What it is
MITO BLEND is one vial holding three compounds at once, all of them concerned with mitochondria — the small structures inside your cells that turn fuel into usable energy. Each has its own page on this site.
The three components and their amounts:
5-Amino-1MQ, 10 mg. A small molecule, not a peptide. It blocks an enzyme called NNMT, which has the effect of raising NAD+ levels inside fat and muscle cells. It is studied for fat loss and metabolic health.
MOTS-c, 10 mg. A peptide, and an unusual one — it is encoded by mitochondrial DNA rather than by the DNA in the cell nucleus. It acts on metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and exercise capacity.
NAD+, 100 mg. Short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Not a peptide either — it is a coenzyme, a helper molecule that enzymes need in order to work. It is present in every cell you have and central to energy production, DNA repair, and the body clock. Levels fall from around age 30.
So all three converge on the same thing from different directions: NAD+ supplies the coenzyme directly, 5-Amino-1MQ stops the body using it up, and MOTS-c works on the mitochondria themselves.
It arrives as a dry powder. You mix it with bacteriostatic water — sterile water with a preservative so it keeps for weeks — and inject it just under the skin, a subcutaneous injection.
What is documented for the blend itself. The information available for MITO BLEND covers the three components with their amounts, the cycle, the reconstitution, the syringe to use, and a single dose. No benefits, side effects, contraindications, or interactions have been documented for the blend as a whole. Everything else on this page draws on the component entries.
A fixed three-component co-formulation: 5-Amino-1MQ 10 mg, MOTS-c 10 mg, NAD+ 100 mg — 120 mg total per vial at a 1:1:10 ratio. The total is the sum of the three component masses.
5-Amino-1MQ — a small-molecule NNMT (nicotinamide N-methyltransferase) inhibitor, raising intracellular NAD+ in adipose and muscle tissue by reducing nicotinamide methylation and clearance. Studied for adipocyte metabolism and metabolic health.
MOTS-c — a 16-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded by the mitochondrial genome, acting on metabolic regulation, insulin sensitivity, and exercise capacity, with AMPK activation as the commonly proposed mechanism.
NAD+ — nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, the redox coenzyme central to energy metabolism, DNA repair via PARP activity, and sirtuin-mediated circadian and longevity signalling. Declines from approximately the third decade.
The formulation logic is unusually coherent: direct coenzyme supply (NAD+), inhibition of the salvage-pathway drain on it (5-Amino-1MQ), and mitochondrial signalling (MOTS-c). The 10:1 NAD+-to-inhibitor mass ratio is consistent with it.
Supplied lyophilised; reconstituted with bacteriostatic water for subcutaneous administration.
Documented data for the blend. Components with masses, cycle, fasting and timing notes, route, recommended syringe, reconstitution volume, and a single dose. No benefits, adverse effects, contraindications, or interactions have been documented for the blend as a whole.
What it does
No mechanism or benefits have been documented for the blend as a whole. What follows draws on the three component entries on this site.
From the NAD+ entry. NAD+ is involved in turning food into usable energy, repairing DNA, regulating the body clock that governs sleep and waking, and keeping the immune system working. Its decline with age has been linked to a range of health problems.
From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry. It is studied for fat loss and metabolic health, working by raising NAD+ levels inside fat and muscle cells.
From the MOTS-c entry. It acts on metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and exercise capacity.
The obvious reading of the formula: the three do complementary jobs. NAD+ supplies the coenzyme, 5-Amino-1MQ slows the rate at which the body consumes it, and MOTS-c signals to the mitochondria. That is a sensible combination, though no rationale for it has been published.
The one hint at intended use is in the fasting instruction: you do not need to be fasted, but fasted is preferred if you are using the blend for its metabolic benefits. That is the closest thing to a stated purpose.
No pharmacological claims have been documented for the blend itself. The following draws on the component entries.
From the NAD+ entry: energy metabolism, DNA repair, circadian regulation, immune function; age-related decline linked to a range of pathology.
From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: fat loss and metabolic health via NNMT inhibition raising intracellular NAD+ in adipose and muscle tissue.
From the MOTS-c entry: metabolic regulation, insulin sensitivity, exercise capacity.
Formulation logic: the three arms are mechanistically complementary rather than redundant — exogenous coenzyme supply, reduced salvage-pathway consumption, and mitochondrial signalling. The 10:1 mass ratio between the NAD+ and the NNMT inhibitor is consistent with that design. No formal rationale has been published.
The only indication signal is in the fasting note: fasting is not required, but is preferred where the blend is being used for its metabolic benefits. That conditional is the sole statement of purpose.
