Guest guest Posted December 11, 2008 Report Share Posted December 11, 2008 I want to point out that the B vitamins should be taken in proper proportion to one another. The taking of just B3 in large amounts could cause a deficiency in the other B vitamins. This information came from Adella , about 1960. She held a Masters degree in the nutritional field. I think it was in one of her books called " Lets Get Well " about 1960. I think her degree was in bio-chemistry. A very good book if a person could find one. What are " large amounts " ? I would estimate the taking of B3 (300mg) a day, without taking any other B's, for a month. Adella 's recommendation was to take the B's in the following ratio. The same amount for B1, B2, B6 and then take 3 times the amount of B3 and B5, each in comparison to B1 for example. The B's are very important to the adrenal gland, which is very important to about 1,000 other things. Arthritis, the immune system and inflammation. I would recommend no less then 1,000mg of vitamin C per day. Since they are all water soluble, a person should take a dose spread out during a 24 hour period. Water soluble means they are not held in storage as apposed to oil soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, etc. I tried 4,000mg of niacin B3 (the flush vitamin) a day for a week. I am not really positive it helped much. Some people can only take 100mg a day or less without feeling the flush (dilation of the blood vessels). It never lasted over 30 minutes. Niacinamide B3 will not cause a flush. The benefits of niacin over niacinamide are still debated. ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability http://www.ahrp.org <http://www.ahrp.org/> and http://ahrp.blogspot.com <http://ahrp.blogspot.com> FYI A (highly technical) report in the Journal of Neuroscience, by a multi-disciplinary team of scientists at the University of California (Irvine) reported that high doses of nicotinamide (vitamin B-3 or niacin): " restored cognitive deficits associated with pathology. Nicotinamide selectively reduces a specific phospho-species of tau (Thr231) that is associated with microtubule depolymerization, in a manner similar to inhibition of SirT1. Nicotinamide also dramatically increased acetylated-tubulin, a primary substrate of SirT2, and MAP2c, both of which are linked to increased microtubule stability. Reduced phosphoThr231-tau was related to a reduction of monoubiquitinconjugated tau, suggesting that this posttranslationally modified form of tau may be rapidly degraded. Overexpression of a Thr231-phospho-mimic tau in vitro increased clearance and decreased accumulation of tau compared with wild-type tau. These preclinical findings suggest that oral nicotinamide may represent a safe treatment for AD and other tauopathies, and that phosphorylation of tau at Thr231 may regulate tau stability. " Conclusion: " ...these results suggest that nicotinamide may also be effective against other tauopathies, which share many common pathological features with the tau pathology seen both in AD and in the 3xTg-AD mice. In summary, the results presented here suggest that nicotinamide has potential as a novel, safe, and inexpensive AD therapy, either alone or in combination with AB-lowering therapies. " Earlier, a team at Rush Institute and the Center for Disease Control conducted a large prospective study--close to 4000 people aged 65 and older, who had no Alzheimer's disease at the start of the study, were recruited. The published study (2004) in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry examined whether dietary intake of niacin was associated with incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive decline. The favorable results: " Dietary niacin may protect against AD and age related cognitive decline. " [2] The researchers noted that previous research has indicated that niacin has an important role in DNA synthesis and repair, neural cell signaling, and acts as a potent antioxidant in brain cells. http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Niacin-appears-to-protect-against-A lzheimer-s-too The bottom line: There are 140,000 deaths annually attributable to properly prescribed prescription drugs. (6) And this figure is just for one year, and just for the USA. Furthermore, when overdoses, incorrect prescription, and adverse drug interactions are figured in, total drug fatalities number over a quarter of a million dead. Each year. Niacin's safety has been confirmed for over 50 years. Nutritional (orthomolecular) physicians have used vitamin B3 in doses as high as tens of thousands of milligrams per day. Cardiologists frequently give patients thousands of milligrams of niacin daily to lower cholesterol. Niacin is preferred because its safety margin is so very large. The American Association of Poison Control Centers' Toxic Exposure Surveillance System annual reports indicates there is not even one death per year due to niacin in any of its forms. [3] [4] Below, a news release from Orthomolecular Medicine, examines the media's mixed signals about the very positive efficacy findings of using vitamin B-3 for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's. So why, were news reports were so muted about a potentially cheap efficacious nutritional supplement treatment compared to the coverage afforded to reports about expensive pharmaceutical products? References: 1. Kim N. Green, Joan S. Steffan, Hilda ez-Coria, Xuemin Sun, S. Schreiber, Michels , and M. LaFerla. Nicotinamide Restores Cognition in Alzheimer's Disease Transgenic Mice via a Mechanism Involving Sirtuin Inhibition and Selective Reduction of Thr231-Phosphotau in The Journal of Neuroscience, November 5, 2008 . 28(45):11500 -11510. 