An important precursor to NAD+ ; learn about NMN and why Fivescore is different from the market
Source: NMN.com
Key takeaways:
- NMN is a naturally-occurring molecule found in foods such as broccoli and avocadoes. Our body uses NMN to make NAD+.
- During aging, NAD+ levels in our body decline over the course of our lives. This decline accelerates beyond the age of 40 in most people.
- NAD+ is essential to the human body as it helps many important enzymes to carry out their functions, such as sirtuins and PARPs.
- Sirtuins help to maintain the epigenome.
- PARPs help repair damaged DNA.
- Therefore, members of the scientific community believe that (combined with regular exercise and a varied diet) supplementing with NMN can help maintain NAD+ levels in our body and help support various aspects of the aging process including supporting Sirtuins and PARPs in maintaining the epigenome and repair damaged DNA.
The Role of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) in Aging and Longevity
NMN is a molecule that occurs naturally and can be found in fruits, milk and vegetables such as broccoli, avocados, cabbage, edamame and cucumbers.
In the human body, scientific studies have highlighted that NMN serves as an important precursor to NAD+ and provides the “fuel” that critical enzymes need to maintain the epigenome, repair DNA and carry out a wide range of essential functions at a cellular level.
NAD+ is arguably one of the most important molecules in the human body and helps many proteins and enzymes to carry out their essential functions. For example, NAD+ is needed for sirtuins to work properly. Sirtuins are a class of proteins that maintain the epigenome and are an essential component of a critical aging pathway.
The epigenome consists of chemical compounds that modify, or mark, the genome in a way that tells it what to do, where to do it, and when to do it. It is a complicated molecular machinery that surrounds the DNA. The term epigenome is derived from the Greek word epi which literally means "above" the genome.
When we get older, the epigenome can become dysfunctional as it loses information as part of the aging process. This can lead to the wrong genes being switched on at the wrong times and in general leads to an overall decline in bodily performance.
Other functions of NAD+
Besides aiding in the maintenance of the human epigenome, NAD+ is also utilized for the proper functioning of PARPs. PARPs are a class of essential enzymes that repair damaged DNA in the body. When levels of NAD+ are depleted, our DNA is less maintained which can result in accelerated levels of aging and overall decline.
NAD+ also helps the optimal functioning of our mitochondria. If you ever took high-school level Biology class, then you will know that mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells, generating almost all energy that our cells need to work and survive. Our mitochondria need healthy levels of NAD+ to perform at an optimal level. During aging, and with the natural decline in NAD+ levels, our mitochondria can become degraded, resulting in a decline in performance.
Fivescore Labs and NMN
At Fivescore Labs, we work with a best-in-class laboratory based in the UK to bring you the purest NMN available on the market today. Our lab partner benefits from over 50 year of scientific manufacturing experience and the labs are fully GMP and ISO certified.
We go above and beyond and make sure to independently test each batch for purity. Indeed, the reason why we started Fivescore Labs in the first place is because we were deeply disappointed with the quality of NMN available to us on platforms such as Amazon. Fivescore is a passion project for us in our quest for lifespan and we hope this mission also helps support you in your personal healthspan journey as well.
We are on a mission to supplement with the purest available products and we believe if we were not able find these online then we should take it upon ourselves to produce it at a level of quality that we seek for ourselves.
1 capsule of our Fivescore NMN contains 500mg of at least 99% pure NMN. This is the recommended daily dose to get the long-term benefits of NMN supplementation (combined with regular exercise, varied diet and intermittent fasting). Extensive scientific studies have demonstrated that these levels are well tolerated by the human body with no adverse effects. To get 500mg of NMN naturally, you would have to consume well over 30 kilograms of broccoli. Whilst we love the vegetable, it’s hard for us to fathom that much fibre in our daily diet!
As with any food supplement, we recommend that you consult with your medical practitioner before starting a course of any nutritional supplement.