Benefits
Evidence grades: what the labels mean
- Human trials Supported by randomised or placebo-controlled human trials.
- Limited human data Some human evidence, such as pilot studies, case reports or observational data, but no controlled trials.
- Animal or lab only Shown in animal or cell studies only; not yet tested in people.
- Anecdotal No published studies; based on user reports or theory.
Each grade reflects the strongest published support for that specific claim, not for the compound as a whole.
- No benefits have been documented for MITO BLEND as a whole. Everything below comes from the component entries on this site.Anecdotal
- From the NAD+ entry: it is involved in turning food into usable energy.Animal or lab only
- From the NAD+ entry: it is involved in repairing DNA.Animal or lab only
- From the NAD+ entry: it regulates the body clock that governs sleep and waking.Animal or lab only
- From the NAD+ entry: it helps keep the immune system working.Animal or lab only
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: studied for fat loss.Animal or lab only
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: studied for metabolic health, by raising NAD+ inside fat and muscle cells.Animal or lab only
- From the MOTS-c entry: acts on metabolism and insulin sensitivity.Animal or lab only
- From the MOTS-c entry: acts on exercise capacity.Animal or lab only
- The metabolic use is the one the protocol implicitly points at, since its fasting instruction singles out metabolic benefits as the reason to dose fasted.Anecdotal
- No benefits have been documented for MITO BLEND as a whole. All entries below come from the component entries.Anecdotal
- From the NAD+ entry: energy metabolism — conversion of substrate to usable energy.Animal or lab only
- From the NAD+ entry: DNA repair.Animal or lab only
- From the NAD+ entry: circadian regulation of the sleep-wake cycle.Animal or lab only
- From the NAD+ entry: immune function maintenance.Animal or lab only
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: fat loss.Animal or lab only
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: metabolic health via raised intracellular NAD+ in adipose and muscle tissue.Animal or lab only
- From the MOTS-c entry: metabolic regulation and insulin sensitivity.Animal or lab only
- From the MOTS-c entry: exercise capacity.Animal or lab only
- The protocol's fasting conditional identifies metabolic application as the primary intent, and it is the only indication signal available.Anecdotal
Reconstitution and dosing
The vial holds 120 milligrams in total — 10 mg of 5-Amino-1MQ, 10 mg of MOTS-c, and 100 mg of NAD+. Mix it with 3 mL (milliliters; 300 units on an insulin syringe) of bacteriostatic water. Add the water slowly down the inside wall of the vial and swirl gently — do not shake.
Mixed that way, each unit on the syringe holds 400 micrograms of blended compound.
Use a 1 mL syringe, 29 to 30 gauge, with a 5/16 inch to 1/2 inch needle.
Inject just under the skin. Take it in the morning. You do not have to be fasted — but fasted is preferred if you are using the blend for its metabolic benefits.
A cycle runs 8 to 12 weeks, followed by a 2 to 6 week break.
The dose is 50 units, 2 to 3 days per week. That is the only dose given. There is no titration and no starting dose below it.
What that works out to per compound. 50 units is half a millilitre, which is 20 milligrams of blended compound. Split in the vial's 10:10:100 proportion, that is about 1.67 mg of 5-Amino-1MQ, 1.67 mg of MOTS-c, and 16.67 mg of NAD+ per injection, computed from the stated component amounts.
How that compares with the standalone entries. The standalone 5-Amino-1MQ entry gives 1 to 2 mg every day; here you get 1.67 mg two or three times a week, so a fraction of that weekly. The standalone MOTS-c entry gives 5 mg every five days, which is about 7 mg a week; here you get 3.3 to 5 mg a week, so a bit under. The standalone NAD+ entry gives 25 to 100 mg, two to seven times a week; here you get 16.67 mg two or three times a week, which is well below its lowest dose. This is a light-to-moderate dose of all three, not a full dose of any of them.
One reassuring consequence of that: the NAD+ entry warns that more than 3,000 mg of NAD+ a month can damage the liver and kidneys. At this dose you would be taking around 133 to 200 mg a month, nowhere near it.
About the vial total. The 120 mg figure is the sum of the three component amounts — 10 plus 10 plus 100 — and it is what the draw column is based on.
120 mg total per vial (5-Amino-1MQ 10 mg + MOTS-c 10 mg + NAD+ 100 mg) reconstituted with 3 mL (300 units) of bacteriostatic water, giving 40 mg/mL — 400 mcg of blended compound per insulin unit. Diluent down the vial wall, swirl, do not shake.
Recommended syringe: 1 mL, 29–30 gauge, 5/16"–1/2" needle length.
Subcutaneous, morning administration. Fasting not required, but preferred where the blend is used for metabolic benefit — the only stated indication.
