According to a study, blood pressure and arterial health is improved in individuals consuming a natural dietary supplement known as nicotinamide riboside, a recently discovered type of vitamin B3, especially in individuals having mild hypertension. The study found that after nicotinamide riboside supplementation, systolic blood pressure was about 10 points lower in individuals having elevated blood pressure, which could lead to a heart attack risk reduction of 25%.[1]
Daily nicotinamide riboside supplementation mimics caloric restriction, which has long been known to help fend off physiological signs of aging. The researchers found nicotinamide riboside to be well tolerated and appeared to activate some of the same biological pathways which calorie restriction does.
Half of the study participants took a placebo for 6 weeks, then a 500 mg dose of nicotinamide riboside chloride twice a day. The other participants took nicotinamide riboside for the 1st 6 weeks, then a placebo. Blood samples were taken as well as other physiological measurements after each treatment period. No serious adverse effects were reported.
A 1,000 mg dosage of nicotinamide riboside a day boosted levels of another compound known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) by 60%. NAD+ is needed for the activation of sirtuins, enzymes that are largely responsible for the benefits of calorie restriction. NAD+ is involved in a variety of the body’s metabolic actions, but has a tendency to decline with age.
Studies have suggested that NAD+ is conserved by the body when subjected to calorie restriction as an evolutionary survival mechanism. It’s only recently that the idea of nicotinamide riboside supplementation to promote healthy aging has been explored.
Not only is the NAD+ which is lost with aging restored, but the activity of enzymes responsible for helping protect the body from stress could potentially be boosted.
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