Tier 2 — strong

Nicotinamide mononucleotide supplementation enhances aerobic capacity in amateur runners: a randomized, double-blind study

Bagen Liao, Yunlong Zhao, Dan Wang, Xiaowen Zhang, Xuanming Hao, Min Hu
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2021 18, 54

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 34238308
PubMed Central
PMC8265078
DOI
10.1186/s12970-021-00442-4
Funding
Supported by Grant 2020YFC2002900 from the National Key Research and Development Program of China.
Competing interests
None of the authors had a conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignSix-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-arm parallel trial conducted alongside a supervised aerobic training program.
Model48 healthy recreationally trained runners aged 27-50 years; 40 men and 8 women.
Sample48 participants; 12 per arm (10 men and 2 women in each group). All completed the intervention.
InterventionNMN 300, 600 or 1200 mg/day versus placebo for six weeks, combined with 40-60 minutes of aerobic training 5-6 times per week.
Duration6 weeks.
EndpointsCardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET); VO2max; Oxygen uptake and percent VO2max at first ventilatory threshold; Power at first and second ventilatory thresholds; O2-pulse; Peak power and workload; Body composition; Exercise ECG safety

What the study showed, in plain terms

This study asked whether NMN added anything to a six-week endurance-training program in already active amateur runners. Forty-eight participants were randomized to placebo or 300, 600 or 1200 mg/day of NMN.

The medium- and high-dose groups showed larger improvements in oxygen-uptake and power measures around the ventilatory thresholds. The authors interpreted this as improved skeletal-muscle oxygen utilization during training.

However, NMN did not produce a significant advantage in VO2max, O2-pulse, peak power or several other maximal exercise measures. The evidence is therefore best read as a signal for ventilatory-threshold performance under concurrent training, not as proof that NMN raises maximal aerobic capacity across athletes.

Key findings

  • VO2, percent VO2max and power at the first ventilatory threshold improved more in the medium- and high-dose NMN groups than in placebo, with a dose-dependent pattern.
  • Power at the second ventilatory threshold also improved, particularly at higher NMN dosing.
  • No significant between-group improvement was found for VO2max, O2-pulse, VO2/work-rate slope, peak power, heart-rate maximum or several other maximal exercise measures.
  • Body mass, BMI, fat-free mass and body-fat percentage were not meaningfully changed by adding NMN to training.
  • No participant reported an adverse event, and no obvious ECG abnormalities were observed during CPET.

What this study can and cannot tell us

CPET was performed on a cycle ergometer even though running was the participants' main training modality; the authors note that treadmill values can differ materially in runners.

Blood lactate was not measured during CPET, limiting interpretation of the metabolic mechanism behind ventilatory-threshold changes.

Only eight women participated, so sex-specific effects could not be assessed. The study also did not directly measure vascular endothelial function, capillary density, blood flow or mitochondrial function.

Citation network

Articles citing this research paper

6 articles

Biohack Blueprint analyses that reference this study in their evidence base.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology