NMN Is Back: What You Need to Know About This Breakthrough Supplement

Breaking News…It Was ABSURD!

After almost two years of confusion and controversy, the FDA has now re-approved NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) as a dietary supplement in the United States.

In this guide I want to explain what this decision really means, why it’s important, and how it could impact your health today and in the years to come. For many people reading this, quite possibly you, NMN could make a huge impact on your health, quickly.

The Ludicrous FDA Backstory

This really bothered me when it first happened. And it takes a lot to get me bothered. First, NMN is not a strange new synthetic compound. It’s something your body naturally makes from vitamin B3. You can get it from lovely alkaline foods like broccoli, avocado, and tomato. And it’s very useful. It fuels energy production, DNA repair, and is powerfully anti-aging (the benefits are huge, we’ll get onto that).

So why was it banned?

The crazy thing is, NMN had already been available for years as a supplement and was being used safely by thousands of people.

Then came the confusion.

A pharmaceutical company called Metrobiotech began developing NMN as a potential prescription drug. Under U.S. law, if a substance is being studied as a drug, the FDA can exclude it from the supplement category.

This meant that even though NMN was already proven safe and being used by so many people safely, and to benefit their health (for quite serious conditions in many cases), the FDA suddenly revoked its supplement status. The move was widely seen as absurd – essentially removing a beneficial supplement from the market just because one company wanted to lock it up for pharmaceutical profit.

Why does this law exist in the first place? It’s no wonder we have no trust in the links between government and big pharma.

Dozens of products were removed from Amazon and iHerb and the like, lots of small businesses went under, and people who were getting essential health benefits from it could no longer access it at all. Crazy.

After months of lobbying, legal pushback, and pressure from the health community, NMN has now been restored as a legitimate dietary supplement. This is excellent news for anyone who wants to take advantage of the benefits NMN can offer.

What is NMN?

NMN is a molecule that naturally occurs in the body and is also found in small amounts in foods like broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, avocado, and tomato. Most importantly, NMN is a direct precursor to NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).

NAD+ is one of the most vital molecules in the human body. It fuels energy production in the mitochondria, powers DNA repair, supports circadian rhythm, and activates protective proteins called sirtuins.

The problem is that NAD+ levels decline steeply as we age.

By your 50s, your NAD+ may be half what it was in your 20s, which is strongly linked to fatigue, brain fog, metabolic issues, and accelerated aging.

Supplementing NMN is one of the most effective ways to raise NAD+ levels, which is why it has attracted so much attention.

A Quick History of the Discovery

NMN was first identified back in the 1960s as part of the NAD+ production pathway. For decades it was largely ignored, but in the early 2000s, when researchers began uncovering the links between sirtuins, NAD+, and aging, NMN suddenly became very interesting.

Animal studies showed NMN could restore insulin sensitivity, improve blood flow, and even reverse age-related decline in muscles and brain tissue.

About a decade ago it started appearing as a supplement, and now human research is beginning to catch up.

What the Research Tells Us

Human studies on NMN are still emerging, but what we already know is impressive. Across multiple trials, supplementation has been shown to reliably raise NAD+ levels in the body. This is important, because higher NAD+ is linked to better mitochondrial function, stronger metabolic health, improved muscle energy, and greater resilience against age-related decline. In other words, when you restore NAD+, you are restoring your cells’ ability to make energy and repair themselves.

Here are the key human studies so far:

• NAD+ Restoration: Several randomized controlled trials (Okabe 2022, Yi 2023, Igarashi 2022) have tested whether NMN supplementation can raise NAD+ in real-world settings.
  • In the Okabe 2022 trial, healthy adults took 250 mg NMN daily for 12 weeks. Their NAD+ levels rose significantly compared to placebo, and the supplement was well tolerated with no safety concerns.
  • In Yi 2023, researchers tested 300, 600, and 900 mg NMN daily in middle-aged adults over 60 days. NAD+ levels increased in a clear dose-dependent fashion – the more NMN, the greater the rise. Participants at higher doses also reported better energy and walking performance.
  • The Igarashi 2022 trial focused on older men, a group where NAD+ levels are often very low. After 12 weeks of 250 mg NMN per day, whole-blood NAD+ increased significantly, showing even modest doses can restore levels in aging populations.
• Mitochondrial Function & Energy: Raising NAD+ should improve how efficiently mitochondria convert fuel into energy.
  • In the Liao/Zhao 2021 trial, 48 recreational runners took NMN for 6 weeks at doses of 300, 600, or 1200 mg daily. Those receiving NMN sustained higher power and oxygen uptake during submaximal exercise compared to placebo. The biggest improvements came in the 600-1200 mg groups, showing a clear dose effect. There was no change in VO2 max, but efficiency improved – going longer and harder before fatigue.
  • In Igarashi 2022, the same older men who saw NAD+ restoration also showed functional gains. After 12 weeks of NMN, their walking speed improved, grip strength increased, and chair-stand performance got better – all clinically meaningful markers of mobility as we age.
• Insulin Sensitivity in Prediabetes: One of the most exciting findings is how NMN improves insulin sensitivity in people at high risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • In the Yoshino 2021 trial at Washington University, overweight postmenopausal women with prediabetes were given 250 mg NMN daily for 10 weeks. Their muscle insulin sensitivity improved by about 25%, measured by the gold-standard clamp test. Muscle biopsies confirmed enhanced insulin signaling. The effect was specific to muscle, not liver or fat – which makes sense, as muscle is the largest glucose sink in the body.

