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Nicotinamide riboside improves peripheral artery disease

In the News: Nicotinamide Riboside Benefits People with Peripheral Artery Disease

Nicotinamide riboside improves peripheral artery disease; high antioxidant intake may inhibit hair loss; carnitine improves sepsis outcomes; aged black garlic may improve prostate health.

Scientifically reviewed by Gary Gonzalez, MD, in February 2025.

A recent study showed that nicotinamide riboside, the most widely used precursor to NAD+, increased walking distance in people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the legs, which can cause severe walking disability.*

In this randomized-controlled trial, 90 people with peripheral artery disease took either nicotinamide riboside (1,000 mg), nicotinamide riboside + resveratrol (1,000 mg + 125 mg), or a placebo daily for six months.

The study showed that nicotinamide riboside increased six-minute walking distance by 7.6 meters (22.9 feet) at follow-up as compared to a 6-month decrease of 10.6 meters (34.7 feet) in the placebo group. Where there was at least 75% adherence to the program, subjects taking both versions of nicotinamide riboside increased their walking distance between 31 meters (101.7 feet) and 26.9 meters (88.2 feet) compared to the placebo group.

Editor’s note: "NR meaningfully improved walking performance in PAD patients," researchers concluded.

* Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 13;15(1):5046.

High Antioxidant Intake May Help Protect Against Hair Loss

Consuming a diet containing high levels of antioxidants was linked to a lower risk of androgenetic alopecia: hair loss caused by male hormones, that also affects women, a recent study found.*

The investigation included 9,647 men and women enrolled in the Fasa Adult Cohort Study, which is a longitudinal prospective cohort study of adults over the age of 35 years. Of the participants, 24% had metabolic syndrome. Questionnaires provided information about the foods they ate.

Having a higher dietary antioxidant index value was associated with 10% lower odds of androgenetic alopecia, while a higher energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index was associated with a 4% greater risk.

The associations were significant only among women, who comprised about half of the participants. Those who had higher dietary antioxidant scores consumed more fruits and vegetables and less trans and saturated fats.

Editor’s Note: "Antioxidant-rich diets protect against androgenetic alopecia hair loss, while pro-inflammatory diets increase the risk," the authors concluded.

* Front. Nutr., 2024 Aug 15:11:1433962.

Carnitine Improves Sepsis Outcomes

People with sepsis who received L-carnitine had lower blood markers of inflammation, a reduced risk of 28-day mortality, and increased indicators of antioxidant defense, a recent study showed.1

Sixty adults with sepsis received 3 grams per day L-carnitine or a placebo for seven days. At baseline, the researchers evaluated inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein produced by the liver that indicates the level of acute inflammation, infection or injury in the body,2 and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a blood test that measures the speed at which red blood cells settle at the bottom of a blood sample, indicating the amount of inflammation in the body.2 In addition, participants were evaluated for antioxidant biomarkers such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), an antioxidant produced in the body, that is a key enzyme in the detoxification of free radicals.3

Individuals were also evaluated for total antioxidant capacity, as well as the 28-day mortality rate.

After seven days, compared with the start of the trial, those who received L-carnitine had significantly lower C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and higher superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity, indicating a reduction in the inflammation that characterizes sepsis, and greater antioxidant defense. Compared with the placebo, there were significant improvements in C-reactive protein among those who received L-carnitine. There were 7 deaths in the group that received carnitine versus 15 in the placebo group within 28 days after finishing the intervention.

Editor’s Note: "L-carnitine ameliorated inflammation, enhanced antioxidant defense, reduced mortality, and improved some clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis," the authors concluded.

References

  1. Nutr J. 2024 Mar 6;23(1):31.
  2. Wmj. 2016 Dec;115(6):317-21.
  3. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Aug 27;12(9).

Aged Black Garlic May Have Prostate Health Benefits

Preclinical evidence suggests that an extract of aged black garlic may benefit prostate health by protecting against inflammation-induced prostate damage and reducing prostate cancer cells.*

The study found that aged black garlic extract lowered gene expression of pro-inflammatory biomarkers in mice prostates in response to an inflammatory stimulus.

In addition, when the effects of aged black garlic extract were evaluated on prostate cancer cell lines the researchers found that aged black garlic extract reduced cell proliferation, colony and tumorsphere formation, and cell migration.

Editor’s Note: "Our results suggest that aged black garlic extract might be potentially used as a diet supplement for health promotion and a source of bio-organic compounds with antitumor properties in prostate cancer," the authors stated.

* Nutrients. 2024 Sep 7;16(17):3025.