Biohacking Your Way to a Longer Healthspan: How NMN Bio Started

Our CEO Dr. Elena Seranova got recently interviewed by biohackstack, an online community of biohackers focusing on longevity. Read the full interview below!

Hello! What’s your background, and what does your company do?

Hi! I am a scientist and a serial entrepreneur. I majored in Psychology and launched my first business at the age of 22. In 2015, I moved to the UK from my home country, Greece, and obtained my master’s degree in Translational Neuroscience from the University of Sheffield. After completing my MSc, I co-founded a biotech start-up. Next, as I realised that biotech is a space that I want to be involved in for the rest of my life, I decided to do a PhD in Autophagy and Stem Cell Biology, to hone my decision making when it comes to scientific concepts.

I am now the founder of NMN Bio, a UK based company offering beta Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) of high purity (99%) and potency to the UK and European markets.

"I became fascinated by the crucial role of NAD+ in cellular homeostasis, mitochondrial health and longevity. Over a year ago, I tried supplementing with NMN myself. I loved the supplement, but it was so hard to find a reliable supplier for myself and my family!"

How did you get into longevity? What was your motivation behind NMN Bio? How did the company start?

As I was studying the role of autophagy in neurodegeneration during my PhD, my research led me to study the role of NAD+ in neurodegeneration and cell death. I became fascinated by the crucial role of NAD+ in cellular homeostasis, mitochondrial health and longevity. Over a year ago, I tried supplementing with NMN myself. I loved the supplement, but it was so hard to find a reliable supplier for myself and my family! Even some established companies don’t offer a full Certificate of Analysis (CoA) including microbiological tests, heavy metal detection and pH. I then decided to launch NMN Bio, a company that values transparency of supply chain, third party testing and complete clarity when it comes to all our operations. There are companies out there claiming that they offer great products, but the founder is nowhere to be found (or no one knows their background) and it’s very hard to track the company down. NMN Bio changes all that. Our company’s registration number is on the website along with our complete CoA. Anyone interested is welcome to email us to receive the full list of our suppliers and we are happy to answer any questions related to the product.

What’s NMN? How is it different from NR?

NMN is a Vitamin B3 derivative that has gained quite a lot of popularity over the past couple of years. The latest research links it’s ability to boost NAD+, another important molecule for cellular metabolism, to healthier lifespan. Research in mice, suggests that it can combat the hallmarks of aging including insulin sensitivity, age- associated weight gain, mitochondrial function etc. This results in better energy levels and focus, amongst other benefits.

NMN is a direct precursor of NAD+ and a phosphorylated NR molecule. So, to increase NAD+, our body needs to convert NR into NMN first. By taking NMN, you skip the first conversion step of this process and can boost your NAD+ levels more efficiently.

"My best argument to keep on taking NMN is that I want to prolong my healthspan in the present as much as possible and I enjoy the increased focus and energy levels from NMN supplementation."

Individuals in the longevity field seem to be pretty divided over personal longevity interventions. Some people, like Aubrey de Grey, take nothing at all. Others, like David Sinclair, have significant “stacks” that include drugs and supplements. What’s your best argument for taking something like NMN? What’s the best case against it?

The best case against it is that supplementing with NMN and other anti-aging supplements might be expensive. In addition, what we call the Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) is a hypothetical situation where longevity research is accelerated enough to prolong human lifespan at a faster than today’s rate. If this happens in the next decade or so because of a certain scientific research related to lifespan extension, human life will be significantly extended; making supplementation with NMN not necessary in the present. Even though the industry is moving fast, with more and more research coming out of longevity labs around the world every day, no one knows when will this moment come and when we will have a radical anti-aging treatment available to the wider audience. My best argument to keep on taking NMN is that I want to prolong my healthspan in the present as much as possible and I enjoy the increased focus and energy levels from NMN supplementation.

There are several companies selling NMN (and NR) now that longevity is becoming a popular topic. How does NMN Bio differentiate itself from the others?

NMN Bio is a company that is founded by a scientist, offering supplements of which the quality is second to none. The company’s next steps are all driven by emerging science and as a scientist and a technical founder, my focus is to provide the customers with the purest and most efficient supplements that can support their healthspan.

