NMN And Cancer: Is NMN A Friend or Foe?

Research findings on NMN and cancer are mixed. There's results that argue for both the protective effect and the adverse effect of NMN for cancer patients. 

The overall impact appears to depend on factors such as cancer type, dosage, and a person’s general health. 

Could a supplement designed to support healthy aging also play a role in stopping — or fueling — cancer? Let’s take a deep dive into recent studies that have investigated NMN against cancer. 

What Is NMN?

NMN (β-nicotinamide mononucleotide) is a molecule your body uses to make NAD+. NAD+ is a compound essential for repairing DNA, producing energy, and keeping cells alive. 

In healthy cells, this is good news — NAD+ helps prevent mutations that might turn into cancer. But here’s the catch: cancer cells also love NAD+. They use it to fuel their rapid growth, much like weeds soaking up water meant for your garden. 

That’s why NMN’s role in cancer is so controversial — it could be a protector or an enabler.

Can NMN Inhibit Cancer Growth?

Some lab and animal studies show high-dose NMN can slow certain cancers, such as lung adenocarcinoma, by triggering ferroptosis. It’s a special kind of cell death driven by iron damage.

Figure taken from Zhang et al., 2023. 

In a 2023 study, researchers gave lung cancer cells and mice very high doses (100 mM) of NMN. Here’s what happened:

1. NMN was converted into nicotinamide (NAM) — think of this as breaking a $100 bill into smaller $20 bills.

2. Once formed, the NAM triggered a pathway called SIRT1–AMPK–ACC — picture a chain of command in a factory.

3. In this chain, SIRT1 is like the supervisor telling everyone to switch to emergency shutdown mode.

4. Then we have the plant manager, MPK who slows down energy-hungry processes.

5. Lastly the tech rolls in: ACC. It cuts off fat production, starving the cancer cells.

6. Together, this dream team induces ferroptosis — an iron-dependent cell death.

If cancer cells are like cars that need oil to run, ferroptosis is like pouring rust into the engine. The iron damages the cell’s “lipid walls” so badly that the whole engine seizes up.

In mice, this reduced tumor size and increased markers of ferroptosis. But these effects were at doses much higher than what people normally take, so it’s unclear whether this would happen in humans at supplement levels.

Does NMN Always Affect Cancer Growth?

No. Other studies show NMN does not slow tumor growth or prevent cancer in certain models.

In a 2020 Materials Chemistry Frontiers study, scientists gave β-NMN to mice with lung cancer tumors. Results showed:

• Tumors grew at the same speed in NMN and control groups.

• There was no difference in the size of tumors found in the NMN group, compared to mice who didn’t get NMN.

• Additionally, cell proliferation markers like Ki-67 (a protein that shows how fast cells are dividing) were unchanged.

• Inflammatory markers — including IL-6 and TNF-α — stayed the same.

However, they did have an unexpected finding: NMN-treated mice lost significant weight, even though tumor size didn’t change. 

This shows NMN’s effects can vary based on context — cancer type, dose, and timing may matter more than NMN alone.

Does NMN Protect Against Skin Cancer?

NMN does not protect against skin cancer - at least in mice. In a 2025 mouse study, oral NMN increased NAD+ levels in skin and other tissues but did not protect against skin cancer caused by ultraviolet radiation (UVR). 

Researchers tested whether giving mice NMN — or another supplement called Polypodium leucotomos — could prevent UVR-induced skin cancer. UVR is the same type of light from the sun that can damage DNA and cause skin aging.

Here’s what they found:

• In the study, mice fed NMN had higher NAD+ levels in their skin and other tissues.
• However, these elevated levels did not reduce the number of skin tumors, delay their appearance, or shrink their size compared to mice that didn’t get NMN.

Acting like a “power supply” for DNA repair crews in healthy cells, NAD+ still couldn’t stop UV damage from turning into cancer in this experiment.

In plain terms: giving NMN was like fully charging the repair team’s batteries, but the constant UV “attacks” still overwhelmed them. The skin cancer still developed at the same rate. 

Does NMN Increase Cancer Risk?

A recent mouse study found that continuous NMN supplementation increased tumor number, mutation burden, and cancer cell activity in a UV-induced skin cancer model, suggesting it could promote cancer progression in pre-disposed conditions.

This research focused on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) — a common type of skin cancer caused largely by chronic sun (UV) exposure. 

Scientists gave SKH-1 mice NMN in their drinking water at 300 mg/kg/day while exposing them to UV light five times a week for several months. And they found that NMN lead to the following changes:

• In the UV-exposed group, mice given NMN developed more skin tumors than those without NMN.

• These NMN-fed mice also had higher Ki67 levels — a protein marker of cell growth — and a greater number of DNA mutations.

• Testing revealed increases in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (cells becoming more mobile and invasive) along with enhanced angiogenesis (building new blood vessels to feed tumors).

In this model, giving NMN to animals already under strong cancer-causing stress (UV exposure) was like adding fertilizer to weeds. The tumors not only appeared in greater numbers but also showed signs of becoming more aggressive. 

This suggests that in people with existing cancer risk factors, NMN could potentially speed cancer development, though human studies are still needed.

Should Cancer Patients Take NMN?

There is no universal medical guideline for NMN in cancer. Decisions should be made with an oncologist, weighing possible benefits like energy support against theoretical tumor-support risks

Human studies so far don’t show NMN increases cancer risk, and research suggests effects depend on cancer type, stage, and NAD+ metabolism.

NAD+ is like electricity in a building — it powers lights for the residents (healthy cells) but also powers illegal operations (cancer cells). Whether NMN is “good” or “bad” may depend on who’s using the electricity.

• Talking about healthy healthy cells, NMN can improve DNA repair and lower mutation rates.
  

• For aggressive cancers, extra NAD+ could theoretically help tumors keep dividing.
  

That’s why researchers stress context — NMN could be preventive in one setting and risky in another.

Is NMN Safe Long-Term Regarding Cancer?

Long-term safety is unknown. Most NMN human studies last weeks to months and focus on metabolic health, not cancer incidence.

In short-term trials, NMN has been well tolerated even at high doses.But without multi-year follow-ups, scientists can’t say whether NMN changes lifetime cancer risk — especially in high-risk populations.

Final Thoughts: NMN And Cancer

The connection between NMN and cancer is complicated. Some studies show NMN can slow cancer growth by cutting off tumor “fuel lines” or boosting immune response. Others show no effect. 

Human data is still limited, and context is everything — dose, cancer type, and stage may change the outcome entirely.

If you’re healthy, NMN may help maintain your cells’ repair systems. If you have cancer or are at high risk, you need a conversation with your oncologist before starting NMN.

If you want to support your NAD+ levels with ultra-pure NMN, explore HealthspanX Ultra Pure NMN™ today.

References

• 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 
• Zhang, M., Cui, J., Chen, H., Wang, Y., Kuai, X., Sun, S., Tang, Q., Zong, F., Chen, Q., Wu, J., & Wu, S. (2023). High-Dosage NMN Promotes Ferroptosis to Suppress Lung Adenocarcinoma Growth through the NAM-Mediated SIRT1-AMPK-ACC Pathway. Cancers, 15(9), 2427. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15092427
• Zhang, M., Cui, J., Chen, H., Wang, Y., Kuai, X., Sun, S., Tang, Q., Zong, F., Chen, Q., Wu, J., & Wu, S. (2023). High-Dosage NMN Promotes Ferroptosis to Suppress Lung Adenocarcinoma Growth through the NAM-Mediated SIRT1-AMPK-ACC Pathway. Cancers, 15(9), 2427. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15092427
• Pan F, Kang S, Zhao Y, Dai L, Shao Q, Yang Y, Chen Q, Zhu J, Cui L. Effect of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide on tumor formation and growth in a lung cancer mouse model. Mater Chem Front. The Royal Society of Chemistry; 2021; 5: 995–1002.
• Pihl, C., Kara, R. D., Granborg, J. R., Olesen, U. H., Bjerring, P., Haedersdal, M., Untracht, G. R., & Lerche, C. M. (2025). Oral nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) increases tissue NAD+ content in mice but neither NMN nor Polypodium leucotomos protect against UVR-induced skin cancer. Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology, 24(6), 1069–1078. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43630-025-00736-5
• Niti Kumari, Brian J. North; Abstract 4168: NMN supplementation enhances proliferation and aggressiveness in UV-induced skin cancer. Cancer Res 15 April 2025; 85 (8_Supplement_1): 4168. https://doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.AM2025-4168
• Pencina, K. M., Valderrabano, R., Wipper, B., Orkaby, A. R., Reid, K. F., Storer, T., Lin, A. P., Merugumala, S., Wilson, L., Latham, N., Ghattas-Puylara, C., Ozimek, N. E., Cheng, M., Bhargava, A., Memish-Beleva, Y., Lawney, B., Lavu, S., Swain, P. M., Apte, R. S., Sinclair, D. A., … Bhasin, S. (2023). Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Augmentation in Overweight or Obese Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Physiologic Study. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 108(8), 1968–1980. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgad027