Why the World's Top Podcast Scientists and Thinkers Take NMN Every Day

Something remarkable has happened to NMN over the past five years. What began as an obscure molecule discussed in academic longevity journals is now a central topic on some of the world's most listened-to podcasts — debated, endorsed and personally used by Stanford professors, Harvard scientists and celebrated health thinkers who have collectively reached hundreds of millions of listeners.

This isn't hype. These are some of the most scientifically rigorous communicators on the planet. They are sceptical by nature, careful with their claims, and deeply invested in not being wrong in public. When they talk about NMN — and take it themselves — it's worth paying attention.

Here's what they've said, what they actually take, and why Dr Chun Tang, founder of Little Ox and practising UK GP, agrees with their reasoning.

Dr David Sinclair — Harvard Professor of Genetics

Podcast: The Joe Rogan Experience (#1349 and #1908) | Lifespan with Dr David Sinclair | Rich Roll Podcast

No scientist has done more to bring NMN into mainstream conversation than David Sinclair, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. His appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience introduced millions of people to the science of NAD+ decline and what can be done about it.

Sinclair's explanation of NMN is characteristically elegant. He describes resveratrol as "the accelerator pedal for the sirtuin genes" and NMN as "the fuel." Without the fuel, the accelerator does nothing. This is precisely why the two are used together — and why our NMN Plus formula combines both.

On his personal protocol, Sinclair has been consistent across multiple appearances: he takes 1g of NMN every morning, mixed with yogurt to aid absorption, alongside 500mg of resveratrol. He has been taking this combination for years. In his own words, NAD+ "naturally decreases with aging, even with protective measures like exercise" — making supplementation one of the few practical tools available to address this decline.

In his dedicated podcast series Lifespan, Sinclair went further, describing NAD as "critical to our body — without it, we can't make energy and would be dead in less than a minute." It's a provocative framing, but it captures the biological centrality of NAD+ in a way that sticks. The question isn't whether NAD+ matters — it unambiguously does — but whether supplementing with NMN effectively raises it. The human clinical trial data now increasingly confirms that it does.

Sinclair has also been transparent about his motivations. He isn't just a theorist. He has two biological clocks — his chronological age and his measured biological age, which he tracks. He uses NMN as part of a protocol designed to keep those numbers diverging in his favour.

Dr Andrew Huberman — Stanford Professor of Neurobiology

Podcast: Huberman Lab — AMA #12 (Longevity Supplements) | The Joe Rogan Experience (#1958) | Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson

Andrew Huberman is arguably the most trusted science communicator on the internet. His Huberman Lab podcast regularly tops global charts, and his supplement discussions are among the most carefully caveated and scientifically grounded available to a general audience.

What makes Huberman's endorsement of NMN particularly credible is precisely his caution. He is not a longevity optimist who oversells everything. He has repeatedly stated that he takes NMN not because he expects it to extend his lifespan — "it's unclear and seems somewhat unlikely that simply increasing NAD in humans will by itself extend lifespan" — but because of how it makes him feel.

In his AMA #12 episode, Huberman described taking NMN (and NR) and experiencing "a lot more sustained mental and physical energy throughout the day." He takes it in the morning, before his first meal, and has noted that on the occasions he has stopped taking it, "there was a noticeable decrement in energy compared to when I took the NAD+ precursors."

This matters. Huberman is a neuroscientist who understands placebo effects better than almost anyone. He controls for them methodically. When he reports a consistent, reproducible energy difference on and off NMN — and describes faster hair and nail growth as an objective marker of cellular growth pathway activation — that's meaningful signal.

On The Joe Rogan Experience in 2023, Huberman put it directly: "Energy, recovery from workouts was much better. I had to take it early in the day because it was giving me a lot of energy." He also stressed something we believe at Little Ox: NMN is not the foundation of good health. Sleep, movement, nutrition, and stress management come first. NMN amplifies a foundation — it doesn't replace one.

His recommended protocol: 1–2g NMN sublingually in the morning, taken within 1–2 hours of waking, at least 30 minutes before the first meal.

Joe Rogan — The World's Most Listened-to Podcaster

Podcast: The Joe Rogan Experience (Multiple episodes, including #1349 with David Sinclair and #1958 with Andrew Huberman)

Joe Rogan is not a scientist, but he is one of the most influential health communicators on Earth. His audience is vast, sceptical, and self-selecting — people who listen to four-hour conversations with longevity researchers are not passive consumers. When Rogan started taking NMN and resveratrol after his conversation with David Sinclair, and then continued discussing them across subsequent episodes, it signalled something beyond casual interest.

