Mirailab Bioscience Inc has added another essential ingredient of life to the Plus One series, which adds “plus one” to the benefits of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). 5-ALA is a precursor for ingredients that are essential to life, namely protoporphyrin IX, a substance made up of eight 5-ALA molecules, and the heme component formed when protoporphyrin IX is bound to iron ions. Heme is contained in the blood pigments that distribute oxygen in the body. Without 5-ALA and its derivatives, the existence of humans and other animals would not be possible, and it is naturally obtained through many kinds of foods, such as natto, spinach, tomatoes, etc. During the human lifespan, 5-ALA is generally observed to reach peak levels in the body around the age of 17, but to achieve similar levels in the autumn years, you would need to ingest 50kg of spinach or 100kg of tomatoes per day. Nevertheless, if ingested in excess, 5-ALA is excreted in the urine, so there is little concern about side effects from accumulation in the body.