NMN supplements have flooded the market online
The sudden popularity of NMN as a supplement to slow down aging is due to many scientific studies demonstrating that NMN can support healthy aging, and by positive claims about NMN as a longevity ingredient by world renowned researchers, like Professor David Sinclair from Harvard University, Eric Verdin from Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and Professor Shin-ichiro Imai from Washington University School of Medicine as well as many others globally.
However, this greatly increased demand has resulted in dishonest sellers to offer low-purity NMN supplements, or even NMN supplements that do not contain NMN at all.
Problems with NMN supplements
Some NMN supplements claim to be “high-purity NMN,” in their marketing, while they are in fact very low-purity NMN. Some NMN supplements have less than 50 percent purity.
Also, it bothers us to no end that customers are not informed of what ingredients comprise of the remaining 50 percent in these apparently “pure” NMN products. These ingredients can be just useless fillers like cooking flour (used to reduce the cost), or worse they could be toxic substances created as a by-product from the manufacturing process. You just can’t know what you get without the proper testing evidence.
Believe it or not, there are even “NMN supplements” that do not contain any NMN at all! They instead contain nicotinamide (a form of vitamin B that looks a bit like NMN on a molecular level but does not have the same impact on human longevity), or that contain nicotinamide riboside (NR), a cheaper alternative to NMN that is also a precursor to NAD+ (however one step removed in the conversion process to NAD+).
From personal experience, we at Fivescore Labs know all too well about unscrupulous NMN vendors on the internet. As customers, we previously purchased NMN online only to find out after testing that the product was of poor quality. It got to a point where we were frustrated enough to start our very own longevity supplement business!
For the customer, the fact that the market is flooded with untested NMN brands is also critical from a pricing perspective. There are many NMN supplements on the market that are selling at sub-par purity levels. The up-front label price may seem reasonable for some of these products but when you do the maths, you are actually paying astronomical amounts of money per milligram of NMN per capsule (if there is any NMN at all in the capsules!). Unfortunately, you get what you pay for!
What to look out for when you buy NMN online?
So the question becomes - how can you find the best NMN supplement in the market? At Fivescore Labs, we believe in knowledge and we want to arm you with as much information as possible so that you make an informed choice, regardless of what brand you decide to go with.
You should pay close attention to a number of factors when choosing your NMN supplement:
1. The Supplement Company is Founded and Advised by Scientists
Make sure your longevity supplement is from a company that is founded by scientists that are able to leverage their deep technical expertise and knowledge to deliver the best quality products.
Most of the NMN vendors online are anonymous – you cannot even tell who the founders are or what their qualifications are in the field of medicine.
Our founders at Fivescore Labs have a combined 40+ experience in the practice and study of nuclear medicine, cancer radiation oncology and neuroscience. We have studied our trade at some of the world’s best universities and institutions including McGill University (Canada) and Harvard Medical School (USA). We are passionate about human longevity and we aim to practice what we preach. It is this same level of passion and knowledge that we have cultivated to build Fivescore Labs as the region’s first human lifespan start-up helping lead the regional longevity revolution.
2. Be very sceptical of “high-purity” NMN claims without independent tests (trust us, we know first-hand!)
Always make sure to buy high-purity (containing at least 99 percent NMN) supplements. This means that the supplement will not be contaminated with other substances.
However, be very sceptical of so called “99 percent purity” NMN supplements. Many supplements do not provide any evidence to support their claims. Companies should always provide you with independent 3rd party tests supporting their purity claims. If you have any doubts of the quality of the products they are selling you, you should insist on a Certificate of Analysis (COA) or independent lab test.
Often times, supplement companies do not provide these tests up-front or if undertaken they are very old and may relate to a previous batch. Sometimes companies show test results for an older batch, and you have no way of knowing if the recent batches have also been tested independently. They’re hoping you don’t ask (and you would be surprised to know how many people actually don’t even bother to check!).