2. M C , D A , J L Bienias, P A Scherr, C C Tangney, L E Hebert, D A , R S , N Aggarwal. Dietary niacin and the risk of incident Alzheimer's disease and of cognitive decline Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 2004;75:1093-1099 3. Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poisoning and Exposure Database (formerly known as the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System). AAPCC, 3201 New Mexico Avenue, Ste. 330, Washington, DC 20016. Download any report from1983-2006 at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDS/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx 4. See also:The American Journal of Cardiology - Volume 99, Issue 6A (March 2007) http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/113408063-2/jorg=journal & source=MI & sp=19467991 & sid=0/N/575177/1.html Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav veracare@... 212-595-8974 http://www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml http://www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n25.shtml FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, December 9, 2008 High Doses of Vitamins Fight Alzheimer's Disease Why Don't Doctors Recommend Them Now? (OMNS, December 9, 2008) The news media recently reported that " huge doses of an ordinary vitamin appeared to eliminate memory problems in mice with the rodent equivalent of Alzheimer's disease. " They then quickly added that " scientists aren't ready to recommend that people try the vitamin on their own outside of normal doses. " (1) In other words, extra-large amounts of a vitamin are helpful, so don't you take them! That does not even pass the straight-faced test. So what's the story? Researchers at the University of California at Irvine gave the human dose equivalent of 2,000 to 3,000 mg of vitamin B3 to mice with Alzheimer's. (2) It worked. Kim Green, one of the researchers, is quoted as saying, " Cognitively, they were cured. They performed as if they'd never developed the disease. " Specifically, the study employed large amounts of nicotinamide, the vitamin B3 widely found in foods such as meat, poultry, fish, nuts and seeds. Nicotinamide is also the form of niacin found, in far greater quantity, in dietary supplements. It is more commonly known as niacinamide. It is inexpensive and its safety is long established. The most common side effect of niacinamide in very high doses is nausea. This can be eliminated by taking less, by using regular niacin instead, which may cause a warm flush, or choosing inositol hexaniacinate, which does not. They are all vitamin B3. HealthDay Reporter mentioned how cheap the vitamin is; the study authors " bought a year's supply for $30 " and noted that it " appears to be safe. " Even so, one author said that " I wouldn't advocate people rush out and eat grams of this stuff each day. " (1) The BBC quoted Wood, Chief Executive of the UK Alzheimer's Research Trust, who said, " Until the human research was completed, people should not start taking the supplement. . . . people should be wary about changing their diet or taking supplements. In high doses vitamin B3 can be toxic. " (3) The Irish Times reiterated it: " People have been cautioned about rushing out to buy high dose vitamin B3 supplements in an attempt to prevent memory loss .. . . The warnings came today one day on from the announcement . . .Vitamins in high doses can be toxic. " (4) Their choice of words is quaint but hardly accurate. There is no wild " rush; " half of the population already takes food supplements. And as for " toxic, " niacin isn't. Canadian psychiatrist Abram Hoffer, M.D., asserts that it is actually remarkably safe. " There have been no deaths from niacin supplements, " Dr. Hoffer says. " The LD 50 (the dosage that would kill half of those taking it) for dogs is 5,000-6,000 milligrams per kilogram body weight. That is equivalent to almost a pound of niacin per day for a human. No human takes 375,000 milligrams of niacin a day. They would be nauseous long before reaching a harmful dose. " Dr. Hoffer conducted the first double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of niacin. He adds, " Niacin is not liver toxic. Niacin therapy increases liver function tests. But this elevation means that the liver is active. It does not indicate an underlying liver pathology. " The medical literature repeatedly confirms niacin's safety. Indeed, for over 50 years, nutritional (orthomolecular) physicians have used vitamin B3 in doses as high as tens of thousands of milligrams per day. Cardiologists frequently give patients thousands of milligrams of niacin daily to lower cholesterol. Niacin is preferred because its safety margin is so very large. The American Association of Poison Control Centers' Toxic Exposure Surveillance System annual reports indicates there is not even one death per year due to niacin in any of its forms. (5) One the other hand, there are 140,000 deaths annually attributable to properly prescribed prescription drugs. (6) And this figure is just for one year, and just for the USA. Furthermore, when overdoses, incorrect prescription, and adverse drug interactions are figured in, total drug fatalities number over a quarter of a million dead. Each year. The BBC's curious mention that we should even be " wary about changing our diets " is especially odd. More and more scientists think our much-in-need-of-improvement diets are what contribute more than anything to developing Alzheimer's. " There appears to be a statistically significant link between a low dietary intake of niacin and a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A study of the niacin intake of 6158 Chicago residents 65 years of age or older established that the lower the daily intake of niacin, the greater the risk of becoming an Alzheimer's disease patient. " The group with the highest daily intake of niacin had a 70 percent decrease in incidence of this disease compared