Augmenting Athletic Performance: The Crucial Role of NMN in Boosting Endurance among Runners
Recent studies indicate that Integrating exercise with NMN supplementation amplifies endurance performance in middle-aged athletes by fostering superior aerobic capacity.
Key Insights
- Supplementation with 600 to 1200 mg/day of NMN over six weeks amplifies muscle oxygen absorption and efficient energy generation in middle-aged runners.
- The enhancements in muscle oxygen utilisation correlate with higher NMN doses during endurance training.
- No detrimental health effects were reported while consuming up to 1200 mg/day of NMN over the six-week period.
Athletes worldwide continually explore innovative methods to optimise their endurance and overall performance. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supplementation has emerged as a promising ally in this pursuit, with extensive research revealing its potential to boost exercise endurance.
Recent studies led by Hu and his team from Guangzhou Sport University, as published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, unveiled that orally administered NMN powder can significantly improve runners' aerobic capacity and oxygen utilisation efficiency. This discovery broadens the horizon of NMN’s potential applications in enhancing athletic performance.
NMN’s Physiological Impact: The Human Perspective
Over the last ten years, in rodent studies, NMN has shown positive effects on healthy ageing, longevity, and exercise performance. NMN supplementation enhances energy production, boosts physical endurance by over 50%, and positively impacts physiological features such as neuron function and insulin sensitivity.
Recent human studies validate these findings, demonstrating NMN’s role in improving insulin sensitivity in pre-diabetic menopausal women and enhancing muscle function in men over 60. But does NMN’s influence extend to younger adults, particularly regarding health, ageing, and exercise?
Enhancing Endurance Exercise with NMN Supplementation
To explore NMN’s impact on healthy, middle-aged individuals, Hu and his team administered daily oral doses of 300, 600, or 1200 mg of NMN powder to runners over six weeks. During this period, these groups underwent rigorous training five to six times weekly for 40-60 minutes, followed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
The endurance exercise testing revealed that oxygen absorption and tissue delivery significantly improved with the 600 and 1200 mg/day dosages. Additionally, NMN supplementation enhanced aerobic power, improving the muscles’ ability to use oxygen for energy production.
More notably, the ventilatory threshold, indicating the point where breathing rate increases faster than oxygen absorption, showed significant improvement at 600 and 1200 mg/day dosages. This discovery underscores NMN’s potential to enhance the body’s oxygen utilisation capabilities, particularly when combined with regular exercise.
Figures from Liao et al., 2021 in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition indicate that oxygen uptake and aerobic power—the muscle utilisation of oxygen to produce energy—significantly improved after six weeks of NMN supplementation and training. The improvements were more pronounced in a dose-dependent manner.
Comparing high NMN supplementation doses to those trained without NMN, the middle (600 mg/day) and high (1200 mg/day) NMN doses yielded more significant gains in oxygen utilisation capacity. This finding underscores that more elevated amounts of NMN supplementation combined with training can catalyse substantial improvements in oxygen utilisation capacity.
High Dose NMN: A Safe Route to Enhanced Performance
One of the critical concerns with supplementation is its potential adverse effects. However, the study revealed no detrimental physical events or abnormalities in heart examinations (electrocardiograms) or exercise testing among the runners, even at doses up to 1200 mg/day. This finding suggests middle-aged individuals can safely integrate NMN supplementation into their routine.
The research team concluded that NMN improves skeletal muscle oxygen utilisation more effectively than exercise alone. In their words, “Our data suggest that skeletal muscle is one of the most sensitive tissues to NMN in humans.”
NMN Supplementation: A New Chapter in Athletic Performance Enhancement
The study’s findings support that NMN supplementation could be integrated into regular exercise regimens. This combination could enhance performance during training and significantly increase endurance following weeks or months of consistent training.
FAQ
What is NMN and how does it benefit runners?
Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is a compound that has been found to boost exercise endurance. Recent studies have shown that integrating exercise with NMN supplementation improves runners' aerobic capacity and oxygen utilisation efficiency. This is achieved by amplifying muscle oxygen absorption and efficient energy generation in middle-aged runners.
How much NMN should be supplemented for optimum benefits?
The study suggested that runners can benefit from daily doses of 600 to 1200 mg of NMN, administered over six weeks. These dosages significantly improved oxygen absorption and tissue delivery in runners, with the enhancements correlating with higher NMN doses during endurance training.
Are there any health concerns or side effects associated with NMN supplementation?
As per the study conducted by Hu and his team, no detrimental health effects were reported by runners consuming up to 1200 mg/day of NMN over a six-week period. However, as with any supplement, it's important to consult a healthcare provider before starting a new regimen.
Does NMN have any effects on ageing and general health?
Previous studies have shown that NMN has positive effects on healthy ageing, longevity, and exercise performance. It enhances energy production, boosts physical endurance, and positively impacts physiological features such as neuron function and insulin sensitivity.
Can NMN supplementation replace exercise?
No, NMN supplementation should not replace exercise. It is, however, found to amplify the benefits of exercise, enhancing the body’s oxygen utilisation capabilities when combined with regular exercise. Therefore, it is recommended to integrate NMN supplementation into a regular exercise regimen for optimum performance and endurance.
Study: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00442-4
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