ProHealth Longevity and Effepharm combat “widespread” NMN adulteration
30 Jun 2021 --- Anti-aging supplement provider ProHealth Longevity is teaming up with Effepharm to manage the quality and integrity of the nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supply chain.
The partnership aims to decrease the ongoing fraud and adulteration within industry as more than half of the NMN products tested contained no NMN, according to Effepharm. The biotechnology company provides NMN to the pharmaceutical, nutrition and healthcare industries.
“Our partnership with Effepharm is designed to build trust in the NMN product by consistently producing pure and ethically resourced material,” Nancy Dayton, CEO of ProHealth Longevity, tells NutrtionInsight.
“People take NMN to improve health and longevity. When companies misrepresent NMN ingredients, they deprive consumers of the longevity benefits and erode trust in the industry and the profound longevity research,” she adds.
The importance of ingredient transparency is echoed by Innova Market Insights’ top trend, “Transparency Triumphs,” with three in five global consumers saying they are interested in knowing more about their food source and how it is made.
NMN’s key role
NMN is a natural metabolite of vitamin B3 and a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), which is required for various functions in health and aging. Between the ages of 40 and 60, NAD+ levels in human tissue drop by at least 50 percent.
More than half of the NMN products tested contained no NMN, and several products had purity levels below 80 percent.
Taking NMN increases the body’s natural NAD+ production and offers energy for gene repair and stimulation.
Widespread adulteration
According to information released by Effepharm, several NMN products had purity levels below 80 percent. Ordinary nicotinamide (a low-cost vitamin B3) was being sold as NMN by some vendors.
Moreover, approximately nine months ago, ProHealth Longevity and Effepharm established their Uthever NMN distribution relationship.
Both companies have since been exposing the contaminated and counterfeit goods.
“Websites and Amazon accounts have been hacked, including our own. Companies are falsifying certificates of authenticity and other documentation,” confirms Dayton.
“It’s difficult for co-manufacturers and consumers to tell the real, high-quality material from the fake, low-purity ingredients,” she continues.
NMN benefits sought after
In 2019, Harvard University researcher Dr. David Sinclair’s published studies on NMN’s anti-aging properties, which led to the ingredient gaining widespread popularity.
With this surge in popularity also came an unprecedented quantity of fraud and adulteration, putting customers and the NMN industry at risk, according to the companies.
“As more people discover the longevity implications, demand for NMN has soared,” Dayton notes.
The health benefits of NMN are reflected in Seneque’s supplements that are popular among vitamin users who want to improve their cellular health.
Recently, UltraSpec Laboratory revealed that NMN-based products promote cellular energy optimization, skin softening and wrinkle reduction, increased flexibility and DNA repair.
By Nicole Kerr
