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Safety

Is NMN safe while breastfeeding?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Europe's food safety agency assessed NMN at up to 300 mg a day in 2026 and left breastfeeding women out of its conclusion. NMN also occurs naturally in human milk, but that says nothing about supplements. Anyone who is nursing should ask their doctor before using NMN.1,2

Key facts

  • EFSA's 2026 opinion on NMN covers adults and excludes pregnant and lactating women, and it does not discuss passage into breast milk.1
  • NMN is a natural component of human milk; a 2017 laboratory study found human milk was the richest source of NMN among the milks tested.2
  • In a Japanese cohort, NMN was the main NAD-related compound measured in milk from 150 mothers, with a median of 9.2 micromolar.3
  • An earlier European upper level for nicotinamide, the vitamin B3 form NMN is converted into, also left out lactating women because data were lacking.1
  • NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements says many supplements have not been well tested for safety in women who are nursing.4

What did Europe's food safety agency say about NMN while nursing?

In 2026 the European Food Safety Authority assessed NMN for supplements at up to 300 mg a day. It assessed adults and excluded lactating women, and the opinion does not discuss whether NMN passes into breast milk or what it might do to an infant.1

An earlier European committee left lactating women out of its upper level for nicotinamide as well, because data were lacking for them. NMN is counted in Europe as a source of nicotinamide.1

Is NMN already in breast milk?

Yes. NMN is a normal component of human milk. A 2017 laboratory study that measured NMN in milk from several species found that human milk was the richest source. A 2023 study of 150 mothers in Japan measured NMN as the main NAD-related compound in their milk, with a median of 9.2 micromolar.2,3

Those studies measured what the body makes and passes into milk. They did not test supplements, so they do not show how a capsule would change the amount in milk, or what that would mean for an infant.2,3

Does NIH's breastfeeding database cover NMN?

We found no LactMed record for NMN, nicotinamide mononucleotide or nicotinamide riboside when we searched NCBI Bookshelf on October 11, 2026. Without a record, there is no NIH summary of NMN levels in milk or effects in nursing infants to cite.

NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements gives general guidance instead. It says to be cautious with dietary supplements, beyond a standard prenatal supplement, if you are nursing, because many supplements have not been well tested in women who are pregnant or nursing.4

What do the adult trials leave out?

Trials enrolled women who were not pregnant or breastfeeding, and Europe's safety assessment does not cover pregnancy or breastfeeding.1,5,6,7

The longest trials ran 24 weeks and were small, and the review that pooled them says long-term effects remain unknown.8

Use for longer than 24 weeks has not been studied in trials, so long-term effects are unknown.1,8

Who should ask a doctor before using NMN while nursing?

  • Anyone who is breastfeeding, before using NMN or any new supplement.1,4
  • Anyone who takes a prescription medicine, including medicines for blood sugar, because insulin measured after lunch rose in healthy adults taking NMN in one study.4,9
  • Anyone who also takes niacin, nicotinamide, nicotinamide riboside or a multivitamin with niacin.1

If you or your baby seem to react to something you take, NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements says to let your health care provider know.4

Questions people ask

Is NMN safe while breastfeeding?

Europe's food safety agency excluded breastfeeding women from its 2026 NMN assessment, and NIH's breastfeeding database has no NMN record that we could find. Ask your doctor before using NMN while nursing.1,4

Is NMN in breast milk?

Yes, NMN is a natural component of human milk, and a 2017 study found human milk was the richest source among the milks it tested. That does not show how supplements affect milk, so ask your doctor.2

Do NMN supplements pass into breast milk?

We found no study that measured it. EFSA's 2026 opinion does not discuss breast milk, and its conclusion excludes lactating women.1

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Sources

  1. EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA); Turck D, Bohn T, Cámara M, et al. Safety of beta-nicotinamide mononucleotide (β-NMN) pursuant the regulation (EU) 2015/2283 and the bioavailability of nicotinamide from this source in the context of Directive 2002/46/EC. EFSA J. 2026;24(5):e10007. Opened 2026-10-01.
  2. Ummarino S, Mozzon M, Zamporlini F, et al. Simultaneous quantitation of nicotinamide riboside, nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in milk by a novel enzyme-coupled assay. Food Chem. 2017;221:161-168. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Saito Y, Sato K, Jinno S, et al. Effect of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Concentration in Human Milk on Neurodevelopmental Outcome: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. Nutrients. 2023 Dec 31;16(1):145. Opened 2026-10-11.
  4. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know. Fact sheet for consumers. Updated January 4, 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. Okabe K, Yaku K, Uchida Y, et al. Oral Administration of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Is Safe and Efficiently Increases Blood Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Levels in Healthy Subjects. Front Nutr. 2022;9:868640. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Katayoshi T, Uehata S, Nakashima N, Nakajo T, Kitajima N, Kageyama M, Tsuji-Naito K. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide metabolism and arterial stiffness after long-term nicotinamide mononucleotide supplementation: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):2786. Opened 2026-10-01.
  7. Yi L, Maier AB, Tao R, et al. The efficacy and safety of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supplementation in healthy middle-aged adults: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-dependent clinical trial. Geroscience. 2023;45(1):29-43. Opened 2026-10-01.
  8. Yang W, Huang J, Tang Z, Chen C, Sun Y. Safety and Metabolism-Related Outcomes of Oral Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Supplementation in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2026;18(14):2251. Opened 2026-10-07.
  9. Yamane T, Imai M, Bamba T, Uchiyama S. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) intake increases plasma NMN and insulin levels in healthy subjects. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2023;56:83-86. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.