In a study published in Food & Function, Yu and colleagues from Wenzhou Medical University in China demonstrated that oral NMN extends the lifespans of prematurely aging mice. Specifically, NMN increased the average lifespan by 14%, the median lifespan by 20%, and the maximum lifespan by 10%.
Additionally, the researchers discovered that NMN restored the intestinal tight junction multiprotein complexes, crucial for maintaining the intestinal barrier, in healthy, middle-aged mice not undergoing premature aging. Furthermore, NMN improved the abundance of beneficial intestinal bacteria, underscoring its potential to enhance gut health.
While previous studies have shown that NMN enhances gut health and improves the microbiome, this is the first study to demonstrate lifespan extension in fast-aging mice (progeria mice). These findings suggest that NMN's ability to extend the lifespan of genetically mutant mice may open the door to future experiments to test whether NMN can also extend the lifespan of healthy, aged mice. Positive results in such studies could be a significant step towards investigating whether NMN can extend human lifespan.
Progeria mice have a lifespan of about five months, compared to healthy mice that live up to 2.5 years. This shorter lifespan makes studying NMN’s effects on them more time- and cost-effective. With their brief lifespans, experiments can be completed faster and with less expense.
In studies, NMN treatment extended the median lifespan of prematurely aged mice by 20%, a finding that supports earlier research where NMN increased the lifespan of mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by about 3.5%. Additionally, NMN increased the maximum lifespan of progeria mice by about 10%, although it had no effect on the maximum lifespan of ALS mice. These results suggest that NMN's effects on progeria mice could justify further research on extending the lifespan of healthy mice.
Previous research indicated that NMN increased gene activity for intestinal tight junction proteins (Claudin-1 proteins). Yu and colleagues went further by measuring protein levels and found that NMN increased these protein levels about fourfold in middle-aged mice not given NMN. This finding supports the idea that NMN restores tight junctions, which are crucial for maintaining a functional barrier between the gut and circulation. Improving the intestinal barrier may be one way NMN extends life, as intestinal dysfunction can contribute to aging and a shorter lifespan.
A healthy microbiome composition is essential to avoid digestive problems caused by age-related gut microbe imbalances—dysbiosis. Yu and colleagues found that NMN increased the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria such as Bifidobacterium pseudolongum and Akkermansia muciniphila. Bifidobacterium pseudolongum has anticancer properties, and higher levels of Akkermansia muciniphila are associated with centenarians. By increasing these beneficial bacteria, NMN may promote a healthier gut during aging.