NMN Research

What is NMN? A plain-words guide

Reviewed by Dr. Andrew Willoughby, President, Anera Life Inc.October 27, 202610 min read

Research and general biology, not a product claim. Anera products are licensed only for the uses shown in the box at the end of this page.

Cover illustration of an NMN molecule, with nicotinamide, ribose, and a phosphate group labeled around it.

NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) is a small molecule your body makes on its own, built from a form of vitamin B3, a sugar and a phosphate. Small amounts are found in foods like edamame, broccoli and avocado. NMN is the direct building block your body uses to make NAD+, a helper molecule found in every cell. In small clinical trials lasting 60 days to 12 weeks, adults who took NMN daily had higher blood NAD levels [1, 6].

What does NMN stand for?

NMN stands for nicotinamide mononucleotide. The name sounds technical, but it describes three simple parts joined together:

Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3
Ribose, a five-carbon sugar
A phosphate group

Diagram: NMN is built from nicotinamide (a form of vitamin B3), ribose sugar and a phosphate group.

Put those three together and you have a nucleotide: a small building-block molecule of the same family as the units that make up DNA and RNA. NMN is one of the many nucleotides your body handles every day. It is not a drug, a hormone or a stimulant. It is a normal part of cell chemistry.

Is NMN made naturally in the body?

Yes. Your cells make NMN themselves. The main route starts with nicotinamide (vitamin B3) and adds a sugar-phosphate to it, a step carried out by an enzyme called NAMPT (nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase). Cells then turn NMN into NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). A 2018 review in Cell Metabolism by Yoshino, Baur and Imai describes NMN and its close relative NR (nicotinamide riboside) as two key "NAD+ intermediates," meaning stepping stones on the way to NAD+ [1].

So when people talk about NMN, they are talking about a molecule that already belongs in the body. A supplement adds to what cells already make. It does not introduce something foreign.

Which foods contain NMN?

NMN is found in everyday foods, in small amounts. In their 2016 Cell Metabolism paper, Mills and colleagues measured it in a range of foods [2]:

Vegetables such as edamame (immature soybeans), broccoli, cucumber and cabbage: about 0.25 to 1.88 mg per 100 g
Fruits such as avocado and tomato: about 0.26 to 1.60 mg per 100 g
Raw beef and shrimp: lower, about 0.06 to 0.42 mg per 100 g

Chart: NMN measured in foods, in milligrams per 100 grams, from Mills et al. 2016.

Those are real but modest amounts. Broccoli, for example, has 0.25–1.12 mg per 100 g (Mills et al., 2016). That's one reason people who want a steady daily amount look at supplements, and why the question of how supplement NMN is made matters. For a closer look at food versus capsules, see NMN in food and NMN in a capsule.

How is NMN made for supplements?

NMN for supplements is made in a lab and then purified. Across the industry there are two broad routes, as a 2025 review in Critical Reviews in Biotechnology lays out [3]:

Chemical synthesis: building the molecule step by step with chemical reactions.
Biological production: using enzymes to assemble NMN, much as cells do. The central enzyme is the same NAMPT your body uses, which joins nicotinamide to a sugar-phosphate called PRPP. The enzymes may work inside engineered microbes (such as E. coli or yeast) or in "cell-free" systems. The review notes that biological routes are generally seen as more environmentally sustainable [3].

This is a general overview of how NMN is made across the industry, not a description of any one brand's process. Whichever route is used, what matters to you is the finished powder: what it is, how pure it is, and whether the brand can show the paperwork. A certificate of analysis (COA) is the document that answers those questions, and we'll cover how to read one in a separate guide. You can check an Anera bottle's details yourself at aneralife.com/verify.

What does research say about NMN?

What research says

General science. Not a claim about any Anera product.

Why NMN is studied. NAD+ is a helper molecule (a coenzyme) that every cell uses in energy metabolism and in enzymes linked to cell maintenance. Because cells make NAD+ from NMN, researchers study whether taking NMN changes NAD+ levels and related measures [1].

Early animal work. In a 12-month study in mice, Mills and colleagues gave NMN in drinking water and reported that it was well tolerated and that several age-associated changes in the animals were smaller than in controls [2]. Mouse results do not show what happens in people.

Human studies (still early). Human trials so far are small and short, mostly in healthy adults in Japan and India:

Irie et al., 2020 (Endocrine Journal): 10 healthy men took single doses of 100, 250 and 500 mg. The authors reported no significant clinical symptoms or changes in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation or body temperature over 5 hours, and NMN breakdown products rose in the blood with dose [4].
Igarashi et al., 2022 (npj Aging): 42 men aged 65 and older were randomized to 250 mg NMN a day or placebo for 6 or 12 weeks. NMN was well tolerated, and blood NAD+ and related metabolites rose. Some physical measures changed only nominally, and the authors say larger studies are needed [5].
Yi et al., 2023 (GeroScience): 80 healthy middle-aged adults took placebo, 300, 600 or 900 mg once daily for 60 days. Blood NAD concentrations rose in all NMN groups at days 30 and 60 compared with placebo, and the authors reported no safety issues at doses up to 900 mg daily [6].

