Everyone in the longevity space is talking about NAD and its importance in the body. But what is it? And how do NMN supplements play into its formation?
Vogue’s top NMN supplements at a glance:
“NAD is often described as the body’s ‘miracle molecule of anti‑ageing’ because it sits at the centre of how our cells make energy, repair damage and decide whether to stay youthful or slide into decline,” explains Dr Mayoni, Longevity Functional Medicine Director at PHC Clinics. “NMN is one of the key raw materials your cells can use to rebuild NAD when those internal supplies start to dip with age.”
By supplementing NMN, you are giving the body what it needs to make this molecule, and thus it has been embraced by Silicon Valley biohackers for its anti-ageing benefits. The cell energiser has been associated with repairing damaged DNA, boosting cellular vitality, fighting fatigue, boosting energy, promoting metabolism, enhancing brain function and improving sleep.
“NAD is involved in more than 500 cellular reactions, including mitochondrial ATP production and DNA repair, and it is essential for the function of sirtuins – often called ‘longevity proteins,’” continues Dr Mayoni. “When NAD is plentiful, sirtuins can switch on genes that dampen inflammation, support autophagy, maintain metabolic flexibility and promote cellular housekeeping. When NAD is low, those protective programmes wind down, and damage accumulates.”
From the age of 20, NAD+ levels naturally decline by half every 20 years. “By feeding in NMN, in theory, you provide a ready‑made precursor that cells can convert into NAD, replenishing the pool used by our mitochondria, repair enzymes like PARP enzymes and sirtuins, which orchestrate cell health.” This has been proven in animal trials. The expert details, “Animal studies suggest that restoring NAD via NMN can improve healthspan and, in some models, extend lifespan by reactivating these repair circuits.” As for human trials, studies have shown some similar improvements, but it is still early days, he stresses. In a journal entitled The Science Behind NMN–A Stable, Reliable NAD+Activator and Anti-Aging Molecule, it references many of these studies, which reveal that when NMN is taken orally, it is quickly absorbed and converted to NAD+, “Supplementation with NMN has increased NAD+ biosynthesis, suppressed age-related adipose tissue inflammation, enhanced insulin secretion and insulin action, improved mitochondrial function, improved neuronal function in the brain, and more.”