3. Make sure you buy NMN that is of the new-generation variety and highly stable in final form
It is important to note that, much like all other food supplements, not all NMN is the same.
Newer generation NMN is a lot more stable than the older generation variety that is still common in the marketplace online. NMN by its very nature is a fragile molecule that when exposed to external water molecules (such as excess humidity) may get converted into nicotinamide (NAM) that is a harmless by-product but with no noticeable longevity benefits.
In particular, consideration needs to be made towards the organization of the molecular NMN in order to support the stability of the NMN supplement especially with regards to any surrounding water molecules. The electron configuration of the NMN is critical to its ultimate long-term stability and this arrangement can be impacted by the the water molecules which are polar in the nature of their electron configuration.
Thus, an orderly organization and compact arrangement of NMN molecules will protect the integrity of NMN from the invasive and destabilizing impacts of water molecules that may be present in the product or surrounding air. Additionally, reducing water content creates higher density NMN product which inherently will be more stable over the long term.
At Fivescore Labs, we have utilized this next generation NMN product that is more stable and ensures consistency and purity of the final product that is in your hands.
The new-generation NMN that we have deployed arranges itself into very specific spherical and generally curved crystal shapes (as opposed to serrated and jagged crystals that were present in the previous generation NMN that is still commonly available from other companies). The key thing to highlight is that these spherical crystal arrangements are more efficient in blocking contact with atmospheric humidity. As a result, the spherical crystal arrangement increases stability and shelf life of our final NMN product.
Rest assured, we have spared no effort or expense to make sure our lab partners in the UK manufacture the absolute best-in-class 99% pure NMN that is new-generation and fit to support your health and longevity needs.
4. Third party-lab testing of the product
You need to make sure that the supplement vendor has worked with third party labs that have checked the product for contaminants such as:
- Heavy metals;
- Bacteria;
- Yeast and mold; and
- Toxins.
It is critical that levels of the above need to be well within regulatory guidelines in parts per millions.
Additionally, keep in mind that some companies only test for heavy metals, but not microorganisms like yeast and bacteria, or only test for microorganisms and not for heavy metals. They need to test for both heavy metals and microorganisms so you have peace of mind that there is attention to detail across all testing workstreams.
5. The NMN is properly manufactured at a best-in-class lab facility
Make sure your NMN supplement is manufactured in a facility that works and is certified according to current GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and to the latest ISO standards.
Also, the production process of the NMN needs to be state-of-the-art and delivering the new generation variety of NMN so you have the best quality product in your hands.
The pH and water content within the production process environment also needs to be highly regulated to deliver the ideal manufacturing conditions. Any imbalances can tamper with the molecular crystals of the NMN. We make sure that the NMN is manufactured in a pH balanced manner. Working with a GMP Certified lab with over 50 years of production experience in the UK is critical to ensure the quality of our product.
Why the supplements at Fivescore Labs are different
At Fivescore Labs, we have spared no expense or detail to make sure we adhere to the all the above considerations.
We are a longevity supplements business that is founded by scientists, we apply a rigorous scientific approach in everything that we do, and conduct due diligence and extensive testing to ensure that you have in your hands the best-quality 99% pure new-generation NMN supplement available on the market today. This NMN synergistically pairs with our 98+% pure Reseveratrol supplement which has been manufactured under equally rigorous methods and guidelines.
Fivescore Labs NMN is third-party tested, high-purity NMN. Our NMN is the most thoroughly tested NMN in our market and we make all our testing certificates available on our website for your review.
We independently test our Resveratrol as well for all the same metrics, so you know you have the highest quality combination of some of the most promising molecules in the field of human aging today.
You don’t need to take our word for it. We have made the independent lab certificates available under the product images here.
Additional reading and clinical studies
Nicotinamide mononucleotide increases muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic women
Clinical evaluation of changes in biomarkers by oral intake of NMN
