Why Nuchido TIME+ doesn’t contain NMN or NR

If you’ve heard of NAD+ supplements, you’ve probably heard of NAD+ precursor supplements such as NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) and NR (nicotinamide riboside).  

These ingredients have gained significant attention in recent years as potential ways to increase NAD+ levels and support healthy aging. 

One of the most common questions we receive at Nuchido is why Nuchido TIME+ doesn’t contain NMN or NR, and instead our formula uses nicotinamide (NAM) as the primary NAD+ precursor.

This article will compare each of the NAD+ precursors and highlight the benefits of nicotinamide (NAM) and why we chose to include it in the Nuchido TIME+ formulation. 

Understanding NAD+ biology can be complex. Multiple precursors and metabolic pathways can be used to make NAD+, while several other biological processes actively consume or degrade it. 

NAD+ also constantly  transitions between various states as it donates and accepts electrons during cellular energy production. This dynamic role means that maintaining healthy NAD+ levels requires a balanced and well-regulated system. 

If you’d like to learn more about how NAD+ changes as we age, read our guide on why NAD+ levels decline with age. 

NAD+ precursors are the raw materials that the body uses to produce NAD+. In other words, they are the building blocks required for NAD+ synthesis. 

There are 5 different precursors that the body can use to make NAD+: 

All of these precursors are structurally similar but there are some important differences in the way they act in the body. For example, nicotinic acid is known to cause flushing whilst nicotinamide does not. 

NAM, NR and NMN can all increase NAD+ production, but the important challenge is getting the precursor into the cell in the first place.  

Increasing precursor levels in the bloodstream isn’t beneficial as NAD+ production occurs inside of the cells, meaning the precursor must first cross the cell membrane. Cell membranes are tightly regulated barriers that control which molecules can enter or leave the cell. 

Research suggests that both NR and NMN require specific transport channels to cross the cell membrane and access the cells, but not all cells have these channels. 

In comparison, NAM can freely diffuse across the cell membrane without a channel, meaning it can be absorbed by many more cells. This is important because the goal of NAD+ supplementation is to support NAD+ levels throughout the body, not just in a limited number of cells.  

Nicotinamide is the preferred precursor for NAD+ production.  It is the circulating precursor that the majority of our NAD+ is naturally made from by the Salvage Pathway, which continuously recycles nicotinamide back into NAD+. 

Under normal physiological circumstances, the majority of NAD+ is not produced solely from NR or NMN, but instead regenerated through this recycling system. 

A concern sometimes raised about nicotinamide is that very high concentrations may inhibit sirtuins. Sirtuins are a group of NAD+ dependent proteins that promote cellular health, metabolic regulation and coordinate many of the benefits of NAD+.  

However, the studies often cited to support this theory have all been conducted in vitro, using isolated cells in culture and exceptionally high concentrations of NAM that would never be reached under normal physiological conditions.   

In healthy physiology, the salvage pathway efficiently converts NAM into fresh NAD+. This means NAM does not accumulate inside healthy cells for long, as it is efficiently recycled back into NAD+. 

Why Nuchido TIME+ Uses Nicotinamide