What has been the biggest challenge for NMN Bio so far?

I am going to spin your question around and say that the most important issue for us is ongoing. And it is to educate as many people as possible about the importance of living a healthy life and maintain their NAD+ levels as they chronologically age. This is an ongoing process and as the founder of NMN Bio and a scientist, I feel that it’s my duty to disseminate knowledge in a way more and more people realise that aging is not a natural process and it can be treated, just like any other disease.

"As the founder of NMN Bio and a scientist, I feel that it’s my duty to disseminate knowledge in a way more and more people realise that aging is not a natural process and it can be treated, just like any other disease."

What’s next for NMN Bio? What are you excited for in the longevity / supplements / nutraceuticals space?

NMN Bio will soon launch more products to offer a whole range of supplements supporting longevity. Besides the well-known longevity supplements such as Trans Resveratrol and TMG, we are working on developing proprietary products, with focus on autophagy and NAD+ boosting molecules, as well as senolytics. Our board of advisors, that will soon be publicly announced, is helping us shape the future of longevity supplements; and we are excited to transform the anti-aging industry with cutting edge products.

Where can we learn more about you and your company?

Feel free to visit the website https://nmnbio.co.uk/ and connect with me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaseranova/. We just launched our second branch in New Zealand that will be distributing our NMN in New Zealand and Australia, while shipping products fast from our warehouse in NZ, so if you are in that part of the world, check out https://nmnbio.nz

What’s in your personal biohacking stack right now? 

Supplements

NMN by NMN Bio, 1g daily – daily, first thing in the morning

Trans Resveratrol, 500mg - daily

TMG 3g - daily

Beef liver 1g daily

Quercetin – 2500mg/day, 5 days a month

Curcumin – 900mg daily (cycling twice a year)

Omega 3 with EPA & DHEA – 2g daily (cycling 2-3 times a year)

Berberine 500-1000mg daily

Rhodiola Rosea 500mg daily

Glycine 2-4g daily

Magnesium Threonate 400mg – daily, before sleep

Vitamin D 25ug & Zinc 15mg – daily, during winter months

Nutrition

Intermittent fasting - 20h/day fasting, 4h/day food consumption

Keto or carnivore diet 5 days a week, vegetarian diet 2 days a week to supress mTOR and activate autophagy

Exercise

Swimming or running for hypoxia induction and subsequent SIRTUIN activation, at least 3 times a week

Other

- Sauna. When I don’t have access to a sauna, I take a hot bath with bath salts (over 40 C for at least 15-20 mins). A hot bath induces a similar effect to a sauna. When you start sweating, your face goes turns pink, heat shock proteins activate SIRTUINS.

- Going to sleep before midnight, always waking up naturally without an alarm. This way, Circadian rhythms are being respected, REM sleep is not interrupted, and your brain gets all the rest that it needs. I naturally wake up around 6.30-7am.

- Shoulder yoga at least 4 times a week. I spend a lot of time working on my laptop, so this is necessary to maintain a healthy posture.

- Guided meditation at least once a week to re-calibrate the brain.

What aspect of your life are you working to optimize the most? 

I spent the last decade of my life optimising it and gaining knowledge related to healthy living and biohacking. So, I would say that my life is pretty optimised already. After spending half of my twenties studying and the other half building businesses, my sole focus now is to put all this knowledge into work with the business development that I lead for NMN Bio. As an impact driven individual, my focus this decade will be all about making a difference in other people’s lives.

"One of the most powerful biohacks I would recommend to anyone is to ditch sugar."

What are the most impactful biohacks that worked for you that you would recommend others check out?

One of the most powerful biohacks I would recommend to anyone is to ditch sugar.

Then, applying reductionism, I would suggest the readers to ask themselves what else can they ditch/fix in your daily routine to feel better and become healthier. Maybe it’s to skip snacks during the day, maybe it’s to introduce daily walking, even if you start with 15 mins a day; which is still better than 0.

You can read the original interview here: https://biohackstack.com/posts/elena-seranova/