The effects of pyrroloquinoline quinone and nicotinamide mononucleotide supplementation on interoception following acute exhaustive exercise: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Interoception, the process by which the nervous system perceives and interprets internal bodily signals, is essential for athletes to effectively modulate motor decisions but may be impaired after exhaustive exercise. This study investigated the effects of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), and their combination on interoception following acute exhaustive exercise. Sixty participants were randomly assigned in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to receive either placebo (320 mg cornflour), PQQ (20 mg PQQ + 300 mg cornflour), NMN (300 mg NMN + 20 mg cornflour), or a combined supplement (20 mg PQQ + 300 mg NMN). Supplements were ingested 60 min before completing an acute exhaustive exercise protocol using the Bruce treadmill test. Interoception was measured using the Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ) and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) at baseline and post-exercise. Group differences were examined using chi-square and one-way ANOVA, while mixed-design ANOVA was applied to evaluate interoception and exercise capacity indicators. Significant improvements over time were observed in BPQ scores (89.45 vs. 95.08, p = 0.006), Self-regulation (2.79 vs. 3.02, p = 0.015), Body Listening (2.36 vs. 2.76, p < 0.001), and Trusting (2.97 vs. 3.21, p = 0.031). Body listening was the only domain that demonstrated a significant group × time interaction (p = 0.016), with the PQQ group showing significant improvement (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that PQQ supplementation may enhance specific aspects of interoception following acute exhaustive exercise.