to the lowest group. " The most compelling evidence to date is that early memory loss can be reversed by the ascorbate (vitamin C) minerals. Greater Alzheimer's disease risk also has been linked to low dietary intake of vitamin E and of fish. " (7) Nutrient deficiency of long standing may create a nutrient dependency. A nutrient dependency is an exaggerated need for the missing nutrient, a need not met by dietary intakes or even by low-dose supplementation. P. Heaney, M.D., uses the term " long latency deficiency diseases " to describe illnesses that fit this description. He writes: " Inadequate intakes of many nutrients are now recognized as contributing to several of the major chronic diseases that affect the populations of the industrialized nations. Often taking many years to manifest themselves, these disease outcomes should be thought of as long-latency deficiency diseases. . . Because the intakes required to prevent many of the long-latency disorders are higher than those required to prevent the respective index diseases, recommendations based solely on preventing the index diseases are no longer biologically defensible. " (8) Where pathology already exists, unusually large quantities of vitamins may be needed to repair damaged tissue. Thirty-five years ago, in another paper, Hoffer wrote: " The borderline between vitamin deficiency and vitamin-dependency conditions is merely a quantitative one when one considers prevention and cure. " (9) As there is no recognized cure for Alzheimer's, prevention is vital. In their article, the Irish Times does admit that " Healthy mice fed the vitamins also outperformed mice on a normal diet " and quoted study co-author LaFerla saying that " This suggests that not only is it good for Alzheimer's disease, but if normal people take it, some aspects of their memory might improve. " (4) And study author Green added, " If we combine this with other things already out there, we'd probably see a large effect. " The US Alzheimer's Association's Dr. Ralph Nixon has said that previous research has suggested that vitamins such as vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B12 may help people lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. At their website (although you have to search for it), the Alzheimer's Association says, " Vitamins may be helpful. There is some indication that vitamins, such as vitamin E, or vitamins E and C together, vitamin B12 and folate may be important in lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer's. . . One large federally funded study (10) showed that vitamin E slightly delayed loss of ability to carry out daily activities and placement in residential care. " But overall, at their website http://www.alz.org/index.asp <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.alz.org/index.asp> the Alzheimer's Association has strikingly little to say about vitamins, and they hasten to tell people that " No one should use vitamin E to treat Alzheimer's disease except under the supervision of a physician. " ( http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10428.asp <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10428.asp> ) " They write as if these safe vitamins are dangerous drugs, not be used without a doctor's consent, " comments Dr. Hoffer. " I have been using them for decades. " Niacin and nerves go together. Orthomolecular physicians have found niacin and other nutrients to be an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychotic behavior, and schizophrenia. New research confirms that niacinamide (the same form of B3 used in the Alzheimer's research) " profoundly prevents the degeneration of demyelinated axons and improves the behavioral deficits " in animals with an illness very similar to multiple sclerosis. (11) A measure of journalistic caution is understandable, especially with ever-new promises for pharmaceutical products. Drugs routinely used to treat Alzheimer's Disease have had a disappointing, even dismal success rate. So when nutrition may be the better answer, foot-dragging is inexplicable, even inexcusable. Nutrients are vastly safer than drugs. Unjustified, needlessly negative opinionating is out of place. Over 5 million Americans now have Alzheimer's disease, and the number is estimated to reach 14 million by 2050. Potentially, 9 million people would benefit later from niacin now. " Man is a food-dependent creature, " wrote University of Alabama professor of medicine Emanuel Cheraskin, M.D.. " If you don't feed him, he will die. If you feed him improperly, part of him will die. " When that part is the brain, it is dangerous to delay the use of optimum nutrition. References: (1) Vitamin Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Disease. Randy Dotinga, HealthDay Reporter, Nov 5, 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110502 796.html <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110502796.html > and also http://health./news/healthday/vitaminholdspromiseforalzheimersdisea se.html <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://h ealth./news/healthday/vitaminholdspromiseforalzheimersdisease.html> (2) Green KN, Steffan JS, ez-Coria H, Sun X, Schreiber SS, LM, LaFerla FM. Nicotinamide restores cognition in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice via a mechanism involving sirtuin inhibition and selective reduction of Thr231-phosphotau. J Neurosci. 2008 Nov 5;28(45):11500-10. (3) BBC, 5 Nov 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7710365.stm <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://n ews.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7710365.stm> (4) Donnellan E. Caution urged over using vitamin B3 to treat Alzheimer's. Wed, Nov 05, 2008. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1105/breaking91.htm <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1105/breaking91.htm> (5) Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poisoning and Exposure Database (formerly known as the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System). AAPCC, 3201 New Mexico Avenue, Ste. 330, Washington, DC 20016. Download any report from1983-2006 at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDS/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDS/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx> free of charge. The " Vitamin " category is usually near the end of the report. (6) Classen DC, Pestotnik SL, RS, Lloyd JF, Burke JP. Adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. Excess length of stay, extra costs, and attributable mortality. JAMA. 1997 Jan 22-29;277(4):301-6. (7) 21. Hoffer A and HD. Feel Better, Live Longer With Vitamin B-3: Nutrient Deficiency and Dependency. CCNM Press, 2007. ISBN-10: 1897025246; ISBN-13: 978-1897025246. Also: HD. What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease. Trafford, 2004. ISBN 1-4120-4921-0. (8) Heaney RP: Long-latency deficiency disease: insights from calcium and vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; Nov; 78(5):912-9. (9) Hoffer A. Mechanism of action of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide in the treatment of schizophrenia. In: Hawkins D and ing L: Orthomolecular Psychiatry: Treatment of Schizophrenia. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. 1973; p. 202-262. (10) Sano M, Ernesto C, RG et al. A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Disease ative Study. N Engl J Med. 1997 Apr 24;336(17):1216-22 (11) Kaneko S, Wang J, Kaneko M, Yiu G, Hurrell JM, Chitnis T, Khoury SJ, He Z. Protecting axonal degeneration by increasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models. J Neurosci. 2006 Sep 20;26(38):9794-804. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search & DB=pubmed <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi--Q-CMD--E-search--A-DB--E-pubmed> See also: Vitamins fight multiple sclerosis. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 4, 2006. For More Information: A complete copy of Dr. Harold D. 's What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease is available in PDF format, free of charge: http://www.hdfoster.com/_Alzheimers.pdf <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.hdfoster.com/_Alzheimers.pdf> To access a free archive of peer-reviewed medical journal papers on the safety and efficacy of vitamin therapy: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/ <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://o rthomolecular.org/library/jom/> Review of nutritional approaches to Alzheimer's Disease: http://www.doctoryourself.com/alzheimer.html <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.doctoryourself.com/alzheimer.html> Additional Reading: Klenner FR. Response of peripheral and central nerve pathology to mega-doses of the vitamin B-complex and other metabolites. Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1973. http://www.tldp.com/issue/11_00/klenner.htm <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.tldp.com/issue/11_00/klenner.htm> MC, DA, Bienias JL, Tangney CC, DA, Aggarwal N, RS, and Scherr PA. Dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients and the risk of incident Alzheimer's disease in a biracial community study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002. 287(24), 3230-3237. MC, DA, Bienias PA, Scherr A, Tangney CC, Hebert LE, DA, RS, and Aggarwal N. Dietary Niacin and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer's Disease and of Cognitive Decline. J Neurology, Psychiatry 2004; 75: 1093-1099. Bobkova NV. The impact of mineral ascorbates on memory loss. Paper presented at the III World Congress on Vitamin C, 2001, Committee for World Health, , BC, Canada. Galeev A, Kazakova A, Zherebker E, Dana E, and Dana R. Mineral ascorbates improve memory and cognitive functions in older individuals with pre-Alzheimer's symptoms. Copy of paper given to authors by R. Dana and E. Dana, Committee for World Health, 20331 Lake Forest Drive, Suite C-15, Lake Forest, California 92630, USA. Bobkova NV, Nesterova IV, Dana E, Nesterov VI, Aleksandrova IIu, Medvinskaia NI, and Samokhia AN (2003). Morpho-functional changes of neurons in temporal cortex in comparison with spatial memory in bulbectomized mice after treatment with minerals and ascorbates. Morfologiia, 123(3), 27-31. [in Russian] Engelhart MJ, Geerlings MI, Ruitenberg A, van Swieten JC, Hofman A, and Witteman JC (2002). Dietary intake of antioxidants and risk of Alzheimer's disease: Food for thought. Journal of the American Medical Association, 287(24), 3223-3229. Grant WB. Dietary links to Alzheimer's disease: 1999 update. Journal of Alzheimer's disease, 1999, 1(4,5), 197-201. Barberger-Gateau P, Letenneur L, Deschamps V, P r s K, Jean-Fran ois Dartigues JF, and Renaud S (2002). Fish, meat, and risk of dementia: Cohort study. British Medical Journal, 325, 932-933. Vogiatzoglou A, Refsum H, ston C, SM, Bradley KM, de Jager C, Budge MM, AD. Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly. Neurology. 2008 Sep 9;71(11):826-32. Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org <http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://w ww.orthomolecular.org> The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource. Editorial Review Board: Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Damien Downing, M.D. Harold D. , Ph.D. Steve Hickey, Ph.D. Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. A. , PhD Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D Levy, M.D., J.D. Paterson, M.D. Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. W. Saul, Ph.D., Editor and contact person. Email: omns@... 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