Rogan has been consistent: he started taking NMN and resveratrol specifically because of Sinclair's research and has discussed the combination across multiple episodes. His conversations with both Sinclair and Huberman have been among the most listened-to discussions of NMN available anywhere — introducing the science to audiences who might never encounter an academic journal.

What's notable about Rogan's engagement with NMN is the quality of the conversations he facilitates. His NMN discussions with Sinclair and Huberman are substantive, detailed and scientifically honest. He asks hard questions. He pushes back on claims that seem too good to be true. And he keeps coming back to NMN as a supplement he personally uses.

Dr Peter Attia — Longevity Physician and Author

Podcast: The Drive with Peter Attia | Guest on Huberman Lab (July 2024)

Peter Attia is a physician whose podcast The Drive is perhaps the most rigorous long-form health discussion available anywhere. He is deeply evidence-critical — famously sceptical of supplements that lack robust human trial data — and his assessments of NMN are characteristically nuanced.

Attia's position reflects the current state of the evidence honestly: he acknowledges that NMN raises NAD+ levels in humans (this is now well-established) while remaining appropriately cautious about translating that to lifespan claims in the absence of long-term human data. In his July 2024 appearance on the Huberman Lab podcast, he explored the mechanisms of NAD+ and NMN in detail, discussing sirtuin activation, PARP-mediated DNA repair, and the commercial landscape of NAD+ supplementation with characteristic rigour.

His framework is useful: the question isn't whether NAD+ matters (it unambiguously does) or whether NMN raises it (it does). The question is whether the functional improvements observed in clinical trials — improved insulin sensitivity, better aerobic capacity, reduced fatigue — are sufficient justification for supplementation without proven lifespan data. For most adults over 40 experiencing the realities of NAD+ decline, Attia's framing suggests the answer may well be yes.

Dr Rhonda Patrick — Biomedical Scientist

Podcast: FoundMyFitness | Guest on The Joe Rogan Experience (multiple episodes)

Dr Rhonda Patrick, with a PhD in biomedical science and extensive research in nutritional biochemistry, has discussed NAD+ and NMN across multiple platforms including her own FoundMyFitness podcast and as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience. Her work on NAD+ covers the mitochondrial and DNA repair dimensions that are at the heart of why NMN is taken as a longevity supplement.

Patrick has explored the sirtuin pathway in depth — specifically SIRT1 and SIRT3, the longevity proteins activated by NAD+ that regulate gene expression, mitochondrial biogenesis, and stress response. Her analysis adds important depth to Sinclair's more publicly-facing framing: the NAD+/sirtuin pathway is not a longevity marketing narrative, it's a well-established biological system that declines measurably with age.

What the Converging Consensus Tells Us

What's striking about the podcast conversation around NMN is how consistent it is across very different thinkers with very different levels of scientific caution. Sinclair is bullish. Huberman is measured. Attia is sceptical but engaged. Patrick is deeply mechanistic. Rogan is the curious civilian. And yet they all come back to the same core points:

• NAD+ is essential and declines significantly with age
• NMN is an effective oral strategy for raising NAD+ levels — now confirmed in human trials
• The subjective experience of NMN — particularly improved energy — is real and reproducible for most people who try it
• The longevity claims require more long-term human data, but the mechanistic rationale is compelling and the safety record is excellent

As Dr Chun Tang, founder of Little Ox and practising UK GP, puts it: "The podcast conversation around NMN reflects where the science actually is — not oversold, not dismissed. NAD+ decline is real, NMN raises it, and the functional benefits are increasingly well-supported in human trials. For adults over 35, this is one of the most scientifically credible supplements available."

The Little Ox Approach

Every claim in this post is grounded in what these researchers have actually said and what the clinical evidence actually shows. At Little Ox, we don't overstate NMN's benefits and we don't pretend the longevity question is settled. What we do know is that our NMN is high-quality, independently tested, third-party tested, formulated by a practising UK doctor, and priced honestly.

For those who want the pure NMN that Huberman and Sinclair's protocols reference, NMN Pure delivers 500mg of independently tested high-purity β-NMN per capsule with Black Pepper Extract for enhanced absorption.

For those who want the NMN + Resveratrol combination that Sinclair has taken for years — the "fuel and accelerator" combination — NMN Plus combines both in a single daily capsule.

And for those who want the most comprehensive NAD+ support available, our NAD+ Complex combines Liposomal NAD+, NR, Trans-Resveratrol and Magnesium in a 4-in-1 formula — addressing the NAD+ pathway from multiple angles simultaneously.

Shop NMN Pure → Shop NMN Plus → Shop NAD+ Complex →

Written by Dr Chun Tang, MBChB, MRCGP — founder of Little Ox and practising UK General Practitioner with over 26 years of clinical experience in preventative healthcare and evidence-based wellness.