NMN capsules beside a runner tying shoes

NMN and Athletic Performance: What Human Studies Show

NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) is a precursor of NAD+, a molecule involved in cellular energy metabolism. In human studies, NMN taken alongside training has been linked to better submaximal endurance markers in amateur runners. Maximal values such as VO₂max did not change. Results in young, highly trained athletes are mixed. Results in older and middle-aged adults point to gains in walking performance and fatigue tolerance. This article sets out what each study measured, which doses were used, and how to apply the findings.

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TL;DR

  • In a six-week trial of amateur runners, NMN at 600 and 1200 mg/day raised oxygen uptake and power at the ventilatory thresholds. VO₂max and peak power did not differ from placebo.
  • A 2026 trial in young collegiate track-and-field athletes found no clear endurance gain from NMN alone after 8 weeks.
  • A 2025 review concludes NAD+ supplementation may suit older people, people with metabolic disorders and amateur endurance athletes. For elite sport it does not support routine use.
  • Human trials have used 250 to 2000 mg/day for 14 days to 24 weeks, with no increase in adverse events in a 2026 meta-analysis.
  • NMN works best as one part of a plan built on training, sleep and nutrition.

Table of Contents

What NMN is and why athletes ask about it

NMN is a form of vitamin B3 that the body converts into NAD+. NAD+ takes part in the reactions that turn food into usable energy in mitochondria. Levels of NAD+ are reported to fall with age, which is why NMN is mostly discussed in the context of healthy ageing. Athletes ask a related question: if NAD+ supports energy metabolism, can raising its supply improve endurance or recovery?

Human research on this is young. The most useful way to read it is by group: amateur athletes, young trained athletes, and older or middle-aged adults. Each group has produced different results. A 2025 systematic review in the Journal of Recreation on NAD+ precursors and athletic performance is the clearest overview. It separates these groups and reaches a different conclusion for each.

For background on how NAD+ supplementation is studied more broadly, see our guide to NAD+ supplementation: benefits, science and outcomes.

The key trial: amateur runners and ventilatory thresholds

The most cited sports trial is by Liao and colleagues. It was a six-week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 48 amateur runners. Participants trained and took NMN at 300, 600 or 1200 mg/day, or placebo. Researchers measured performance with cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).

The results:

  • The medium-dose and high-dose groups showed greater increases in oxygen uptake (VO₂) than placebo.
  • The same groups showed greater increases in the percentage of VO₂max and in power at the first and second ventilatory thresholds.
  • VO₂max, O₂-pulse and peak power did not differ between groups.

In plain terms: at a given effort below maximum, the NMN groups used oxygen more effectively. The ventilatory thresholds mark the points where breathing speeds up as intensity rises. For a runner or cyclist, higher power at those points means more work can be sustained before fatigue builds. The ceiling of the engine, VO₂max, stayed the same.

The 2025 review reaches the same reading across the human literature: in amateur athletes, NMN alongside training enhanced ventilatory thresholds and submaximal VO₂ parameters, while VO₂max and peak performance remained unchanged.

What studies measured: a side-by-side view

Study Participants NMN dose and length Main finding
Liao et al. 48 amateur runners 300, 600 or 1200 mg/day for 6 weeks Gains in VO₂ and threshold power at 600 and 1200 mg. No change in VO₂max or peak power
Collegiate athlete trial, 2026 Male track-and-field athletes 500 mg/day for 8 weeks No effective endurance gain at the 8-week primary endpoint
Acute exercise study, 2025 60 participants 300 mg before exhaustive exercise No significant difference in interoception scores after exercise
Middle-aged adults trial, 2021 80 healthy adults 300, 600 or 900 mg/day for 60 days Higher six-minute walking distance than placebo in all NMN groups
Muscle study, 2026 11 untrained men 1200 mg/day for 7 days Lower inflammatory signalling after blood flow restriction exercise, and a change in mitochondrial content

The table shows why the topic is hard to summarise in one sentence. The studies differ in population, dose, length and outcome. A gain in one measure does not carry over to another.

