Forget the idea that getting older automatically means less energy, more wrinkles, a slower mind and a faster slide to age-related disease. NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is the secret cellular sauce—a coenzyme directly involved in more than 500 enzymatic processes in the body. As we age, NAD production slows, gumming up the works in ways that present as the typical hallmarks of aging—a fuzzier mind, slower recovery times, less energy, even wrinkles and gray hair (not to mention far more serious age-related diseases, from cancers to cardiovascular conditions and well beyond).
But there’s a workaround. Supplementing with NMN, or nicotinamide mononucleotide, can actually slow down the effects of time by revving up NAD production to more youthful levels. And the effects are impressive. So what’s the catch? With more manufacturers bringing NAD products to the market, it’s up to the consumer—that’s you—to perform a little due diligence before making a purchase. The goal is to boost NMN at a cellular level, which makes the method of delivery key. Some brands are touting liposomal NMN as the most efficient and bioavailable option, but those claims aren’t bearing out in the science. Here are the facts about liposomal NMN, according to clinical studies, and what they tell us about the better alternative.
What is NMN and Why is it Important?
NMN is what’s known as an NAD precursor (NR, or nicotinamide riboside, is another one), and it’s a truly impressive little compound with two standout features. First, NMN is easily absorbed in the body. Second, it’s very resilient in the digestive tract, which means it does a great job of getting where it needs to go—and staying intact in the process. In the cell, NMN is easily and quickly converted directly into NAD. While NMN and NR are molecularly quite similar, NMN has an additional phosphate group that makes it slightly bigger. In 2019, a specific transporter known as Slc12a8 was identified. It’s unique to NMN and it functions as a sort of oversized doorway that allows the bigger molecule entry to the cell, where it can begin NAD synthesis. That’s precisely the goal.
What does NMN stand for?
NMN is the catchy shorthand for nicotinamide mononucleotide, which is the full, formal name. It spares us from working through all eleven of those syllables (and fits much better on product labels!).
How does NMN relate to NAD?
NMN is the immediate precursor to NAD. While you might assume that taking NAD directly is the most effective way to amp up NAD in the cells, it doesn’t actually work that way. NAD itself is a pretty temperamental molecule. Not only is it quite big, it’s sensitive to heat and doesn’t do a great job of making its way from your bloodstream into your cells. Research to date shows that oral NAD supplementation doesn’t do much, and there’s a lot of shrugs about the efficacy of NAD IV therapy. Researchers from a 2020 review put it like this: “the metabolism of intravenously infused NAD/NADH is currently unclear.”
Instead, science has shown that the best way to improve NAD is with a precursor like NMN. And it’s a pretty big deal. Wonderfeel’s own Dr. Andrew Salzman, a leading biomedical expert, describes NAD precursors as one of the biggest breakthroughs in longevity science. “The real breakthrough that’s occurred is how to get NAD levels back to normal,” he says. “We now understand that it can’t be done by giving NAD itself, but it can be done by supplying the starting material.” In other words, NMN is the building block our cells need to kickstart the kind of NAD production we enjoyed when we were younger.
Why is NAD crucial for our health?
Above, we described NAD as a pretty important coenzyme. That’s putting it mildly. Without NAD, life as we know it doesn’t even exist. While declining NAD levels are a normal part of the chronological aging process, it’s also a trigger to all kinds of age-related issues—think metabolic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. The decline can actually begin as early as our 30s, and by the time we reach the half-century mark, we have roughly half the NAD we did at age 20.
The amazing thing is that NMN supplementation makes it possible to reverse this trend, bumping up NAD production and rolling back the years on our biological clock.
Understanding Liposomal Technology
Now, how does liposomal technology fit into all of this? Well, depending on what you read or who you listen to, liposomal delivery is the hands-down best way to get key compounds into our system. But there’s a little more to the story.
What are liposomes?
Liposomes are essentially minuscule bubbles of a fat-like substance that surround an active ingredient to protect it on its journey through the body, and specifically in the digestive tract. In theory, they sound pretty great. But the technology has fairly serious drawbacks. But before we get into that, let’s review how this technology works and why it’s getting fairly significant air time.
How does liposomal delivery work?
Basically, liposomes function as little bodyguards, protecting the star of the show as it makes its way through hostile stomach acids and facilitating absorption into the bloodstream. Indeed, proponents of liposomal delivery highlight its bioavailability, meaning as much of the active ingredient as possible makes it to its intended destination. But while that may be true in some instances, it’s nothing more than a theory when you’re talking about liposomal NMN specifically.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of liposomal supplements?
