What is Better? NMN Supplement in powder or injection form?
What’s the most effective way to take NMN supplement? Orally in a capsule? NMN powder to ingest sublingually by melting NMN supplement powder beneath the tongue? Or is NMN only available by injection?
NMN was previously administered directly into the peritoneal (abdominal) cavity of mice in previous investigations. Many individuals thus concluded that NMN cannot be taken orally. Others suggest you have to take it sublingually and that merely swallowing a tablet is not going to cut it. These statements are based on old information.
NMN taken orally and sublingually is very well absorbed. A study, published in 2018, demonstrates that the majority of oral supplements of NMN and NR are metabolized to NAM in the gastrointestinal tract or the liver. The researches that support this are as follows:
1. Better Absorption.
Sublingual administration may result in more fast absorption via the blood vessels beneath the mouth than through the digestive tract as per the research mentioned. 1, 2, 3. It has also been reported in research that the absorption of many drugs administered sublingually can be 3 to 10 times more than that of oral administration and is only surpassed by direct IV injection.
2. Better Bioavailability.
Intraperitoneal injections are absorbed mostly by the gastrointestinal veins, which drain into the portal vein and then into the liver. This implies IP bypasses the GI system but still gets to the liver to be transformed to NAD+. Elevated NAD+ in the liver is beneficial, but intact NMN in the circulation is preferable. Sublingual administration bypasses the liver and reaches the systemic circulation intact, resulting in higher bioavailability than injection.
3. Surpasses The NAMPT Bottleneck.
Restoring NAD+ in the liver does not resolve the body’s NAD+ shortage. The CD38 enzyme in the liver metabolizes NAD+ to NAM, which is discharged into the bloodstream. Sublingual distribution of NMN or NAD+ directly into the circulation skips the liver and the NAMPT bottleneck to a certain extent.
4. NMN studies have conclusively established that NMN is rapidly absorbed when administered orally.
NMN is readily absorbed and converted to NAD+ when taken. In mice, a particular protein called SLC12A8 has been identified that is capable of transporting NMN across cell membranes in the murine small intestines; but this transportation doesn’t apply to NR. A genetic study revealed that humans also possess this transporter.
In recent years, an increasing body of data and research on model animals has demonstrated that supplementing with NMN may be an effective anti-aging nutraceutical, with beneficial effects on a wide variety of physiological systems. More human clinical studies will be done in order to better understand the potential.
Dr. David Sinclair daily uses NMN in powder form (extract of his own Lifespan Podcast published in 2022).
