to degrade. This results in macular degeneration, which can impair your vision, dry out your eyes, and gradually cause blindness.

Taking NMN increases oil production and reduces the inflammation that accelerates macular degeneration. This keeps the eye moist and healthy and even improves eye repair after an injury.

Improved Fertility

NMN has been found to increase NAD levels in female egg cells, helping maintain regular DNA structures and improving egg maturation. This is key in boosting fertility, as abnormal DNA structures can lead to infertility and miscarriages.

Better Immune Response

Trials on animal models have found that NMN has made significant differences in reducing inflammation. In fact, animal studies have found that older mice were more responsive to NMN and experienced a greater reduction in inflammation than younger mice.

Because inflammation can stress out your cells and accelerate aging, this makes NMN one of the most promising, effective anti-aging interventions.

Improved Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function

Skeletal muscle is responsible for your mobility, stability, and strength, but it becomes less efficient as you age. NMN increases NAD+ levels, helping your skeletal muscle recover faster from physical activities. It improves endurance, enhances oxygen utility, and promotes the conversion of fat into energy, which prevents excess fat from accumulating in skeletal muscle.

Higher Sleep Quality And Less Daytime Fatigue

Research has shown that when adults 65 years old or older started taking NMN, their sleep duration and quality improved. They experienced fewer sleep disturbances, resulting in a significant reduction in daytime drowsiness.

Healthier Skin And Nails

Some studies have found that boosting NAD+ levels can improve skin elasticity and cellular repair. By taking NMN, you can increase your NAD levels and potentially combat age spots, wrinkles, and fine lines that develop as a result of aging.

Increased Life Span

One of the most intriguing benefits of NMN is its ability to increase SIRTs levels, especially when combined with caloric restriction. SIRTs, a.k.a. sirtuins, promote healthy gene expression and reduce oxidative stress. These qualities can improve cellular repair and potentially improve life span with long-term use.

How To Find The Best NMN Supplements Supplier

With the sheer number of supplement manufacturers out there, it’s a daunting task to choose an NMN supplier. Here are some tips to keep in mind before you pick one.

Get A Newer Generation NMN Supplement

NMN is a fragile substance that’s highly soluble in water. Exposing it to heat and moisture can cause its natural molecules to break down and become nicotinamide. Fortunately, researchers have made improvements to keep NMN more stable for commercial distribution and regular use.

Newer NMN supplements are more resistant to degradation from environmental humidity and temperature changes. Skip the older supplements and go for newer ones that have better shelf lives.

Double-Check The Price

When it comes to many supplements, you get what you pay for. Many cheaper supplements may have inferior-quality sources, lower amounts of an active ingredient, or are manufactured without observing proper health and safety standards.

If it seems too good to be true, it usually is. Don’t risk your health just to save a few dollars!

Buy Supplements From Reputable Companies

Though several companies offer NMN supplementation, not all of them are trustworthy. One indicator that a company is reputable is its willingness to collaborate with researchers and subject its products to studies, especially over long periods. Check if the company you’re buying from has worked with scientists from reputable institutions and universities.

It’s also a good idea to double-check if the company has feedback on sites like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau. On these sites, you can check comments from customers, see responses to past complaints, and learn their overall ratings in terms of customer experience.

Be Wary Of Supplement Purity

The best NMN supplements will have an absolute purity of 99% or higher. Simply put, the lower the purity of your supplement, the less effective it is at boosting your NAD+ levels.

Some companies will only compare their supplements’ purity to those of their competitors. This is known as relative purity, and it doesn’t give an accurate measurement of how much NMN is actually in their products. See if a product lists relative purity or absolute purity before purchasing it.

Look For A Customer Satisfaction Guarantee

If you’re worried that you’re spending on a product that won’t help you lose weight, you can offset this risk by buying from a reputable company with a satisfaction guarantee. These companies will often have a money-back policy if you’re dissatisfied with your results and return your purchase within a specific period.

The Bottom Line

It can get harder to maintain a healthy body weight as we get older, but it’s not impossible. Through long-term NMN administration, people can increase their bodies’ natural NAD levels to improve their metabolic health and ward off age-related weight gain.

If you find it hard to lose weight despite increased workouts and caloric restriction, taking Pure NMN can promote steady, healthy weight loss with visible changes.

FAQs About NMN Administration And Weight Loss

How much NMN can I take daily?

You can take a minimum of 250 mg and a maximum of 1,200 mg of NMN daily. Some people split their 250 mg dose by taking a 125 mg capsule twice a day to get an energy boost throughout the day.

Is taking NMN supplements safe?

Yes, it’s safe to take NMN supplements. Animal studies and human trials have both shown no serious side effects in their subjects. However, professional medical advice strongly discourages people from taking more than 1,200 mg a day.

Why should I take NMN supplements instead of NAD supplements?

You should take NMN supplements instead of NAD supplements because NMN is more easily absorbed into your bloodstream. This provides a more direct pathway for improving your cells’ energy production and reducing mitochondrial dysfunction.

Your body also needs NMN to naturally increase its NAD+ levels, so NMN administration will be more effective at increasing your overall NAD+ levels in the long term.

What are some foods that can increase my NMN levels and promote weight loss?

These are some foods that can increase your NMN and NAD levels and promote weight loss:

• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Edamame
• Beef

Add these to your diet and practice moderate caloric restriction to boost your body’s NMN and NAD levels. Over time, these practices can promote a healthy body weight.

Who shouldn’t take NMN?

Anyone can take NMN as this anti-aging molecule has no proven side effects. However, it may not have significant benefits for young children and teenagers.

How long does it take for me to see weight loss results from NMN supplementation?

It can take two to three weeks for you to see weight loss results and start shedding excess weight. This period is a rough estimate, as more active people who practice healthy calorie restriction and exercise may get results faster. To get the best results, it’s recommended that you combine your NMN supplementation with a healthy diet and regular physical activity.