Can NMN promote chronic inflammation?

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    Last Updated: October 13, 2024

    Under certain conditions NMN can enhance the pro-inflammatory characteristics of senescent cells, promoting chronic inflammation. However there's currently no evidence that this occurs in humans in the range of NMN supplement doses tested to date.

    Most research has suggested that NMN supplements reduce inflammation. Numerous animal models[1] and one study using cultured primary human cells[2] have indicated that boosting cellular NAD+ levels with NMN has is anti-inflammatory effects, and evidence is mounting that increased inflammation associated with aging is linked to low NMN levels.

    However, the terms “always” and “never” rarely apply in the life sciences. Additional research models have suggested that NMN can potentially promote inflammation in older, senescent cells which accumulate during aging by enhancing their pro-inflammatory characteristics. In this type of cells, the concern is that NMN could have the unintended consequence of increasing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to chronic inflammation. This could theoretically impair tissue repair regeneration, promote further accumulation of senescent cells, and create conditions permissive for the development cancer.[3][4]