Again, the big appeal is efficacy of absorption. But there are some major concerns about this form of delivery. A 2024 study offers a comprehensive breakdown of the problems of liposomal drug technology, so let’s briefly run through the issues:
- Low stability. Liposomes can be prone to leaking, both when they’re stored and when they’re used. To be blunt, that tendency makes a mockery of the whole bioavailability advantage, since it’s clearly compromising efficacy.
- Limited circulation time. In the bloodstream, liposomes don’t often function well for long, and modifications are often made to improve stability. Temperature, pH levels, and enzymatic activity can all lead to liposomal degradation. Again, problematic, especially for a supplement.
- Worrisome added ingredients. While liposomes themselves are generally biocompatible, that’s not always true for the surfactants, phospholipids, and other stabilizing agents used. Poor formulations can mean toxicity or troubling immune system interactions.
- Scalability and variability hurdles. Mass production of liposomal supplements, including NMN, is another problem. The preparation of liposomal carriers is intricate and precise, and there’s a lot of room for error. The fact is, reproducing desirable liposome properties is really tricky to maintain across large batches—and the more advanced the liposomal system, the harder it becomes.
- And about that bioavailability benefit… A sticking point for liposomal drugs is the challenge in getting the active ingredient to “let go” of its carrier—the liposome—and release itself at the right place and time. In some instances, the encapsulated compound doesn’t release effectively, rendering itself completely ineffective and highlighting that the overall design is lacking.
Of course, these facts are enough to make a wise consumer proceed with caution. But in the case of liposomal NMN specifically, the biggest issue is simply that we don’t have enough data, and you cannot assume that because one liposomal drug works in one way, the same will be true for another. “There are all kinds of different results depending on the drug,” says Salzman. “You can’t compare a liposomal delivery of drug X to another drug.” In fact, to properly understand efficacy, he says it’s essential to perform a range of studies: dissolution studies, studies, measurements comparing different species’ and human intestinal uptake ability, and ADME. The latter is short for human radiolabeled absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. It’s a wildly comprehensive and time-consuming process that offers a quantitative and comprehensive overall picture of the disposition of a drug, including excretion pattern and metabolite profiles in circulation and excreta. And as of now, we just don’t have them for liposomal NMN.
Liposomal NMN: A Game-Changer in Supplementation?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. And not to put too fine a point on it, but consider that all leading scientific institutions deliver NR and NMN in capsule form—not liposomal, not sublingual, and not via IV. Currently, there are no scientific studies showing that liposomal NMN (or NR or NAD) is effective in any way. And while that’s not to say that there are no successful drugs using liposomal technology—indeed, this is certainly possible after a lengthy R&D process and rigorous testing—it’s also true that were liposomal drugs the most efficient method of delivery, the entire field would have converted some 20 years ago. Look around, and you’ll see that’s certainly not the case.
It begs the question—what is the best NMN delivery method when the goal is increasing NAD in the cells? Truly, it’s nothing fancy. According to the latest research, oral NMN capsules are the most efficient and the most widely used in all research institutes. Telling, no?
What makes liposomal NMN different from regular NMN?
Regular NMN—that is, non-liposomal NMN—is taken via oral administration. It’s the most prevalent drug delivery method around (roughly 60% of established drug products are taken orally), but far more importantly, it’s the most studied form of NMN delivery. In fact, all data to date is specific to oral NMN administration.
A number of recent human clinical trials, including the largest NMN study to date, have all come to the same conclusion—oral NMN capsules have impressive absorption properties in the human digestive system and effectively boost blood NAD concentration. Daily oral NMN supplementation means a gradual increase of NAD levels in the body, which ups the already impressive safety profile even more. Plus, there’s the fact that oral capsules are a familiar, convenient, and entirely non-invasive way to supplement. Truly, regular NMN ticks all the boxes in a way that liposomal NMN, at this point in time, simply doesn’t.
Does liposomal NMN improve bioavailability?
It’s debatable. Improved bioavailability is the appeal of liposomal technology, it’s true, but it’s still a theory when you’re talking about liposomal NMN specifically. Scientific papers that suggest otherwise, like this one, simply don’t have the clinical studies to back up the claims. (And in the interest of full transparency, that paper was authored by the owner of a company selling liposomal NMN.)
Can liposomal NMN lead to better results?
At this point, we don’t have the research to say whether liposomal NMN offers any advantage. What we do have, however, is a lot of studies that find oral supplementation with regular NMN to be an effective, efficient way to increase NAD at a cellular level. And really, isn’t that all the information you need?
Are There Any Side Effects or Risks of NMN Supplementation?
