{"id":9792,"date":"2025-08-30T20:43:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T18:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/nmn-and-baby-how-breast-milk-encourages-healthy-development\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T19:23:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T17:23:40","slug":"nmn-and-baby-how-breast-milk-encourages-healthy-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/nmn-and-baby-how-breast-milk-encourages-healthy-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Is NMN safe during breastfeeding? What research says"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Short answer:<\/strong> there is <strong>no safety data on NMN supplements during breastfeeding<\/strong>, so they are not recommended. Breast milk does contain NMN naturally: in a Japanese study of 150 mothers it was the most abundant NAD+ precursor in breast milk, and higher levels were associated with better developmental scores at 24 months (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/38201974\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Saito et al., Nutrients 2023<\/a>). That is an observational link, not proof that NMN causes better development, and it says nothing about taking NMN supplements. Talk to your doctor or midwife before taking any supplement while breastfeeding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/supplements-for-healthy-aging\/nmn\/\">What is NMN<\/a> and why is it studied in babies?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) is a small molecule that the body converts into NAD+, a coenzyme involved in energy production, DNA repair and many other cellular processes. Because babies grow and develop rapidly, researchers are interested in which NAD+ building blocks they receive through breast milk.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scientific study of NMN in breast milk<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key study is <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/38201974\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Effect of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Concentration in Human Milk on Neurodevelopmental Outcome<\/a>, part of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project in Japan and published in <em>Nutrients<\/em> (Saito et al., 2023).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the researchers did<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>150 mother-child pairs were selected from a Japanese birth cohort; the infants were exclusively breastfed for up to 6 months.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Breast milk was collected one month after birth and analysed for NAD-related substances.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Mothers completed developmental questionnaires (ASQ-3) at 6, 12 and 24 months.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Results<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>NMN was the main NAD+ precursor in breast milk<\/strong>, with a median concentration of 9.2 \u00b5M.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>NMN was the only NAD-related substance in breast milk that showed a significant positive correlation with developmental scores at 24 months.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What this does and does not mean<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is an observational study: it shows an association, not cause and effect. Other factors that differ between mothers could explain part of the link, and the study was done in one population of 150 Japanese mother-child pairs. The authors conclude that NMN in human milk <em>may<\/em> be an important nutrient for early childhood development, and that more research is needed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NMN supplements during breastfeeding: current insights<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is <strong>no human research on NMN supplementation during breastfeeding<\/strong>. It is unknown whether NMN from supplements passes into breast milk, in what amounts, or whether that is safe for the baby. For that reason, NMN supplements are not recommended while breastfeeding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Do not use NMN supplements while breastfeeding unless your doctor explicitly advises otherwise.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>NMN occurs in very small amounts in foods such as broccoli, avocado and edamame; a varied diet remains the basis.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Questions about nutrition during breastfeeding are best discussed with your doctor, midwife or a dietitian.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Breast milk and infant formula<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breast milk contains many bioactive substances, and NMN appears to be one of them. Infant formula is not routinely fortified with NMN. There is no evidence that formula-fed babies are disadvantaged because of this; follow the advice of your doctor or child health clinic on infant feeding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions about NMN and breastfeeding<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is it safe to take NMN supplements while breastfeeding?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no safety data on NMN supplements during breastfeeding, so they are not recommended. No human study has examined what happens to breast milk or the baby when a breastfeeding mother takes NMN. Talk to your doctor or midwife before taking any supplement while breastfeeding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does breast milk naturally contain NMN?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. In a Japanese study of 150 mothers, NMN was the most abundant NAD+ precursor in breast milk, with a median concentration of 9.2 \u00b5M one month after birth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does NMN in breast milk improve a baby&#8217;s development?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That has not been proven. The same study found that higher NMN levels in breast milk were associated with better developmental scores at 24 months, but this is an observational correlation in 150 mother-child pairs and does not show cause and effect.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does infant formula contain NMN?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Infant formula is not routinely fortified with NMN. There is no evidence that formula-fed babies are disadvantaged because of this; follow the advice of your doctor or child health clinic on infant feeding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breast milk naturally contains NMN, and an observational study links higher levels to better developmental scores in toddlers (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/38201974\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Saito et al., 2023<\/a>). Whether NMN itself causes this is not known. NMN supplements have not been studied during breastfeeding and are therefore not recommended. Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/supplements-for-healthy-aging\/nmn\/nmn-side-effects-what-to-expect-and-how-to-manage-them\/\">NMN side effects and safe use<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scientific source<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Saito Y et al. (2023). Effect of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Concentration in Human Milk on Neurodevelopmental Outcome: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. Nutrients. <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/38201974\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PubMed<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Short answer: there is no safety data on NMN supplements during breastfeeding, so they are not recommended. Breast milk does contain NMN naturally: in a Japanese study of 150 mothers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[520,472,473],"tags":[1105,475,474,1125],"class_list":["post-9792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nmn-en","category-nicotinamide-mononucleotide-en","category-science","tag-nicotinamide-mononucleotide-en","tag-nmn-en","tag-science","tag-women"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everydaybetter.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}