OT: High dose B 3 may fight Alzheimer's

[Guest guest]

If it impacts Alzheimers, maybe it relates to ASD. It's probably not

new news to some DANs but what's interesting is that maybe Alzheimers

is similar to ASD in that malabsorbtion, i.e., " starving brain " , is a

contributing factor.

Subject: High Doses of Vitamin B-3 Fights Alzheimer's Disease_J

Neuroscience

To: " Infomail1ahrp (DOT) org "

Date: Thursday, December 11, 2008, 10:33 AM

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@...

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.yahoo.com/news/healthday/vitaminholdspromiseforalzheimer

sdisea

se.html

<http://www.orthomolecular.org/12all/lt/t_go.php?

i=109 & e=MjQyMDc= & l=http://h

ealth.yahoo.com/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:

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