Other potential benefits – such as cognition, blood pressure, vascular health, DNA repair, fertility, and inflammation – are supported by promising research, and more robust human trials are on their way.

Can You Get NMN from Food Alone?

NMN is naturally present in foods like broccoli, avocado, edamame, and tomato, but only in very small amounts. You also make it naturally in your own body from vitamin B3. The challenge is that as we age, our ability to produce and maintain enough NMN – and therefore NAD+ – declines steeply.

By midlife, your NAD+ levels may already be half of what they were in your 20s.

This makes NMN particularly relevant for anyone over 40, and especially powerful for people in their 50s and beyond. Research shows both men and women benefit, with postmenopausal women in particular seeing significant improvements in insulin sensitivity and energy metabolism.

To reach the levels used in clinical studies (250 to 900 mg per day), you would need to eat kilograms of these foods daily. While they are healthy and alkaline, they simply cannot deliver therapeutic amounts of NMN. Supplementation is a way of restoring something your body already relies on, in amounts that match what research shows can make a real difference.

Would I Benefit from NMN Supplementation?

The clearest benefits are seen in three groups:

• People over 40, whose natural NAD+ levels are already in steep decline
• Active people looking to improve endurance and performance
• Those with prediabetes or early insulin resistance wanting to restore muscle insulin sensitivity

The research shows both men and women respond well, but the most dramatic results so far have been in postmenopausal women, where NMN significantly improved muscle insulin sensitivity in just ten weeks. For men, trials in older adults have shown improvements in mobility, strength, and energy.

If you fit into one of these categories, NMN is well worth considering. If you are younger, metabolically healthy, and already thriving with an alkaline lifestyle, it may not be essential right now – but it could still support long-term energy and resilience.

How to Use NMN

Human studies used doses from 250 to 900 mg per day. In practice, 250–500 mg daily is the most common range. Higher doses may be used in specific contexts but are not necessary for most people.

The critical point is quality. Independent testing has found some NMN supplements contain less NMN than their labels claim. Always choose a supplier with proven quality assurance.

As often, Thorne Research is a brand I totally trust and recommend. There has been a LOT of consumerlab/consumerreport testing on NMN and MANY products have come back poor quality. Thorne will no doubt have a quality NMN product back on the shelves within days, maybe weeks.

In the meantime, this is one of the products ConsumerLabs found with high efficacy.

How NMN Fits with the Alkaline Life

Supplements are not the foundation of health. They are here to supplement. They are the accelerators, but the foundation is always your diet and lifestyle – hydration, alkaline foods, steady blood sugar, sleep, movement, and balance.

When those core habits are in place, NMN can amplify the results by supporting mitochondrial function, DNA repair, and energy metabolism. It works in harmony with the body’s systems and with the alkaline approach.

But don’t fall into the trap of chasing every new supplement. You don’t need twenty different powders and capsules. Start with your goals. If raising your energy, supporting metabolic health, or healthy aging is a top priority, NMN is a smart addition. If your focus is elsewhere, build those foundations first.

The Bottom Line

The FDA’s decision to re-approve NMN is fantastic news. Human research confirms that NMN reliably raises NAD+, improves physical performance, and restores insulin sensitivity in prediabetes.

Used wisely, NMN is not a magic pill. It is, however, a remarkable tool that can work alongside the alkaline life to help you stay energized, resilient, and youthful for many, many years to come.

Let’s do this,
Ross

References

Okabe, Koji, Ryo Aoki, Takuya Yonezawa, Naoki Tajima, Yuka Noguchi, Chihiro Kameda, and Mitsuhiro Okamoto. “Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Supplementation Enhances Aerobic Capacity in Amateur Runners: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study.” Frontiers in Nutrition 9 (April 6, 2022): 868640. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.868640.

Yi, Xin, Bin Tong, and Wei Wu. “Towards Personalized Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Supplementation: Dose and Duration of NMN Intake Affect NAD+ Metabolism in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults.” Pharmacological Research 191 (May 2023): 106768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106768.

Igarashi, Mutsuko, Eri Miura, Naoki Maejima, et al. “Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Supplementation Enhances Muscle Strength and Performance in Healthy Older Men: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” npj Aging 8, no. 5 (August 2022): 84. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-022-00084-z.

Liao, Baojun, Yan Zhao, Shenglong Li, et al. “Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Supplementation Enhances Exercise Endurance in Healthy Amateur Runners: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 18 (2021): 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00442-4.

Yoshino, Jun, Samuel S. Baur, and Shin-ichiro Imai. “Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Increases Muscle Insulin Sensitivity in Prediabetic Women.” Science 372, no. 6547 (May 2021): 1224–1229. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.