Young, highly trained athletes

The 2026 trial in male collegiate track-and-field athletes used 500 mg/day for 8 weeks. NMN did not effectively improve endurance performance at the 8-week primary endpoint. The 4-week results and stratified analyses suggested that NMN combined with paprika xanthophyll might help endurance.

The authors offered a reading. Their participants were young, and their NAD+ levels were likely already sufficient. They proposed that future work should test whether the effect of NMN on endurance varies with age and baseline endurance level.

A separate 2026 study from Japan used an eight-ingredient formulation containing NMN for 42 days. It reported no significant differences between placebo and the formulation in VO₂, VCO₂, respiratory exchange ratio, minute ventilation, anaerobic threshold or achieved workload.

The practical reading for a young, well-trained athlete is that the research does not yet show a clear performance gain from NMN. The research question that remains open is who benefits most, and age and training status look like the main variables.

Young, highly trained athletes

Older and middle-aged adults

Endurance in daily life is a performance goal too. For people over 40, it means walking further, recovering faster and staying active. Here the studies are more consistent.

The 2025 review reports that supplementation improved walking performance, endurance and fatigue tolerance in older adults and populations with metabolic syndrome. It concludes that NAD+ supplementation may benefit older individuals.

A randomised, multicentre, double-blind trial gave 80 healthy middle-aged adults placebo or 300, 600 or 900 mg NMN daily for 60 days. Blood NAD concentrations rose significantly in all NMN groups at days 30 and 60. Walking distance on the six-minute walking test was higher in all NMN groups than placebo, and no safety issues were found.

This matters for the family of a training athlete in their 50s or 60s, and for caregivers buying for older relatives. Our article on NMN for over-50s covers what to take and how much for that age group.

Recovery and muscle adaptation

Recovery is the second reason athletes look at NMN. The evidence here is early and has two sides.

In a 2026 study, 11 untrained men took 1200 mg/day NMN for 7 days and then did blood flow restriction exercise. NMN suppressed exercise-induced increases in TNF-α and IL-10 mRNA in skeletal muscle. It also abolished the 171% rise in mitochondrial content that normally occurs 24 hours after this type of exercise. The authors suggest NMN may affect how mitochondria move from immune cells to repairing muscle fibres.

Participant performing cuffed knee extensions

This is one small study at a high dose over a short period. It shows that NMN acts on the inflammatory response to hard training, and that the timing and dose may matter. It is not a result to turn into a rule. Athletes who work with a coach or sports dietitian can use it as a reason to plan NMN around training load rather than take a high dose around every session.

How strong is the evidence overall?

The evidence is limited, and a fair summary says so. A systematic review by Wen and colleagues covered 10 randomised controlled trials with 437 participants. Mean age was 58.0 years, mean follow-up 9.6 weeks, and doses ran from 150 to 1200 mg/day. It found non-significant improvements in physical performance parameters and no serious adverse effects. The authors could not run a meta-analysis because the studies differed too much, and they noted that limited literature makes firm conclusions difficult.

Three points follow from this:

  1. Most trials are short, at 4 to 12 weeks. Long-term effects on performance are not yet measured.
  2. Studies use different doses, tests and populations, so results cannot be pooled.
  3. The strongest signals are in submaximal endurance markers and in older or less trained groups.

The Journal of Recreation review states the position directly: NAD+ supplementation may be beneficial for older individuals, those with metabolic disorders or amateur endurance athletes. In elite sport, current evidence does not support routine use, and NMN and NADH remain promising avenues for research.

Doses and duration used in human studies

Dose is where studies differ most. A 2026 meta-analysis by Yang and colleagues covered 15 trials with NMN doses from 250 to 2000 mg/day and durations from 14 days to 24 weeks. Examine.com lists the studied range as 250 mg to 1,200 mg/day.

In the sports trials above:

  • Liao et al. saw threshold gains at 600 and 1200 mg/day over 6 weeks, and not at 300 mg/day.
  • The collegiate trial used 500 mg/day for 8 weeks.
  • The middle-aged adult trial used 300, 600 and 900 mg/day for 60 days.

