As you probably know, there’s a lot of Niacin in Western diets. So, when a new, potentially concerning Niacin study was published last week, the media sounded the alarm, and word spread quickly. Furthermore, those taking NAD+ boosters Nicotinamide Riboside “NR”  (FAQs) (Anecdotes) and/or Nicotinamide Mononucleotide “NMN” (FAQs and Anecdotes) began to wonder whether they, too, were at risk. But, as it turns out, there are some serious flaws in this whole narrative.

First, for those interested in reading the new Niacin study, here it is: “A terminal metabolite of niacin promotes vascular inflammation and contributes to cardiovascular disease risk” (Link)

Second, here’s the press release from the Cleveland Clinic discussing their study: “Cleveland Clinic-Led Study Discovers Link between High Levels of Niacin – a Common B Vitamin – and Heart Disease (Excess Niacin Breakdown Product Fuels Inflammation, Cardiovascular Disease through Newly Discovered Pathway)” (Link)

And, finally, here’s media coverage from NBC News: “High levels of niacin linked to heart disease, new research suggests (Excess amounts of vitamin B3 — which is found in meat, fish, nuts, and fortified cereals and breads — may trigger inflammation and damage blood vessels). (Link)

Now, are there problems with this study? There appear to be.

First, the study was observational. There was no intervention. That means there was no Niacin supplementation. There was nothing administered, neither Niacin nor any other form of B3. So, they only showed correlation, not causation.

Second, the study mentioned that Niacin “excess” was a serious concern, but never defined what that is (nor does it speculate on what that might be). And, again, per point #1, they didn’t actually administer Niacin.

Third, study participants already had high rates of cardiovascular disease. You’d think they’d focus on enrolling folks more representative of the general population. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

All in all, the scientists appear to be saying that something generally understood as healthy, which they did not even test, might be dangerous.

And what are the implications for other NAD+ boosters? The authors seem to suggest that all NAD+ boosters are potentially problematic.

Well, NAD+ booster Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), for example, is not Niacin. And, by contrast, it has numerous published human studies showing it in fact lowers inflammation (More). And, keep in mind, these are results of randomized, placebo controlled studies, not observational studies.

Also, high dose NR is known to be safe. More HERE.

And how did NAD+ experts Dr. Brenner and Dr. Sinclair react?

There’s also been significant criticism of the study from seemingly knowledgable folks on the NR subReddit:

Thoughts? – High levels of niacin linked to heart disease, new research suggests
byu/999UnreadMessages inNicotinamideRiboside

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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