September 6, 2011
A study was conducted with mice that showed that high doses of vitamin B3 (niacinamide) caused complete reversal of Alzheimer's Disease, including re-gaining memory.
OK. While this is interesting, it's a mouse study, not a human study.
Well, the results were so exciting that a human study is being conducted at UCLA with the co-operation of the Alzheimer's Association.
I am eager to see the results of that study but rather than wait a year or two to talk about it, I am telling people about this potential effect now.
Niacinamide is not toxic at the dose that this study says works, 3,000 mg a day and it's inexpensive so why not see if it helps people and their loved ones suffering from this debilitating disease.
DOSING
Note that because niacinamide blood levels decrease after about 90 minutes, the most effective dosing would likely be 250 mg every 90 minutes. But that's too much work.
The UCLA study is giving subjects 1,500 mg twice a day. Hopefully, they're using sustained-release niacinamide so that blood levels stay relatively constant.
The only product I found that fits the bill is made by Source Naturals and it's widely available both in stores and on the internet. It's called Source Naturals, Niacinamide B-3, Timed Release, 1500 mg, 100 Tablets.
To read a review of this data, read: http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/legacy/order/pdf/reverse-alzheimers.pdf
THE MOUSE STUDY
Green KN, et al, Nicotinamide Restores Cognition in Alzheimer's Disease Transgenic Mice via a Mechanism Involving Sirtuin Inhibition and Selective Reduction of Thr231-Phosphotau. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2008; 28(45): 11500-11510. laferla@uci.edu.
In a study involving mice genetically engineered to have symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans (such as memory loss), administration of nicotinamide was found to significantly improve memory.
The authors conclude, "These preclinical findings suggest that oral nicotinamide may represent a safe treatment for AD and other tauopathies, and that phosphorylation of tau at Thr231 may regulate tau stability."
A HUMAN STUDY
The study below used a relatively low 10 mg daily dose of co-enzymated niacinamide and showed benefits. The UCLA study that is looking at 3,000 mg a day should show a much greater effect.
Demarin V, et al. Treatment of Alzheimer's disease with stabilized oral nicotinamide adenide dinucleotide: a randomized, double-blind study. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 2004;30(1):27-33.
Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the effect of stabilized oral nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) on cognitive functioning in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). NADH is a coenzyme that plays a key role in cellular energy production and stimulates dopamine production. In previous trials NADH has been shown to improve cognitive functioning in patients with Parkinson's disease, depression and AD. The present trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled, matched-pairs, double-blind, 6-month clinical study. Patients with probable AD (n = 26) were randomized to receive either stabilized oral NADH (10 mg/day) or placebo. Twelve pairs of subjects were matched for age and baseline total score on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS) and the Mini Mental State Examination. After 6 months of treatment, subjects treated with NADH showed no evidence of progressive cognitive deterioration and had significantly higher total scores on the MDRS compared with subjects treated with placebo (p < 0.05). Analysis of MDRS subscales revealed significantly better performance by NADH subjects on measures of verbal fluency (p = 0.019), visual-constructional ability (p = 0.038) and a trend (p = 0.08) to better performance on a measure of abstract verbal reasoning. There were no differences between groups in measures of attention, memory, or in clinician ratings of dementia severity (Clinical Dementia Rating). Consistent with earlier studies, the present findings support NADH as a treatment for AD.