Since oral NMN supplementation is quite well researched, we can say with some certainty that its safety profile is excellent. No studies or anecdotal evidence to date have even hinted at any kind of health risk or adverse side effect. Whether or not that’s true for liposomal NMN isn’t clear, and again, that relates directly to the lack of data. We don’t know how effectively liposomal NMN is absorbed, and we don’t know whether it poses any kind of health risk. Whether or not you feel comfortable supplementing with liposomal NMN given that lack of data, well, that’s a personal decision.
Who should avoid taking liposomal NMN?
If the goal is increasing NAD in the cells for healthy aging, then liposomal NMN is a bit of a gamble. As we’ve exhaustively covered above, all of the research to date is specific to the benefits of oral supplementation with regular NMN. From safety to efficacy, we know how regular NMN functions in the body. Honestly, why would you want to mess around with anything else?
How to Choose a Quality NMN Supplement
Deciding to take an NMN supplement is one thing. Finding one from a brand you can trust is another. Dietary supplements like NMN are subject to what’s known as postmarket enforcement by the FDA. That means they don’t have to be proven safe and effective before coming to market—instead, the FDA is entirely reactionary. That means it’s up to you to shop with care.
With NMN supplements, purity is absolutely essential. But with so many brands flooding the market with enticing labels (“99% pure NMN” and “advanced liposomal technology” are typical), it’s not always easy to find. You don’t know what you don’t know, so let’s take a facts-first approach to choosing a quality NMN supplement.
What should you look for on the label?
If you can’t trust the label that promises 99% purity, what should you look for instead? Good question. Look for a brand that manufactures its NMN supplement in facilities that follow cGMP, or current good manufacturing practices. These FDA-approved regulations ensure stringent standards for quality, purity, and efficacy in the form of robust quality control measures, high-quality raw materials, and strict manufacturing processes. It’s not something to overlook. When it’s produced in non-cGMP facilities used for chemical manufacturing, even NMN with 99% purity has a huge potential for the kind of impurities that pose an enormous risk for human health.
Step two is looking for a certificate of analysis (COA). This document comes from a verified third-party lab that screens products for potency and safety by testing for contaminants like yeast, mold, and other bacteria, along with outright harmful substances like lead, mercury, arsenic, and more. A few things to note: COAs are only credible when they come from accredited labs. It means they follow strict testing standards. COAs should be readily accessible, often via a QR code that takes you directly to the results on the lab’s website.
Finally, prioritize companies that emphasize transparency in everything from sourcing to manufacturing processes to lab testing results. Ingredients should be listed in full, as should recommended dosage, storage instructions, and any warnings or contraindications. Basically, you want to feel that a company is doing things the right way by keeping your safety top of mind.
That’s the way we do it here at Wonderfeel. Our proprietary NMN supplement, Wonderfeel Youngr™, is produced in the USA at cGMP-certified facilities that are held to the highest FDA regulations. We provide third-party lab results for each and every product we make, and we go a step further with our deep commitment to sustainability and the future of this planet.
As for our formulation itself, we use an enzymatic process, widely considered a green preparation method, that results in stable, easily absorbed, low-density NMN. Plus, our finished NMN supplement is non-GMO and vegan. And it gets better. Our formula addresses a major enzyme—CD38—that actively breaks down NAD in the body. The older we get, the more our CD38 levels increase and the more our NAD levels decline. Supplements designed to increase NAD without addressing CD38 are missing the bigger picture. Think of it like a leaky bucket—no matter how much water you add (the NAD in this analogy), it’s still draining away (the CD38 doing its thing). That amounts to limited benefits and efficacy.
As Dr. Salzman explains it, the real challenge with NAD supplements isn’t simply boosting NAD. It’s actively slowing down the rate of NAD depletion at the same time, and that means addressing CD38. Unlike other longevity supplements on the market, Wonderfeel Youngr™ does exactly that. We pair our high-quality NMN with a trio of handpicked antioxidants and vitamin D3 that work to shield our cells from oxidative stress and regulate CD38 activity. Our diverse mix—resveratrol, hydroxytyrosol and ergothioneine—effectively safeguards against various types of oxidative stress, increases NAD production by activating sirtuins, and inhibits the expression of CD38 and other NAD consumers. That leaky bucket? Plugging the holes with Wonderfeel Youngr™ effectively solves the problem. All of this, combined with our clinically proven dose (900 mg of NMN per serving), means the utmost efficacy and sustained NAD levels. And isn’t that the point?
The Bottom Line: Liposomal NMN
Currently, any purported advantages to liposomal NMN are based in theory, not data. Be mindful of that when you’re comparing NMN brands and products. Marketing language is designed to be persuasive and reassuring, but a little digging makes the facts very clear—right now, there are no clinical studies that support the theory that liposomal NMN is effective, let alone safe. In the interest of NMN supplements that deliver on their promise—with the research to back it up—oral capsules are the way to go.