11 Natural Food Sources of NMN (From Highest to Lowest)

Your body’s cells need energy to work properly, and they get this energy with the help of a molecule called NAD+. As you get older, your body makes less NAD+. 

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is a natural substance that can help increase your NAD+ levels. While you can take NMN as supplements, it’s also found in many common foods.

We’ve ranked the top 11 natural food sources that contain NMN by concentration, showing you, how much each food contains. This guide will help you include these cell-healthy foods in your daily diet alongside or instead of supplements.

What is NMN and Why Does it Matter?

NMN is a molecule that’s essential for cellular health. It’s the main building block your body uses to make nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+ for short), an important coenzyme that keeps all your cells working properly. ¹

Inside your cells, NAD+ does several important jobs:

• Creates energy in cell powerhouses called mitochondria

• Helps fix damaged DNA

• Protects cells from harm

• Helps control your sleep patterns

• Activates proteins that help cells live longer

Here’s the problem: as you get older, your NAD+ levels fall dramatically. By middle age, you might have half the NAD+ you had as a young adult. ² This decline is linked to many signs of aging, like mitochondrial dysfunction and chronic inflammation. ³

Research published in scientific journals shows that NMN supplements can boost NAD+ levels, which may help reverse some aging effects. ⁴ Studies have shown improvements in metabolism, physical performance, and insulin sensitivity.

Scientists are still studying NMN in humans, but the evidence so far suggests it could help us stay healthier as we age.

Food Sources of NMN Ranked by Content

Natural NMN exists in specific foods at measurable concentrations.

The following table presents 11 foods, ranked from highest to lowest amount of NMN per 100g serving. Edamame (young soybeans) tops this list, containing the highest naturally occurring NMN concentration among commonly consumed foods.

Health Benefits Associated with NMN

NMN has caught scientists’ attention as a powerful molecule that helps with healthy aging. Here are some of the most promising benefits of NMN identified in research studies:

• As a precursor to NAD+, NMN supports many cellular processes that improve overall health

• This compound fights aging by boosting NAD+ levels that naturally drop as we get older

• Blood vessel function and circulation improve with NMN supplementation, supporting cardiovascular health ⁵

• Metabolic health gets a boost through NMN’s ability to enhance insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation ⁶

• Brain function and cognition benefit from the neuroprotective properties of NMN ⁷

• Cellular energy production increases as NMN supports mitochondrial function and health ⁸

• Immune system function and gut health may benefit from NMN’s role in cellular repair mechanisms ⁹

• Muscle performance and physical endurance can improve as NMN supports energy production in muscle tissue ¹⁰

How to Incorporate NMN-Rich Foods into Your Diet

Adding NMN-rich foods to your meals is simple. We’ll show you how to prepare these foods to get the most nutrients from them. These tasty, healthy options help support your body’s NAD+ system, which is key for staying energetic and healthy.

Cooking Methods that Preserve NMN Content

Heat, oxidation, and prolonged storage reduce NMN levels in foods. Strategic preparation preserves these valuable compounds, including: 

Minimal Processing: Opt for whole, raw forms when possible since NMN can degrade with excessive processing.

Gentle Cooking: Use methods that preserve nutrients such as:

• Steaming (especially for broccoli and cabbage)

• Quick blanching (very brief cooking in boiling water)

• Light sautéing

Avoid Over-Cooking: Prolonged boiling or high-heat roasting can reduce NMN content.

For Broccoli Specifically: The stems contain most of the NMN, so use them too. If you don’t enjoy raw broccoli, steam or boil for just 2 minutes to keep nutrients intact.

Raw When Possible: Many NMN-rich foods like cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado can be enjoyed raw, which preserves their nutrient content.

Can You Get Enough NMN from Food Alone?

While eating foods with NMN is healthy, they simply don’t contain enough to match the amounts that show benefits in research.

Natural food sources only have trace amounts of NMN—much less than the 250-1200 mg daily doses that scientists have found helpful in studies.

Your body also quickly uses up NMN after you eat it, making it hard to maintain high levels through food alone.

Aging creates another challenge. As you get older, your body becomes less efficient at converting nutrients into NAD+.

Although a nutrient-rich diet is essential for overall health, supplements provide the most direct way to reach the NMN levels needed for NAD+ support.

NMN Supplements: Bridging the Dietary Gap

Our diets simply don’t provide enough NAD+ building blocks, which becomes a bigger problem as we age. Since our bodies produce up to 50% less NAD+ by middle age, supplements can provide the extra support we need.

For a straightforward approach to increasing NAD+, Pure NMN Powder offers a highly pure option (over 99.5%) that your body can easily use. This powder becomes NAD+ in just one step and contains no extra ingredients.

If you want more complete cellular support, try Vitality ↑® NAD+ Booster. This specially formulated supplement combines NMN with D-ribose, niacinamide, and creatine monohydrate to boost both NAD+ levels and ATP (cellular energy).

Beyond Diet: Other Ways to Support NAD+ Levels

While supplementation provides the most direct path to increasing NAD+ levels, it’s most effective when combined with other lifestyle practices that support NAD+:

• Regular exercise stimulates NAD+ production through metabolic demand

• Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase NAD+ by activating sirtuins

• Quality sleep supports proper NAD+ cycling and utilization

• Stress management prevents excessive NAD+ depletion

• Limiting alcohol consumption preserves NAD+ stores that would otherwise be used for alcohol metabolism

• Reducing UV exposure prevents NAD+ depletion from DNA repair processes

This integrated approach—combining dietary sources, targeted supplementation, and supportive lifestyle factors—creates the most robust foundation for maintaining optimal NAD+ levels throughout life.

Remember, the goal isn’t simply to increase a biomarker but to support the cellular mechanisms that sustain vitality and function as we age.

Referenced Sources:

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11205942/ ↩︎
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7442590/ ↩︎
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7963035/ ↩︎
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7238909/ ↩︎
5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4854911/ ↩︎
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8550608/ ↩︎
7. https://www.medsci.org/v20p0307.htm ↩︎
8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6565489/ ↩︎
9. https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-024-05614-9 ↩︎
10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8265078/ ↩︎