Vitamin B3 revitalizes muscles
An international group of scientists reported that vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid, niacin) has a therapeutic effect in progressive muscle diseases. It slows down the degeneration of muscle tissue in patients with mitochondrial myopathy, a progressive disease that is considered incurable.
Vitamin B3 is a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which performs the role of molecular switching of metabolism between fasting and growth modes.
Since it has been shown in animal models that fasting promotes health and longevity, various "enhancers" of NAD are being developed. Nevertheless, whether the actual deficiency of NAD persists in human diseases and whether its enhancers can have a therapeutic effect in patients with degenerative diseases remains unclear.
In this publication, a joint group of researchers reported a decrease in the level of NAD in the blood and muscles of patients with mitochondrial myopathy.
Mitochondrial myopathy is characterized by progressive muscle weakness, exercise intolerance and seizures. Currently, there are no treatments that would slow down the progression of the disease.
Niacin is a promising medicine
The group reports that niacin treatment effectively increases the level of NAD in the blood of both patients and healthy volunteers.
It was administered at a dose of 750-1000 mg per day for 10 or 4 months. The level of NAD in the blood of volunteers increased eight times. Niacin restored NAD in the muscles of patients to a normal level, increased the strength of large muscles and improved the oxidative ability of mitochondria. The general metabolism has shifted towards normal indicators. In some patients, there was a tendency to anemia.
The results of this open pilot study have shown that niacin is a promising treatment option for mitochondrial myopathy. However, the authors emphasize that niacin and NAD are effective metabolic modifiers, and niacin treatment should be used with caution only when a deficiency of NAD is detected, for example, in the patient's blood.
The authors call their study a significant leap in the development of options for targeted therapy of diseases associated with energy metabolism.
Article by E.Pirinen et al. Niacin cures systemic NAD+ deficiency and improves muscle performance in adult-onset mitochondrial myopathy published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Helsinki: Vitamin B3 revitalizes energy metabolism in muscle disease.