Nicotinamide Riboside Chloride：Benefits and Uses
Abstract
The aging population is already a global topic and the need to delay aging and the management of chronic diseases due to aging is growing. Aging is a natural process that affects your physical, mental and cosmetic health. The first signs of aging appear in the form of fine lines and wrinkles on the face and neck area. These wrinkles are only visible signs of the appearance and exterior of aging, but internally, they affect your weight metabolism, often resulting in unhealthy weight gain associated with a slow basal metabolic rate.
Changes associated with aging are unavoidable in most cases, the difference is that while most cosmetic, anti-aging products attempt to reverse the signs of aging on the skin, niacinamide riboside is designed to reverse the signs of aging in the body.
Anyone who is interested in skin care has probably heard the big name of niacinamide riboside in the past few years, because it is a derivative of microbial B3, which not only can get rid of yellowing, anti-aging, antioxidant, but also is the bearer of the whitening world, and is often added inside some cosmetic skin care products. In your body, nicotinamide riboside is converted to NAD+, an important balancing and metabolic coenzyme present in all living organisms,, and supports many aspects of healthy aging.
What is nicotinamide riboside (NR)?
Nicotinamide riboside is another form of microbiotin B3, also known as nicotinic acid.
Nicotinamide riboside, a derivative of microbiotin B3, acts as a driver of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). According to a scientific peer review of the literature, nicotinamide riboside was discovered as a microbiotin precursor of NAD+ in 2004 and as a Sirtuin (deacetylase) activating compound by Charles Brenner in 2007. Sirtuin has also been implicated in the regulation of DNA health and longevity in many organisms.
Like other forms of microbiotin B3, nicotinamide riboside is converted by the body into NAD+, which acts as fuel for many key biological processes, converting food into energy, repairing damaged DNA, strengthening cellular defenses, and regulating the body’s circadian rhythm, but naturally, the amount of NAD+ in your body decreases with age.
Lower NAD+ levels have caused health problems such as aging and chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and vision loss, etc.). Interestingly, studies have found that increasing NAD+ levels may help reverse the signs of aging and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Niacinamide riboside supplements have rapidly gained popularity as they appear to be particularly effective in raising NAD+ levels. Trace amounts of nicotinamide riboside have also been found in milk, yeast and beer.
How does nicotinamide riboside work?
NR is a common form of vitamin B3 that our bodies need for complete biological function, but we must get the vitamin through our diet. There are 8 types of vitamin B and NR is a small amount of vitamin B3 found in foods such as dairy products.
Nicotinamide riboside works by increasing NAD+ levels, but NR actually requires less energy to do so. Researchers have found that NR turns into NAD+ faster than other forms of vitamin B3, which is exactly why it is touted as an anti-aging, health-promoting supplement. In addition, NR requires less energy from the body to boost NAD+, so the body can use that energy to meet other needs. Nicotinamide riboside is of interest for its ability to increase NAD+ levels. According to recent studies, this may improve symptoms of chronic disease, reverse signs of aging, and improve vision loss.
Potential benefits of nicotinamide riboside
Since most studies on nicotinamide riboside and NAD+ are from animal studies, we can only speak to some of the potential health benefits of nicotinamide riboside.
- Stimulation of NAD+ metabolism
NAD+ is a coenzyme or helper molecule involved in many biological reactions. A recent study found that supplementation with nicotinamide riboside was effective in stimulating NAD+ metabolism in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Not only was NR supplementation well tolerated by participants, but it may also be beneficial in reducing blood pressure and arterial stiffness.NAD+ deficiency is a common core cause of aging and many diseases, and research suggests that restoring NAD+ levels has tremendous therapeutic and nutritional value.
By increasing NAD+ levels, nicotinamide riboside benefits metabolic regulation, energy reserves, DNA synthesis, and other bodily functions.
- Provide sports performance
A study published in 2019 in European Nutritional Impurities found that the use of nicotinamide riboside supplements improved physical skills and reduced oxidative stress in older adults.
The researchers concluded that NR supplementation benefits individuals who are deficient in NAD+, which explains why it is more effective in older adults than younger adults.
- Promote cognitive health
As an NAD+ precursor, nicotinamide riboside protects brain cells from oxidative stress that can lead to age-related brain diseases. Within brain cells, NAD+ helps control the production of PGC-1-alpha, a protein that appears to help protect cells from oxidative stress and impaired mitochondrial function.
The researchers found that in mice, NAD+ depletion plays a key role in neuroinflammation, DNA damage and neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. Also in a test tube study, nicotinamide riboside provided NAD+ levels in stem cells from Parkinson’s disease patients and significantly improved mitochondrial function.
However, more studies are needed to fully explain how NR supplementation increases NAD+ levels to promote cognitive health.
- Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
Both hypertension and arterial stiffness are strong predictors of cardiovascular disease, and nicotinamide riboside may increase NAD+ levels and help reduce aortic stiffness and lower systolic blood pressure in older adults at risk for hypertension. Therefore, the use of nicotinamide riboside may reduce the risk of associated morbidity and mortality.
- Other potential benefits
In addition, nicotinamide riboside may have a number of other benefits, such as: helping with weight loss, reducing cancer risk, regulating therapeutic jet lag, and potentially promoting healthy muscle aging.
In conclusion, nicotinamide riboside may increase NAD+ levels, which are associated with potential health benefits such as aging, brain health, heart disease risk, etc.
Potential risks and side effects of nicotinamide riboside
If used properly, nicotinamide riboside may be safe and well-tolerated with few side effects.
In human studies, there are no harmful effects from taking 1000 to 2000 mg per day. However, always consult a healthcare professional before taking higher doses of NR. In animals, there were no harmful effects in animals given 300 mg/kg per day for 90 days. Also, unlike vitamin B3 supplements, nicotinamide riboside should not cause facial flushing.
In conclusion, nicotinamide riboside appears to be safe and has few side effects. However, its long-term effects on humans are still relatively unknown.
Summary
Nicotinamide Riboside is another form of vitamin B3, an important nutritional supplement with few side effects. Nicotinamide Riboside improves cellular vitality, especially of aging cells, and therefore it is usually marketed as an anti-aging product. Nicotinamide Riboside is converted into NAD+ to provide energy to the body, so that the body’s metabolism, immunity, brain function, cardiovascular function, etc. will be improved. Therefore, it is used to enhance the body’s function as a whole, so that all cells in the body are in a new active state, eliminating diseases and achieving the effect of slowing down the aging process.