We do not set a performance dose for any reader. The ranges above describe what was tested, not what is advised. A person with a medical condition or on medication should speak to a GP or pharmacist before starting a supplement.

Safety in the trials

Safety data are reassuring within the tested ranges. In the Yang meta-analysis, NMN did not increase overall, serious, withdrawal-related or system-specific adverse events. It did not significantly raise ALT or AST liver markers. No significant effects appeared on body weight, BMI, fasting glucose, HbA1c, lipid profiles or systolic blood pressure. The Wen review also saw no serious adverse effects.

For Dutch adults, our article on NMN side effects in Dutch adults sets out what 12-week trials show.

Using NMN as part of a training routine

The research suggests a practical approach. NMN is one input. It does not replace training volume, sleep, protein or carbohydrate intake.

  1. Define the goal. Submaximal endurance, daily energy or healthy ageing each point to different expectations.
  2. Match the form to your routine. Capsules suit travel and fixed daily timing. Powder allows flexible amounts.
  3. Stay inside tested ranges. Trials used 250 mg/day and above for periods from two weeks to six months.
  4. Allow time. Trials that showed benefit ran for 6 to 8 weeks or more, so judge the effect over weeks and not days.
  5. Track a measure that matters. Pace at a set heart rate, a time trial or walking distance gives a clearer view than how a session felt.
  6. Pair with other longevity compounds with care. Other polyphenols such as resveratrol, quercetin or fisetin are studied for ageing, not for sport performance.

If NAD+ interests you but NMN does not suit you, our guide on how to boost NAD+ without NMN covers the options. For a comparison of precursors, see our 2026 NMN vs NR analysis. A longer view of daily use is in our article on using NMN over three months.

Our perspective

We read the sports research as a map of where NMN fits. The signal is clearest in amateur athletes and in adults past 40, and in submaximal measures such as threshold power and walking distance. Those are the measures most people feel in daily training and daily life.

We design our range for people who want a clear, transparent NAD+ precursor. Our NMN is vegan and tested for purity. It is assembled in the Netherlands, and the formulation is stated on the label. We believe a supplement should be easy to understand and easy to fit into a routine, so we offer capsules in two strengths and a powder.

We also think honest framing serves athletes best. NMN is not a shortcut to a higher VO₂max. It is a way to support the NAD+ side of energy metabolism while training does the real work. Used steadily over weeks, alongside good sleep and food, that is a sensible role for it.

 

Jord

Our NMN range

Vivetus offers NMN as 250 mg and 500 mg capsules and as a powder, with international shipping and subscription options. Shipping is free on orders over €50. Start with the NMN collection, or go straight to the 60 x 500 mg capsules, the 60 x 250 mg capsules or the NMN powder.

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FAQ

Does NMN improve endurance?

In amateur runners, NMN with training raised oxygen uptake and power at the ventilatory thresholds over six weeks. VO₂max did not change. In young collegiate athletes, NMN alone did not show a clear endurance gain after 8 weeks. Older adults showed better walking performance and fatigue tolerance in the 2025 review.

Will NMN raise my VO₂max?

The trials do not show this. Both the Liao trial and the 2025 review report that VO₂max and peak performance stayed unchanged. The gains appeared at submaximal intensity, where sustained effort happens.

How much NMN was used in sports studies?

The sports trials used 300 to 1200 mg/day, with 500 mg/day in the collegiate trial and 600 and 1200 mg/day showing threshold gains in runners. Durations ran from a single pre-exercise dose to 8 weeks. These are study conditions and not a recommendation, so ask a GP or pharmacist if you take medication.

Is NMN useful for older people who exercise?

The evidence is more consistent here. The 2025 review reports better walking performance, endurance and fatigue tolerance in older adults. A 60-day trial in middle-aged adults found longer six-minute walking distance at 300, 600 and 900 mg/day.

Does NMN help recovery after training?

The research is early. One 2026 study found lower inflammatory signalling in muscle after hard exercise, together with a change in mitochondrial content. It was small and used a high dose for 7 days, so more work is needed before drawing conclusions.

Sources

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