Dozens of anti-aging products marketed as containing nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) are sold online. However, a recent study reveals that the NMN dosage in many of those products is less-than-advertised.
Research studies conducted have found nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) to be a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a vital compound that maintains liveliness. With aging comes decreased NAD levels, leading to associations of cognitive decline, cancer, metabolic disease, sarcopenia and frailty.
Finding a proficient NMN product can be tricky. A study by ChromaDex from Oct. 21, 2021, tested 22 of the top-selling NMN brands on Amazon, finding 64% contained a less-than-advertised NMN dosage. Conversely, third-party testing for Hello100 providing liposomal NMN supplements showed that capsules contain the indicated amount of NMN and other ingredients.
Those products include
EliteHealth NMN
Energecko NMN Longevity
LIVEMAX NMN
monoHerb NMN
NMN MAX 500 mg NMN
NMN PLUS 500 mg NMN
NMN STAR 500 mg NMN
Starhonor NMN
Vitablossom NMN Refresh*
Vitamin Shower NMN 500 mg*
VIVALIFER NMN
In-fact three products, ChriBubble NMN, Paragon Health NMN, and Komprocha NMN & Resveratrol were found to have 0mg of NMN despite claims of 500mg per serving. ProHealth Longevity NMN Pro 300, maac10 NMN 250 mg, and Infinite Age NMN were the only products that contained NMN at or above the labeled amount listed.
Brands just below the product label claim include Double Wood NMN, ForestLeaf NMN, GeneX Formulations NMN, Jarrow Formulas NMN, and Toniiq NMN.
ProHealth’s products are supplied through the Chinese manufacturer EffePharm Ltd., which is also the supplier for other large NMN brands such as Do Not Age and Renue.
Three keys when purchasing NMN are the Certificate of Analysis (CoA), cost, and third-party lab tests. If the CoA displays an older date, that certificate could be tied to a previous batch. NMN supplements displayed at a cost-friendly price may be listed as such because the product contains nowhere near the promised NMN dosage. Third-party lab tests provide unbiased results determining the product's sufficiency. If none of the following are provided, it is best to stay clear of that NMN supplement.
A bonus note to consider is where the product is made. No NMN products are currently made in the U.S., but outsourced from China.
There is not an abundance of information displaying lab-tested NMN brands, making the purchase of a product more difficult. Labdoor is an independent company that discovers if supplements contain what they claim. Currently there is a live poll choosing the products Labdoor tests next, with NMN being one of the options.
Another tool to research your NMN product of choice is the Better Business Bureau, which can provide details on the company along with any reviews that may contain praise or complaints regarding specific NMN products.
HealthNews has conducted a thorough research and ranked the best NMN supplements according to the above mentioned criteria.
Production of NMN supplements has stopped
NMN has been featured as an ingredient in dietary supplements due to its acceptance as a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) from the FDA, gaining traction as an anti-aging health product. Nonetheless, in back-tracking fashion the FDA on Oct. 22, 2022, rescinded the NDI, leaving many unanswered questions for both producers and consumers in the dietary supplement industry.
October’s decision comes in response to an NDI inquiry of NMN for dietary supplement purposes from Inner Mongolia Kingdomway Pharmaceutical Limited that was submitted on July 25, 2022. Section 201(ff) of the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits the marketing of dietary supplements under investigation as a new drug that is under publicly conducted clinical investigations.
However, if that criteria is reached — it does not cause an exclusion if it (in this case NMN) was previously marketed as a dietary supplement or food.
Metro International Biotech is the culprit behind the potential classification of NMN as a prescription drug. The privately held pharmaceutical company co-founded by well-known NMN advocate and Harvard Professor David Sinclair has developed a proprietary version of B-NMN titled MIB-626. The group has sought FDA approval in its probe as an investigational new drug (IND) that has proceeded with trials on its MIB-626.
Metro International Biotech’s Corporate Counsel, Michael Willis, demanded the FDA to comply with the FD&C Act in a letter to the FDA on Dec. 4, 2021.
The letter writes:
"As a company that has instituted publicly available clinical trials on β-NMN, we request that FDA take the preclusion provision of Section 201(ff) of the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act seriously to protect the right of companies that have spent significant time and research to develop drugs products from competition from dietary supplements that are clearly new dietary ingredients that have never filed a new dietary ingredient notification prior to the institution of substantial clinical trials."
The date which Metro International Biotech requested for its (IND) has not been made public, and current NMN suppliers are continuing to fight the October decision. According to NMN provider, Renue (formerly Alive By Science), meetings have adjourned between the FDA and NMN manufacturers discussing the history of NMN sales.
Currently, NMN manufactures as of Dec. 7, 2022 are to stop production of NMN supplements, but have not yet been notified to remove NMN-specifc supplements for sale.
Please be aware that from the fall of 2022 NMN is under an investigation as a potential new drug by the FDA. That puts the legality of the product as a dietary supplement in question. It’s a complicated situation that’s not yet solved. However, it is important to note that since we are not a manufacturer or retailer, we do not take any responsibility for the availability of the product as a dietary supplement after having lost its dietary ingredient status.
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