Effect of 12-Week Intake of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide on Sleep Quality, Fatigue, and Physical Performance in Older Japanese Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.

Mijin Kim,Jaehoon Seol,Tomohiro Okura,Takanobu Sakurai,Yuichiro Fukamizu,Toshiya Sato

doi:10.3390/nu14040755

Abstract

Deteriorating sleep quality and physical or mental fatigue in older adults leads to decreased quality of life and increased mortality rates. This study investigated the effects of the time-dependent intake of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) on sleep quality, fatigue, and physical performance in older adults. This randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluated 108 participants divided into four groups (NMN_AM; antemeridian, NMN_PM; post meridian, Placebo_AM, Placebo_PM). NMN (250 mg) or placebo was administered once a day for 12 weeks. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Fatigue was evaluated using the “Jikaku-sho shirabe” questionnaire. Grip strength, 5-times sit-to-stand (5-STS), timed up and go, and 5-m habitual walk were evaluated to assess the physical performance. Significant interactions were observed between 5-STS and drowsiness. 5-STS of all groups on post-intervention and drowsiness of the NMN_PM and Placebo_PM groups on mid- and post-intervention showed significant improvement compared with those in pre-intervention. The NMN_PM group demonstrated the largest effect size for 5-STS (d = 0.72) and drowsiness (d = 0.64). Overall, NMN intake in the afternoon effectively improved lower limb function and reduced drowsiness in older adults. These findings suggest the potential of NMN in preventing loss of physical performance and improving fatigue in older adults.

Highlights

The functions of human tissues and organs deteriorate gradually with aging, and cellular damage or stress leads to cell senescence, which further contributes to dysfunction in various tissues [1]
The present study demonstrated that nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) intake in the afternoon was the most effective in enhancing the functions of the lower extremities evaluated by 5-times sit-to-stand (5-STS) and timed up and go (TUG) when compared to other groups, which provides supporting evidence for previous studies and indicates that NMN intake is effective in improving mobility in both mice and humans
Animal, and human clinical studies have investigated the efficacy of NMN intake on aging-related changes in functions and diseases, only three studies have verified the effect of NMN intake on humans, which is far from sufficient to verify the effect of NMN intake in older adults

Summary

Introduction

The functions of human tissues and organs deteriorate gradually with aging, and cellular damage or stress leads to cell senescence, which further contributes to dysfunction in various tissues [1]. Age-related mitochondrial DNA-deletion mutations accumulate focally in skeletal muscles, leading to fiber atrophy, loss of muscle mass, and dysfunction [3]. Aging-induced insufficient physical activity and deterioration of physical function result in fatigue. This symptom frequently occurs among the elderly and has been complained by 27–50% of community-dwelling older adults in their daily life. Chronic fatigue contributes to sleep disturbance and other sleep problems such as sleep latency, waking up during the night, waking up too early [7] and physical dysfunction and physical inactivity.

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Discussion

Conclusion