January 21, 2020
Keio University School of Medicine
A research group led by Professor Hiroshi Ito of the Department of Internal Medicine (Nephrology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism), Professor Kazuo Tsubota of the Department of Ophthalmology, Professor Masato Yasui of the Department of Pharmacology, and Professor Hideyuki Okano of the Department of Physiology at the Keio University School of Medicine, along with Professor Shin-ichiro Imai of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has revealed for the first time in the world that Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a promising anti-aging candidate substance, can be safely administered to healthy humans.
Previous studies in animals had shown that administration of NMN increases the amount of a substance called Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) present in various organs, thereby suppressing age-related diseases. However, the effects of NMN administration in humans were not well understood.
Starting in 2016, this research group conducted a clinical study on 10 healthy men to investigate whether NMN could be safely administered to humans. The group confirmed that NMN (1) can be safely administered to healthy humans and (2) is metabolized in the body in a dose-dependent manner.
This research is expected to be useful in the future for the prevention and treatment of age-related diseases. The findings were published in the Endocrine Journal on November 2, 2019.
Please see below for the full press release.