NMN is a game-changing anti-aging Nootropic, in that it's a powerful Mitochondrial fuel and epigenetic hack that reverses many markers of aging and anecdotally is described as a Nootropic by the majority of its users.
But, it's not cheap, so this protocol will maximize the longevity bang for your biohacking buck and outline some self-quantification steps.
This article will also outline some dosage and usage guidelines. Human clinical trials of NMN are not numerous so we'll derive our recommendations from the not-insignificant body of rigorous anecdotal reports from those who have been experimenting with NMN along with the recommendations that come from expert anti-aging researchers like David Sinclair.
Scientists and researchers often don't use the drugs and medicines that they are researching and developing, so it speaks to the credibility and safety of NMN that some of the most knowledgeable anti-aging scientists take it daily. There's no strict usage protocol, NMN affects different people differently, so you'll need to experiment with different dosages, track them, and journal the effects to figure out what's optimal for you.
Selecting an NMN Source
Importantly, as with any supplement you want to make sure it's the real thing before pressing the buy button. You want to purchase from a source that provides a certificate of analysis that verifies the product as being above 97% pure and free of toxins.
Several NMN vendors adulterate their powdered products with sweeteners to make them more palatable. I would avoid these as NMN doesn't taste that bad on its own and you don't really know how it might affect the metabolism and absorption.
Dosage Guide
Biohackers take a pretty wide dosage between 250 milligrams and 3.4 grams and as high as 7.2 grams. If you're taking NMN to reverse aging or address a chronic condition like Alzheimer's, diabetes, or obesity you want to experiment with a higher dosage, several grams daily. If you're using NMN as a nootropic or just to support general health you'll want to start with the kind of dosage that David Sinclair takes 500 - 1000 milligrams.
Some of the biohacker reports indicate that if you're using it to reverse aging, you'll want to start with higher dosages of 2 - 3 grams for several months until aging symptoms diminish and markers improve and then tapering the dosage down. Use a gram for several months, while being mindful of the aging symptoms, and then lower the dosage again. As the decades pass, mitochondrial dysfunction tends to worsen, which NMN addresses. Thus, long-term usage of NMN will remedy a lot of the maladies of aging and the health benefits can be maintained with a lower dose than what might have been used initially.
A number of biohackers report that it enhances their general energy, motivation, and workout performance at a 500-milligram daily dosage, this is probably the optimal dose for biohackers and was recommended in the Japanese study. Taking grams daily you'll go through the stuff quickly.
Can you overdose on NMN? Unlikely, its toxicity was determined in an animal study to be virtually non-existent, NMN safe and well-tolerated and does not cause any obvious deleterious or toxic effects at 300 milligrams per kilogram, that's the equivalent of 19 grams for a 65-kilogram (about 140-pound) adult which is a whole lot more than what you'll be taking with this protocol. A 2019 Japanese human clinical trial concluded, NMN is safe and effectively metabolized in healthy men without causing any significant deleterious effects.
Usage Guide
Biohackers find that dosing two or three times daily produces a better effect than a single daily dose.
With NMN you'll want to implement a long-term cycling strategy as opposed to short-term cycling. With Nootropics that upregulate certain neurotransmitters like caffeine or Modafinil, you want to take frequent breaks to avoid building up a tolerance or exhausting a neurobiological pathway. NMN works differently, it just feeds your mitochondria what it needs. You'll want to use it daily, you don't need to take breaks and after several months you'll want to take a month or two off and be mindful of how it affects your health.
The majority of biohackers report that the effects of NMN become noticeable after a couple of days or a week of dosing. So don't expect fireworks the first day but you probably won't have to wait weeks or months before you notice something.
Most biohackers take NMN sublingually, leaving the capsule or powder beneath their tongue so it dissolves and absorbs more directly. It's water-soluble so you don't need to take it with food or a fat source although, David Sinclair sometimes mixes his NMN with yogurt which is probably a tastier way to dose. Still, the NMN itself doesn't taste bad.
There are a couple of NMN cofactors, that you might want to add to take the anti-aging effects to the next level. Notably the antioxidants Resveratrol and Pterostilbene (the better option really) along with Alpha Lipoic Acid. The anti-aging infoceutical that I take daily includes NMN and Pterostilbene.
It can be stimulating so like many other Nootropics it would be a good idea to take it earlier in the day well before bedtime.
Self-Quantification
If you're using NMN as a Nootropic, you'll want to do some cognitive self-quantification. The best way to do this is by using a brain-training task like Dual N-Back, which is a hardcore working memory exercise.
NMN is an inconsistent sleep hack, some biohackers report that they needed less sleep on NMN while others reported that it sometimes hurts sleep quality. You'll want to quantify your sleep with something like the Sleep Cycle app and be mindful of how it might be affecting your slumber. If it seems to hurt your sleep, cut down on the dosage.
If you want to take the self-quantification to the next level you'll want to get some biomarker blood testing done before using NMN and at 3 or 6-month increments. Medical professionals advised a group of NMN self-experimenters on Longecity to quantify...
C-Reactive Protein
Cardiac risk
TNF-α
Interleukin-6 Plasma (IL-6)
Glucose, Serum
Creatine, Serum
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
BUN/Creatine ratio
eGFR
AST (SGOT)
ALT (SPGT)
HgB A1C (Diabetes)
Cholesterol (Total)
Triglycerides
HDL Cholesterol
LDL Cholesterol
Testosterone
Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha
PSA
That's a lot of biomarkers to test, if you can't do all of them, the bolded ones are more important.
Finally, the majority of NMN hackers report Increased physical energy (enhancing workout performance). So hit the gym or treadmill before using NMN, and log your workout performance to establish a baseline. After you go on NMN, take note of any uptick in performance.
NMN is a Placebo Hack
There's a fascinating book, You Are the Placebo, which documents a bunch of fantastic cases of the placebo effect healing (deadly!) serious health issues. The placebo effect is so powerful that it's the one thing that every good clinical trial controls for. As opposed to crediting this to some pseudo-spiritual, nonscientific phenomena the book explains that the placebo effect is likely a manifestation of epigenetic function. If we believe something will cure us, that belief via neuropeptides will turn on or off the crucial genes that we need working to heal us. One of the major causes of aging is that our genes get stuck turned on or off, and NMN is recognized by the top anti-aging researchers in the world as an epigenetic hack that empowers our sirtuins to switch on or off genes. Thus, it stands to reason that the placebo effect would be all the more potent if you've been using NMN.
If you're a rational, materialist I don't blame you for being skeptical of the healing power of belief, as it's almost always described in silly, metaphysical terms. But, considering the emerging science of epigenetics, I urge you to take NMN and believe in it!
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The NMN Protocol