Nick NorwitzMD PhD, Oxford-Harvard | Metabolic Health Educator | “Stay Curious”

The Metabolic Leak That Might Be Sabotaging Your Body

11 Jul 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:14

In this short YouTube explainer, Nick Norwitz introduces 5‑Amino‑1MQ, a compound that inhibits the enzyme nicotinamide N‑methyltransferase (NNMT). He explains that NNMT acts as a "metabolic leak" by siphoning cellular energy, and its activity rises with age and in diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. By blocking NNMT, 5‑Amino‑1MQ is reported in animal studies to improve strength, activate muscle stem cells for repair, reduce fat and obesity risk, and potentially protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Norwitz notes the data are still emerging, shares that he has personally tried the compound, and directs viewers to longer‑form content for a deeper dive.

Chapters

There's a weird compound that might improve strength, cut fat, and improve heart health and brain health. It's called 5-Amino-1MQ, and when I first heard about it, I thought what you're probably thinking: this sounds like gobbledygook. But then I dug deeper. To understand how 5-Amino-1MQ works, you need to understand metabolic leak. Basically, in your body there's this enzyme, NNMT, and it essentially siphons away cellular energy. But here's where things get interesting. NNMT increases with age, basically worsening metabolic leak. NNMT is also elevated in heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. In other words, in aging and disease, NNMT ramps up and metabolic leak gets worse, so your cells start to spiral. This is where 5-Amino-1MQ comes in. It binds to and inhibits NNMT, effectively shutting down the metabolic leak. And in animals, this improves strength, activates muscle stem cells to promote repair, decreases fat, protects against obesity, and may have functions in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. The data are emerging but fascinating, so I tried some myself. And if you want the deeper dive, check out the long-form content and subscribe for more.