Does nicotinamide riboside supplementation increase milk production in postpartum women with infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit? Protocol for the MOONRISE randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot feasibility trial

What Was Tested

This clinical study looks at NAD+.

An adequate supply of a mother's own milk plays a critical role in optimising health outcomes for at-risk hospitalised infants.

Insufficient milk production disproportionately affects the mothers of these infants.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults, women only.

The researchers plan to enroll 40 mother-infant pairs with the expectation that 30 will complete the study (n=15 in each group).

Exploratory outcomes include changes in mothers' weight and infants' developmental and NICU outcomes.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and pilot study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got NAD+ and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

As a double-blind NAD+ study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the NAD+ group a baseline to be compared against.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger NAD+ study would be practical.

Secondary endpoints include compliance, adherence or withdrawal from the protocol.

Similarly, the study will assess the difference in mean milk volume, macronutrient and micronutrient content, human milk glycans, milk and urine metabolites and infant feeding practice between the two groups.

Optional secondary endpoints include differences in serum prolactin, liver function, plasma lipidome, serum metabolites, serum cellular communication network factor 3 concentrations, serum NAD+-related precursors and intermediates between mothers of the two groups.

Safety endpoints include the frequency of adverse events.

What Was Measured

An adequate supply of a mother's own milk plays a critical role in optimising health outcomes for at-risk hospitalised infants.

Human testing with NR has been limited, and studies in lactating individuals have not been performed.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Pilot Projects, Niacinamide, Feasibility Studies, Dietary Supplements, Intensive Care Units, Neonatal, Lactation and Milk, Human.

Author keywords: Neonatal intensive & critical care, Nutrition and Postpartum Women.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of NAD+.

The publication is from 2026 (BMJ open), a journal based in England.

More context: the NAD+ compound page, all human trials.