One of the reasons why people suffer a decline in cognition as they age is that their brains can no longer generate enough energy for themselves and their neurons to function properly.
The journal Aging Cell has just published a study showing that a common type of vitamin supplement prevents this disruption of energy generation and thereby prevents cognitive decline.
Best of all, this vitamin is dirt cheap and available in all pharmacies.
There is one chemical in the human body that is essential for cells to be able to create energy. It is called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+.
According to many previous studies, mostly on animals, NAD+ decreases in brains as they age. This can lead to problems with energy generation in brain cells and even contribute to neurological disorders.
If brain cells don’t have enough energy to communicate with each other, then brain function breaks down completely, and cognition declines, as is the case in dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological disorders.
The research team wanted to see if taking vitamin B3 in the form of a supplement called nicotinamide riboside or NR could boost the NAD+ level.
They gave 500-mg NR supplements to a group of 10 healthy older twice a day for six weeks. They also recruited 12 adults who took a fake treatment, or placebo.
To investigate whether they increased NAD+ in neurons, the scientists measured the NAD+ in extracellular vesicles that appear in neurons and later end up in the blood.
They discovered what they hoped they would.
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1. The NR supplements did increase NAD+ levels in the blood and therefore in the neurons of the participants.
2. They also noticed that levels of certain proteins involved in inflammation and insulin resistance decreased.
Inflammation damages neurons, and insulin resistance prevents neurons from absorbing and using energy as they should, so it is clear how the NR supplement does its job.
These promising findings mean that a simple vitamin B supplement can increase our brains’ ability to use energy and potentially prevent dementia and other neurological disorders.
Nicotinamide riboside is also called niagen, and it is a widely available supplement.
It is available in small amounts in milk, yeast, beef, pork, chicken, salmon, tuna, broccoli, cucumber, and avocado.