The honest summary. Human studies show NMN is absorbed and raises blood NAD+ markers in the short term, and it has been well tolerated in these trials. Whether that changes how people feel or age over years is not known yet. Study doses are not product directions. Some of these studies were funded by NMN manufacturers or include authors employed by them, as disclosed in each paper. Research is not a product claim.

For the difference between the two molecules, see NMN and NAD+: two molecules, and for what human studies can and can't say about NAD+ and age, see NAD+ and age. Our science page collects the rest.

How do you choose an NMN supplement?

Because research is still early, the best thing a buyer can do is check the basics, not the promises:

A licence number. In Canada, a licensed natural health product carries an eight-digit NPN on the label. You can look it up in Health Canada's Licensed Natural Health Products Database.
The dose on the label. It should be clear how much NMN is in each capsule and how many to take.
A certificate of analysis. Ask for one, and look for the batch, the purity method and the result.
A real company. A Canadian address and a way to reach a person.
No big promises. A licensed product can only say what its licence allows. Be careful with labels that promise outcomes.

There's more in How to choose an NMN supplement.

What does Anera claim?

What Anera claims

Only the wording Health Canada licensed. Nothing above this box is a product claim.

ANERA 15000 NMN (NPN 80135670): Provides an antioxidant that helps protect against the oxidative damage caused by free radicals.

ANERA 24000 NMN + Trans-Resveratrol (NPN 80129476): Provides antioxidants that help protect against the oxidative damage caused by free radicals.

Adults 18+: take 1 capsule once daily. Licensed by Health Canada. Manufactured in Canada under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

Cautions (both): Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you have diabetes. Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

ANERA 24000 also: Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you are taking prescription medications, as resveratrol may alter the effectiveness of these medications. May cause nausea, abdominal pain and/or diarrhea.

Frequently asked questions

What is NMN in simple terms?

NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) is a small molecule made of a form of vitamin B3, a sugar and a phosphate. Your body makes it, some foods contain small amounts, and cells use it to make NAD+.

Is NMN natural?

NMN occurs naturally in the body and in foods such as edamame, broccoli and avocado. NMN in supplements is made in a lab, by chemical synthesis or by biological production (using enzymes, often in microbes), and then purified.

What foods have NMN?

A 2016 study measured about 0.25 to 1.88 mg per 100 g in vegetables such as edamame, broccoli, cucumber and cabbage, and about 0.26 to 1.60 mg per 100 g in avocado and tomato.

What is the difference between NMN and NAD+?

NMN is a building block. NAD+ is the helper molecule cells make from it. NAD+ is larger, and cells use it in energy metabolism and in enzymes linked to cell maintenance.

Is NMN safe?

In small studies of healthy adults, NMN was generally well tolerated at 250 mg a day for up to 12 weeks (men aged 65 and older; Igarashi 2022) and at 300 to 900 mg a day for 60 days (middle-aged adults; Yi 2023). Long-term data are limited. Read the cautions on any product label, and talk to a health care practitioner before use if you have a medical condition, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Is NMN legal in Canada?

Yes, when it is licensed. NMN is sold in Canada as a natural health product once Health Canada has licensed it and issued an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN). Look for the NPN on the label and check it in Health Canada's Licensed Natural Health Products Database: https://health-products.canada.ca/lnhpd-bdpsnh/

How much NMN should I take?

Follow the label. Studies have used different amounts, but study doses are not product directions.

Start with the label

If you're curious about NMN, start where we did: with a licence, a clear dose and paperwork you can check. Our two formulas are each licensed by Health Canada:

ANERA 15000 NMN (NPN 80135670): Provides an antioxidant that helps protect against the oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
ANERA 24000 NMN + Trans-Resveratrol (NPN 80129476): Provides antioxidants that help protect against the oxidative damage caused by free radicals.

Adults 18+: take 1 capsule once daily. Read the cautions above and on each product page before use.

Read more on our science page, or browse the FAQ. Questions? Write to us at info@aneralife.com.

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Sources

Yoshino J, Baur JA, Imai SI. NAD+ intermediates: the biology and therapeutic potential of NMN and NR. Cell Metab. 2018;27(3):513-528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.11.002 (PubMed 29249689)
Mills KF, Yoshida S, Stein LR, et al. Long-term administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide mitigates age-associated physiological decline in mice. Cell Metab. 2016;24(6):795-806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.09.013 (PubMed 28068222)
Cabulong RB, Kafle SR, Singh A, Sharma M, Kim BS. Biological production of nicotinamide mononucleotide: a review. Crit Rev Biotechnol. 2025;45(5):1058-1075. https://doi.org/10.1080/07388551.2024.2433993 (PubMed 39675885)
Irie J, Inagaki E, Fujita M, et al. Effect of oral administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide on clinical parameters and nicotinamide metabolite levels in healthy Japanese men. Endocr J. 2020;67(2):153-160. https://doi.org/10.1507/endocrj.EJ19-0313 (PubMed 31685720)
Igarashi M, Nakagawa-Nagahama Y, Miura M, et al. Chronic nicotinamide mononucleotide supplementation elevates blood nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels and alters muscle function in healthy older men. NPJ Aging. 2022;8(1):5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-022-00084-z (PubMed 35927255)
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. 2023;45(1):29-43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-022-00705-1 (PubMed 36482258)