The Oral NAD+ Precursor
NMN
Also known as β-NMN · Nicotinamide mononucleotide
At a glance
- What it is
- Oral NAD+ precursor with real biochemical data. Not the same as injectable NAD+.
- Evidence
- Small human studiesHow the tiers workA randomised trial in Nature Metabolism, January 2026 (NCT05517122, n=65, 14 days) found NMN at 1,000 mg/day and nicotinamide riboside at 1,000 mg/day each roughly doubled whole-blood NAD+, increases of about 43.1 and 49.4 micromoles per litre, while nicotinamide at 500 mg/day did not. Why this tier
- Half-life
- Not established in available literature
- Routes
- Oral
- Category
- Longevity
- WADA
- We do not state a status
Putting NMN on a schedule, with the vial it comes from and a log of each dose, happens in the app: Claritide for iPhone.
Why this tier
A randomised trial in Nature Metabolism, January 2026 (NCT05517122, n=65, 14 days) found NMN at 1,000 mg/day and nicotinamide riboside at 1,000 mg/day each roughly doubled whole-blood NAD+, increases of about 43.1 and 49.4 micromoles per litre, while nicotinamide at 500 mg/day did not. The 2026 PRISMA review of 113 studies confirms consistent biochemical target engagement and good tolerability over weeks to months, alongside heterogeneous and often null effects on functional, metabolic and vascular outcomes. Recent trials cover retinal thickness in older people with diabetes, immune thrombocytopenia, a blood-pressure meta-analysis and blood-flow-restriction exercise inflammation.
What it is
NMN is an oral NAD+ precursor and it is constantly confused with injectable NAD+. The distinction matters because the evidence genuinely differs by route: oral NMN roughly doubles whole-blood NAD+ in a randomised trial, while no outcomes trial has evaluated intravenous or intramuscular NAD+ itself for wellness indications. The biochemistry works; what it translates into is less clear.
How it works
NMN is one step from NAD+ in the salvage pathway, and it is taken orally. The proposed route into the body is less direct than the name suggests: rather than being absorbed intact and converted, gut microbial conversion to nicotinic acid via the Preiss-Handler pathway is the leading explanation for how oral NMN raises circulating NAD+. Either way, the endpoint has been measured: whole-blood NAD+ rises, which is more than can be said for the injectable parent molecule.
Commonly researched ranges
- Randomised trial doses250–900 mg
The published arms are 250 mg (Igarashi 2022), and 300, 600 and 900 mg (Yi 2023, GeroScience). The response plateaus around 600 mg/day, since 900 mg did not clearly beat it, which is the useful part of the finding. Stated first because the 1000 mg row below is a single 14-day study, not the band four randomised trials converge on.
- Randomised trial dose · 1000 mg1000 mg
The dose in NCT05517122, which roughly doubled whole-blood NAD+ (about +43.1 micromoles per litre). Nicotinamide riboside at the same dose did the same; nicotinamide at 500 mg/day did not.
| Phase | Amount | Frequency | Timing | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomised trial doses | 250–900 mg | Once daily, 6 to 12 weeks in the published trials | Not established in available literature | The published arms are 250 mg (Igarashi 2022), and 300, 600 and 900 mg (Yi 2023, GeroScience). The response plateaus around 600 mg/day, since 900 mg did not clearly beat it, which is the useful part of the finding. Stated first because the 1000 mg row below is a single 14-day study, not the band four randomised trials converge on. |
| Randomised trial dose · 1000 mg | 1000 mg | Daily for 14 days | Not established in available literature | The dose in NCT05517122, which roughly doubled whole-blood NAD+ (about +43.1 micromoles per litre). Nicotinamide riboside at the same dose did the same; nicotinamide at 500 mg/day did not. |
- Cycle guidance
- Not established in available literature
- Goals
- Longevity, Energy
Where this sits with the FDA
NMN is sold as an oral supplement rather than as an approved drug, and it does not appear on FDA’s compounding category lists. Its regulatory position as a dietary ingredient has been contested in the US; our sources do not resolve that, so we do not state it.
Primary sourceWADA status
Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List. We could not determine a classification and do not state one.
We looked and could not resolve it. This is not the same as "not prohibited". Treat it as unresolved and check with your federation before competing.
There is nothing to mix
Not applicable. None of the published routes for this compound take a diluent, so there is no concentration to calculate and no beyond-use window to track.
Week by week
Not established in available literature.
Side effects
Not established in available literature. Absence from this page does not mean absence of risk. It means our sources publish no side-effect profile for NMN.
Contraindications and interactions
Do not use if
Not established in available literature.
Interactions
Not established in available literature.
Absence from this list does NOT mean safety. It means lack of research.
Storage and cost
- Storage
- An oral supplement. There is no diluent, concentration or beyond-use window.
- Cost
- Not established in available literature
Stacks with
NMN in full
Limited coverage
NMN, beta-nicotinamide mononucleotide, is an oral NAD+ precursor. It ships as a separate record from injectable NAD+ for one reason: the evidence genuinely differs by route, and the two are constantly conflated.
What the trial showed
Nature Metabolism, January 2026. NCT05517122, 65 participants, 14 days. NMN at 1,000 mg/day and nicotinamide riboside at 1,000 mg/day each roughly doubled whole-blood NAD+, increases of about 43.1 and 49.4 micromoles per litre. Nicotinamide at 500 mg/day did not.
The proposed mechanism is not the obvious one. Rather than being absorbed intact, the leading explanation is gut microbial conversion to nicotinic acid via the Preiss-Handler pathway.
What that does not tell you
The 2026 PRISMA systematic review of 113 studies is the honest summary: consistent biochemical target engagement and good tolerability over weeks to months, alongside heterogeneous and often null effects on functional, metabolic and vascular outcomes.
In plain terms: it does the thing it says on the tin at the level of a blood test, and whether that makes you healthier is unresolved.
The contrast worth holding
Oral NMN: a randomised trial with a measured biochemical endpoint. Injectable NAD+: no eligible outcomes trials at all for anti-ageing or wellness indications, by FDA-independent systematic review.
The injectable is the one that costs several hundred dollars an infusion.
Sources
- 1Nature Metabolism, January 2026 · NCT05517122, n=65, oral NMN and NR each roughly doubled whole-blood NAD+
- 2Ageing Research Reviews, April 2026 · PRISMA review of 113 NAD+ studies
- 3Yi et al., 2023, GeroScience · 300, 600 and 900 mg/day for 60 days; walking distance and blood NAD+ rose, with the response levelling off near 600 mg (dose review, 2026-08-17)
- 4Igarashi et al., 2022, npj Aging · 250 mg/day in older men (dose review, 2026-08-17)
- 5Fukamizu et al., 2022, Scientific Reports · 1250 mg/day shown safe over four weeks, the top of the tested range (dose review, 2026-08-17)
Every record in this library is free to read, and it stays free. Your own schedule, vials and log live in the app: Claritide for iPhone.