Cycle: 8–12 weeks with a 2–6 week washout.
Dose: 50 units, 2–3 days per week. Single dose, no titration, no reduced starting dose.
Per-arm exposure at the fixed 10:10:100 ratio. 50 units is 0.5 mL, i.e. 20 mg of total compound: approximately 1.67 mg 5-Amino-1MQ, 1.67 mg MOTS-c, 16.67 mg NAD+ per administration. Weekly, at 2–3 administrations: 3.3–5 mg 5-Amino-1MQ, 3.3–5 mg MOTS-c, 33–50 mg NAD+.
Comparison against the standalone protocols. 5-Amino-1MQ: standalone runs 1–2 mg daily, i.e. 7–14 mg/week; this delivers 3.3–5 mg/week, roughly a third to a half. MOTS-c: standalone runs 5 mg every 5 days, i.e. approximately 7 mg/week; this delivers 3.3–5 mg/week, around half to two thirds. NAD+: standalone runs 25–100 mg, 2–7×/week, with the mature protocol at 50 mg 4–7×/week (200–350 mg/week); this delivers 33–50 mg/week, well under. The NAD+ arm is the most attenuated relative to its standalone, despite being the largest by mass — because the standalone doses are larger still.
The cumulative NAD+ ceiling from that entry — 3,000 mg/month, above which hepatic and renal harm is described — is not a live constraint here at approximately 133–200 mg/month.
The 2–3×/week frequency is also consistent with the MOTS-c entry's own rationale for dosing every three to five days rather than daily, namely avoidance of oxidative stress and thyroid or cortisol rhythm disruption.
Derived vial total. The 120 mg figure driving the concentration and draw calculations is the sum of the three component masses — 10 + 10 + 100 — and is consistent with the 50 unit dose at the stated 3 mL reconstitution.
120 mg vial (5-Amino-1MQ 10 mg + MOTS-c 10 mg + NAD+ 100 mg)
Mix with 3 mL (300 units) of bacteriostatic water, giving 40 mg/mL — 400 mcg of blended compound per insulin unit. The 120 mg total is the sum of the three component masses (10 + 10 + 100) and is consistent with the 50 unit dose. Recommended syringe: 1 mL, 29–30 gauge, 5/16"–1/2" needle.
40 mg/mL · 400 mcg per unit
Cycle: 8–12 week cycle, then a 2–6 week washout · Frequency: 2–3 days per week, subcutaneous, in the morning; fasting not required but preferred when using the blend for its metabolic benefits
| When | Dose | Draw | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole cycle — 50 units (about 1.67 mg 5-Amino-1MQ, 1.67 mg MOTS-c, and 16.67 mg NAD+ per injection) | 20 mg | 50 units | 1×/day on 2–3 days per week |
120 mg of blend in 3 mL is 40 mg/mL, or 400 mcg per unit. Draw 50 units (0.5 mL) for 20 mg of blend.
- 5-Amino-1MQ1.67 mg
- MOTS-c1.67 mg
- NAD+16.67 mg
Who should avoid it
- No contraindications or interactions have been documented for MITO BLEND as a whole. Everything below comes from the component entries, and all of it applies — the three compounds are in one vial at a fixed ratio, so you cannot drop one.
- From the NAD+ entry: anyone pregnant or breastfeeding.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: anyone pregnant or breastfeeding.
- From the MOTS-c entry: anyone pregnant or breastfeeding.
- From the MOTS-c entry: children and adolescents — that entry says it is not appropriate for them.
- From the NAD+ entry: anyone with an active cancer or undergoing cancer treatment.
- From the NAD+ entry: anyone with diabetes should use caution — NAD+ may cause insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and difficulty handling glucose.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: anyone with uncontrolled heart or circulatory conditions.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: anyone with liver or kidney impairment.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: anyone allergic to any of the inactive ingredients, or to bacteriostatic water.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: anyone on medications that alter NAD metabolism, unless a doctor is supervising. That warning is worth pausing on here, because this vial contains 100 mg of NAD+ alongside a compound that raises NAD+ levels — the interaction it describes is built into the product.
- From the NAD+ entry: anyone taking blood pressure medication — NAD+ may strengthen the effect and drop blood pressure too low.
- From the NAD+ entry: anyone on blood thinners such as Coumadin or warfarin — NAD+ may interfere with clotting.
- From the NAD+ entry: anyone taking antidepressants — NAD+ may worsen mood-related symptoms.
- From the NAD+ entry: anyone taking melatonin alongside it — the combination may cause heavy fatigue, grogginess, or brain fog.
