In 2023, a research team from Osaka University in Japan published a study in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN showing that oral administration of 250 mg of NMN per day for three months can significantly increase plasma NAD+ levels and make serum insulin levels significantly higher.
Specifically, participants' average insulin levels significantly increased nearly five-fold after 2 months of NMN supplementation, reaching 39.2 µIU/mL, and remained high (28.1 µIU/mL) at 3 months despite a decrease.
This study further demonstrates the effectiveness of NMN in boosting insulin levels in healthy people, and thus may play a positive role in preventing diabetes.
Mechanism:
Increase NAD+ levels: NMN is a precursor of NAD+, and supplementation with NMN can significantly increase NAD+ levels in the body.
NAD+ plays an important role in life activities such as energy metabolism, DNA repair and gene expression, and its increase helps to improve islet function and insulin secretion.
Activation of Key enzymes: NMN can promote insulin secretion by activating key enzymes such as sirtuins (silencing message regulators).
These enzymes play an important role in regulating islet function and insulin sensitivity.
Protection of islet function: NMN can also improve the regeneration ability of islet beta cells and reduce the damage of oxidative stress to islet cells, thus protecting islet function.
This is essential for maintaining normal insulin secretion.
Other relevant studies:
A study published by the University of Maryland in 2021 showed that NMN can prevent diabetic peripheral neuropathy and significantly reduce the increase of triglycerides and free fatty acids in diabetic rats.
Back in 2011, Professor Shinichiro Imai and his team at the University of Washington published their findings:
Intraperitoneal injection of NMN improved glucose tolerance and lipid distribution in mice with type 2 diabetes by increasing NAD+ levels, enhancing liver insulin sensitivity and restoring the expression of genes related to oxidative stress, inflammatory response and circadian rhythm.
In 2016, research published in the journal Cell by Professor Shinichiro Imai's team further confirmed the effect of NMN on hyperglycemia control:
Mice treated with NMN for 12 months not only improved insulin sensitivity and lipid profile, but also inhibited age-related weight gain (obesity is strongly associated with insulin resistance).
