NMN has emerged as a promising compound for kidney health. Preclinical studies show that NMN can reduce fibrosis, restore podocytes, and protect against acute kidney injury. However, diabetic models highlight both potential benefits and risks.
If you are exploring ways to protect your kidney function, NMN offers both exciting opportunities and unanswered questions.
Let’s learn more about NMN and its role in kidney health to better understand how this NAD+ precursor can affect your kidneys.
What Is NMN For People With Kidney Disease?
NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) is a building block of NAD+, a molecule essential for energy, repair, and long-term health. Specifically, your mitochondria need NAD+ to produce energy. However, NAD+ levels decline with age and NMN supplementation is emerging as a promising new way to restore cellular energy.
NMN works by boosting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels, which is essential for cellular repair and metabolism.
Energy-hungry organs, like the heart or your kidneys need a lot of NAD+. To put it into perspective, every day, they filter about 475 gallons of blood, removing waste while balancing water, salts, and blood pressure. Fascinatingly, it takes only about 5 minutes to pass all of your blood through your kidneys.
Imagine doing all that work on an electric motor - your electricity bill will be through the roof! That’s why it’s really important to maintain cellular homeostasis by regulating the levels of NAD+.
Early studies show NMN can protect kidneys from injury and fibrosis, however results in aging models are mixed. NMN is a supplement, so it's important to consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you have kidney concerns.
Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
Kidney disease, often referred to as chronic kidney disease (CKD), is a long-term condition where the kidneys gradually lose their ability to filter waste products and excess fluids from the blood. This decline in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins in the body, affecting overall health and increasing the risk of other chronic diseases.
For people with kidney disease, maintaining kidney health is especially important. Even natural supplements and herbal supplements, which are often perceived as safe, can sometimes put extra strain on the kidneys or interact with other medications. In fact, the Mayo Clinic reports that more than one-third of the 15.7 million Americans with moderate or advanced chronic kidney disease use dietary or herbal supplements. Without proper medical supervision, taking supplements can sometimes worsen kidney problems or interfere with prescribed treatments.
Because the kidneys play a crucial role in filtering substances from the bloodstream, any supplement—whether for general health or specific conditions—should be chosen carefully. People with kidney disease should always consult their doctor before starting new supplements to ensure they do not compromise kidney function or interact with other medications. Understanding the potential risks and benefits of supplements is a key step in protecting your kidney health and overall well-being.
Let's take a look at how NMN helps in protecting your kidneys.
How Does NMN Help In Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)?
In human acute kidney injury (AKI) models, NMN restores NAD+, reduces tubular DNA damage, limits fibrosis, and improves recovery.
A study published in 2021 tested NMN in different models of kidney damage using human cells. And they found that NMN can protect kidney cells from ischemia-repurfusion injury (IRI).
While these preclinical results are promising, more clinical safety data in humans is needed to fully understand NMN's effects on acute kidney injury.
What Is Ischemia-Repurfusion Injury?
IRI is a phenomenon where blood flow to the kidney is cut off and restored. Think of it as first letting a city get no water and then gushing in so much water that they get flooded and the infrastructure collapses.
During IRI, and other forms of kidney damage, cells face oxygen stress and DNA breaks. Moreover, aging depletes NAD+ levels which can further hinder cellular repair.
How Does NMN Help With Kidney Damage?
Scientists found that NMN protects kidney cells from DNA damage. And that it also reduces the level of senescence markers in kidneys.
Scientists found these results in cell lines – artificially grown human cells. Therefore, to confirm the observations in a more natural setting, the researchers used mice models of IRI and found the same thing!
NMN And Kidney Fibrosis
NMN helped in reducing tubular damage to kidney cells and it also helped in protecting the kidneys of the mice from fibrosis. Fibrosis is a condition where your organs develop scar tissue because of repetitive injury.
And the team found that administering NMN while the mice were recovering from injury also helps in reducing fibrosis.
Researchers find these results really exciting for acute kidney injury! They suggest that we can use NMN supplementation to not only protect kidneys from damage, but also help them during recovery. Hopefully clinical trials will show similar results in humans.
NMN In Protein-Leaking Kidney Disease (Glomerulosclerosis)
NMN restored podocytes and reduced kidney damage in a mouse model of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Podocytes are specialized kidney cells that maintain the filtration barrier. When they are lost, proteins leak into urine (proteinuria) — a hallmark of kidney disease.
What Is Glomerulosclerosis (Impaired Kidney Function)?
Glomerulosclerosis is a condition in which the filters in your kidney (glomeruli) get scarred and stop functioning properly. This allows proteins to leak out of your blood and into your urine, a phenomenon called proteinuria.