- From the NAD+ entry: antioxidants such as quercetin and resveratrol can raise NAD+ levels fivefold, which magnifies the side effects — hot flushes, nausea, itching or burning skin, calf cramps, headaches, abdominal pain, and fatigue.
- From the NAD+ entry: taking more than 3,000 mg of NAD+ a month may lead to liver damage, kidney disease, and increased risk of blood vessel complications. At the dose here that ceiling is not close — see the dosing section.
- From the MOTS-c entry: talk to a doctor before starting, and go through your full medication list with them. The 5-Amino-1MQ entry says the same.
- The MOTS-c entry notes its own contraindication list is short relative to the breadth of its claims, with no screening specified for blood sugar, heart, liver, or cancer despite claiming activity in all of those areas. That gap carries into this blend.
- Because all three compounds sit in one vial at a fixed ratio, you cannot lower or drop one of them. If any warning above rules out one component, it rules out this blend.
- No contraindications or interactions have been documented for MITO BLEND as a whole. All entries below come from the component entries and govern the vial in full, since the fixed 1:1:10 ratio removes independent titration.
- From the NAD+ entry: pregnancy and lactation — contraindicated.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: pregnancy and lactation — contraindicated.
- From the MOTS-c entry: pregnancy and lactation — contraindicated.
- From the MOTS-c entry: paediatric and adolescent use — contraindicated.
- From the NAD+ entry: active malignancy or ongoing cancer treatment — contraindicated.
- From the NAD+ entry: diabetes — caution; reported potential for insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia, and glucose intolerance. Note that the MOTS-c arm is claimed to improve insulin sensitivity, so the two arms point in opposite directions on glycaemic control and neither entry addresses the other.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: uncontrolled cardiovascular conditions — contraindicated.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: hepatic or renal impairment — contraindicated.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: allergy to any excipient or to bacteriostatic water.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: concurrent medications altering NAD metabolism, without physician oversight. This is internally recursive in a blend that pairs an NNMT inhibitor with 100 mg of exogenous NAD+ — the stated interaction is the formulation's own design.
- From the NAD+ entry: antihypertensive therapy — potential potentiation and hypotension.
- From the NAD+ entry: anticoagulation with Coumadin/warfarin — potential interference with clotting.
- From the NAD+ entry: antidepressant therapy — possible worsening of mood-related symptoms.
- From the NAD+ entry: concurrent melatonin — amplified fatigue, grogginess, cognitive fog.
- From the NAD+ entry: quercetin and resveratrol can raise NAD+ levels fivefold, magnifying side effects — hot flushes, nausea, cutaneous itching or burning, calf cramps, headache, abdominal pain, fatigue.
- From the NAD+ entry: cumulative ceiling above 3,000 mg NAD+ per month associated with hepatic damage, renal disease, and increased vascular complication risk. The dose here delivers roughly 133–200 mg/month, so the ceiling is not a live constraint — see dosing.
- From the MOTS-c and 5-Amino-1MQ pages: physician consultation before starting, with full medication review.
- The MOTS-c entry flags its own contraindication list as thin — no glycaemic, cardiac, hepatic, or oncological screening despite claimed activity across all of those. That omission propagates here.
- The fixed ratio removes independent titration. A contraindication to any arm is a contraindication to the vial.
- The 5-Amino-1MQ entry's hepatic and renal exclusion and the NAD+ entry's hepatic and renal ceiling point at the same organs from two directions, which makes hepatorenal function the natural screen before this blend even though neither entry frames it that way.
Side effects
- No side effects have been documented for MITO BLEND as a whole. Everything below comes from the component entries.
- From the NAD+ entry: diarrhoea, bruising easily, increased bleeding from wounds, nausea, and vomiting.
- From the NAD+ entry: injecting under the skin can cause redness, firm lumps, and temporary swelling. That entry notes subcutaneous injection is the better-tolerated route for NAD+ — injecting it into muscle burns and often causes a histamine reaction — and under the skin is the route this blend uses.
- From the NAD+ entry: if side effects trouble you, eating a light meal with the dose may reduce or remove them.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: commonly, and usually mild and temporary — headache, mild fatigue, digestive discomfort including bloating and nausea, and a mild increase in heart rate.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: rarely — skin irritation or redness at the injection site, dizziness or jitteriness, and temporary sleep disturbances.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry, on managing these: stay hydrated and eat balanced meals during the protocol, reduce the dose if fatigue or nausea occurs, and use smaller split doses if needed to build tolerance.
- From the MOTS-c entry: a reaction where you inject — redness, swelling, itching, bruising.
- From the MOTS-c entry: headache, mild stomach upset, mild tiredness particularly in the early weeks, and muscle cramping.
