# NMN and NR: what selected human studies tell us

Different NAD+ precursors, different studies. Compare the questions and results without turning separate trials into a product ranking.

Original source: [NMN vs NR: What's the Real Difference? An Evidence-Led Comparison](https://donotage.org/blogs/nmn-or-nr-understanding-the-differences-in-nad-precursors) · DNA Staff · 2025-12-19

Revised: 2026-09-10

## What the names mean

NMN stands for nicotinamide mononucleotide; NR stands for nicotinamide riboside. Both are discussed as precursors in NAD+ metabolism. A precursor is a starting material in the production of another molecule. Its biological role alone does not tell us what taking it will do for a person.

[Trammell et al. · Nature Communications (2016) · NR bioavailability](https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12948)

The useful comparison is therefore not simply which name sounds closer to NAD+. Ask which compound was tested, in whom, for how long and against what comparison. Keep each answer attached to its source rather than turning a collection of separate trials into a single competition.

## What selected human studies measured

Martens and colleagues studied NR in a small placebo-controlled crossover trial in middle-aged and older adults. Six weeks of NR increased blood cellular NAD+ and was well tolerated at the tested dose. The study did not establish longer life.

[Martens et al. · Nature Communications (2018) · NR and NAD+](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03421-7)

Yoshino and colleagues tested NMN for ten weeks in postmenopausal women with prediabetes and overweight or obesity. Muscle insulin sensitivity improved after NMN; it did not change with placebo.

[Yoshino et al. · Science (2021) · NMN and muscle insulin sensitivity](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33888596/)

Dollerup and colleagues studied NR for twelve weeks in forty men with obesity. NR did not improve insulin sensitivity in that trial. This result matters when reading a summary that attributes an insulin-sensitivity benefit to that particular study.

[Dollerup et al. · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2018) · NR trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29992272/)

Different trials answer different questions

| Trial | Compound | Keep this distinction |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Martens · 2018 | NR | A NAD+ marker outcome |
| Yoshino · 2021 | NMN | A specific metabolic outcome |
| Dollerup · 2018 | NR | No insulin-sensitivity improvement |

[Martens et al. · Nature Communications (2018) · NR and NAD+](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03421-7) · [Yoshino et al. · Science (2021) · NMN and muscle insulin sensitivity](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33888596/) · [Dollerup et al. · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2018) · NR trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29992272/)

> **These were not head-to-head comparisons**
>
> The people, interventions and outcomes differed. These studies cannot rank NMN against NR, establish a benefit from combining them, or prove an effect for DoNotAge® Routine. A result in one group is not a promise of the same response in another.

## Read beyond the headline

- Check the complete methods and the measured outcome, including results that did not change.
- Distinguish a planned main outcome from an exploratory analysis. Look for how missing observations and exclusions were handled.
- Read tolerability in context: a short trial at one dose is not comprehensive evidence about long-term use.
- Keep the source with the claim when sharing an article. A link to a study is useful only if the summary accurately reflects it.

## Making sense of the comparison

This is a guide to reading a selected set of research, not an exhaustive review or an instruction to start a supplement. It deliberately gives no personal dose or product ranking. Your own circumstances are not reproduced by a trial summary.

Use the references to inspect the original research and the related primer to revisit the distinction between a biological explanation and evidence for an intervention. On the science hub, the two company-hosted DoNotAge® Routine reports have their own summaries and limitations.

## Sources

- [Yoshino et al. · Science (2021) · NMN and muscle insulin sensitivity](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33888596/)

- [Trammell et al. · Nature Communications (2016) · NR bioavailability](https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12948)

- [Martens et al. · Nature Communications (2018) · NR and NAD+](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03421-7)

- [Dollerup et al. · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2018) · NR trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29992272/)

[Why do we age? Reading the science with context](/blogs/why-do-we-age-breaking-down-the-science-of-longevity)

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