Here's what happens during glomerulosclerosis:
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Your kidneys work like coffee filters, keeping useful things like protein in your blood while letting waste pass out into the urine.
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To do this, they rely on special cells called podocytes, which act like the “mesh” of the filter.
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When these podocytes are damaged or lost, the filter develops holes, and protein starts leaking into the urine.
Glomerulosclerosis is a serious illness because it's one of the main causes of end-stage kidney disease. Therefore, being able to offset the damage of glomerulosclerosis through NMN supplementation is a major step towards protecting kidneys!
What Does NMN Do In Glomerulosclerosis?
NMN helped in increasing the number of podocytes and reduced the loss of protein in urine.
Scientists tested NMN in mice with kidney scarring (caused by a chemical called adriamycin). Some of the mice were given NMN, and the results were promising. The mice that received NMN had more podocytes and less protein leaking into their urine.
Digging deeper, researchers found that NMN switched on certain protective systems in the kidney. It boosted an enzyme called SIRT1, which is linked to cell repair and longevity, and balanced molecules called Claudin-1 and DNMT1, which keep the kidney's filters stable at the genetic level.
In plain terms: NMN acted like a repair kit, patching up the kidney's filter and helping it work more efficiently, reducing damage and protein loss.
Is Taking NMN Safe For Kidneys?
It depends. In young models NMN protects kidneys, but in aged mice on high doses it seems to increase inflammatory signals.
There’s a little contradiction about whether NMN is good or bad for kidneys, especially in the context of aging. A study that was uploaded to the preprint server showed that aged mice develop inflammation in response to NMN.
In addition to inflammation, the older mice also had elevated markers of kidney damage, which suggests that elderly kidneys may not tolerate NMN well. And it could be because there’s some pre-existing underlying damage in aged kidneys that doesn’t respond well to NMN.
These findings suggest that age matters. Younger kidneys handle NMN well; older, vulnerable kidneys may need lower dosing and careful monitoring. Individuals with kidney disease should also monitor their intake of vitamin D and other supplements, as these can interact with NMN or affect kidney health. And thus consulting a healthcare provider before taking NMN is important, especially for those who are on certain drugs or other supplements, to avoid potential interactions and risks.
However, scientists did this preclinical study in mice. Researchers need more studies in elderly human subjects to fully establish NMN’s safety profile. According to Mayo Clinic endocrinologist Dr. Rozalina McCoy, medical supervision is essential when considering NMN or any supplement, especially for people with kidney disease, due to the risks of interactions and complications.
Final Thoughts: Is NMN Bad For Kidneys?
NMN shows strong kidney-protective effects in models of injury, fibrosis, and diabetes, but high doses in aged kidneys raise caution. Use moderate, clinically studied doses and monitor kidney function.
In simple words: NMN is likely “good” for kidneys in most cases, especially for recovery after injury or stress. But older adults using high doses should be cautious until more human trials are done.
If you’re considering taking NMN to support kidney and overall longevity, choose a trusted, ultra-pure source. Always discuss taking supplement decisions with your loved ones and healthcare providers, especially if you or your family members are affected by kidney disease.
Try HealthspanX Ultra Pure NMN™ for the highest quality NMN designed to protect your long-term health.
References
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Deng, H., Ding, D., Ma, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, N., Zhang, C., & Yang, G. (2024). Nicotinamide Mononucleotide: Research Process in Cardiovascular Diseases. International journal of molecular sciences, 25(17), 9526. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179526
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European Renal Association. (n.d.). Understanding kidneys. ERA. Retrieved August 29, 2025, from https://www.era-online.org/publications/understanding-kidneys/
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Jia, Y., Kang, X., Tan, L., Ren, Y., Qu, L., Tang, J., Liu, G., Wang, S., Xiong, Z., & Yang, L. (2021). Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Attenuates Renal Interstitial Fibrosis After AKI by Suppressing Tubular DNA Damage and Senescence. Frontiers in physiology, 12, 649547. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.649547
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Hasegawa, K., Sakamaki, Y., Tamaki, M., & Wakino, S. (2022). Nicotinamide mononucleotide ameliorates adriamycin-induced renal damage by epigenetically suppressing the NMN/NAD consumers mediated by Twist2. Scientific reports, 12(1), 13712. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18147-2
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Saleh, T. A., Whitson, J. A., Keiser, P., Prasad, P., Jenkins, B. C., Sodeinde, T., Mann, C., Rabinovitch, P. S., McReynolds, M. R., & Sweetwyne, M. T. (2024). Metabolite accumulation from oral NMN supplementation drives aging-specific kidney inflammation. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2024.04.09.588624. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.09.588624