- From the MOTS-c entry: do not overuse it. That entry warns that very high doses or prolonged use may cause oxidative stress, tissue fatigue, or disruption to your thyroid or cortisol rhythms — cortisol being the hormone that follows a daily cycle and helps govern your energy and stress response.
- Three of the component entries list headache, nausea, and fatigue independently. Those are the effects most likely to show up here, and they come from more than one direction at once.
- There is no blend-specific advice on managing side effects, no titration, and no starting dose below the standard one. The 5-Amino-1MQ entry's suggestion to reduce the dose on fatigue or nausea is the nearest thing to guidance.
- No adverse effects have been documented for MITO BLEND as a whole. All entries below come from the component entries.
- From the NAD+ entry: diarrhoea, easy bruising, increased wound bleeding, nausea, vomiting.
- From the NAD+ entry: subcutaneous route — erythema, firm nodules, transient swelling, with slower onset and less pronounced effect as the trade-off for better tolerability. This blend uses the subcutaneous route, which is the better-tolerated one for NAD+; the intramuscular alternative carries burning, muscle soreness, and a high incidence of histamine reaction.
- From the NAD+ entry: a light meal taken with the dose minimises or alleviates effects in susceptible individuals.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: common and generally transient — headache, mild fatigue, gastrointestinal discomfort (bloating, nausea), mild heart rate increase.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry: rare — injection site irritation or erythema, dizziness or jitteriness, transient sleep disturbance.
- From the 5-Amino-1MQ entry, mitigation: hydration and balanced meals through the protocol; dose reduction on fatigue or nausea; smaller split doses to build tolerance.
- From the MOTS-c entry: injection site reaction — erythema, swelling, pruritus, bruising.
- From the MOTS-c entry: headache, mild gastrointestinal disturbance, mild fatigue during the adaptive phase, muscle cramping.
- From the MOTS-c entry: overuse warning — extremely high doses or prolonged use may produce oxidative stress or tissue fatigue, or disrupt thyroid or cortisol rhythms. That entry notes this is why its own protocols dose every three or five days rather than daily, which is consistent with the 2–3×/week schedule here.
- Headache, nausea, and fatigue appear independently on all three component entries, making them the expected convergent effects here and additive across arms.
- The MITO BLEND protocol specifies a single dose with no titration and no reduced starting dose, despite two of its three component entries describing titration or split dosing as tolerability management. The 5-Amino-1MQ entry's dose-reduction guidance is the nearest applicable advice.
- The NAD+ entry's route-selection discussion is substantive — subcutaneous versus intramuscular differs markedly in tolerability for that compound — and this blend's subcutaneous specification lands on the better-tolerated side of it.
User reports
User reports are individual experiences submitted by site visitors. They are not medical advice, are not verified for accuracy, and do not reflect Amino Reference's views. Read the evidence section above and talk to a clinician. Full disclaimer.
Stacking
One of the three compounds in this vial, sold on its own. Its entry carries the contraindications for heart, liver, and kidney conditions, and the advice on managing side effects.
The 10 mg arm. Its standalone entry carries the cardiovascular, hepatic, and renal exclusions, the NAD-metabolism interaction warning, and the tolerability management guidance omitted here, plus a 1–2 mg/day protocol against which this blend's 3.3–5 mg/week can be sized.
Another of the three, sold on its own. Its entry carries the warning about overuse — oxidative stress and disruption to thyroid and cortisol rhythms — which is why it is dosed a few times a week rather than daily.
The 10 mg arm. Its standalone entry carries the overuse warning (oxidative stress, tissue fatigue, thyroid and cortisol rhythm disruption) that explains the intermittent frequency used here, and a 5 mg-every-5-days protocol for comparison. It also flags its own contraindication list as thin.
The largest component here by weight, sold on its own. Its entry carries a long list of interactions — blood pressure medication, blood thinners, antidepressants, melatonin — and a monthly ceiling above which it can damage the liver and kidneys. None of that is documented for MITO BLEND itself.
The 100 mg arm. Its standalone entry supplies most of this blend's inherited interaction set — antihypertensives, warfarin, antidepressants, melatonin, quercetin and resveratrol — along with the 3,000 mg/month cumulative ceiling and the route-tolerability discussion that makes subcutaneous the right choice here.
Another route for the NAD+ component, if you want to add NAD+ without adding another injection.
Alternative route for the dominant arm. Relevant if additional NAD+ exposure is wanted without increasing the 5-Amino-1MQ and MOTS-c arms, which the fixed ratio here otherwise forces.
Dosing figures have been reviewed and units are recomputed from the stated protocol.