The Promising Benefits of Nicotinamide Riboside for Peripheral Artery Disease Patients
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a chronic condition that affects millions of Americans, causing pain and limited mobility in the legs due to reduced blood flow. Treatments for PAD are limited, but a recent study has shown promising results for patients using an over-the-counter supplement called nicotinamide riboside.
In a preliminary clinical trial led by researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Florida, patients with PAD who took nicotinamide riboside daily for six months saw a significant improvement in their walking endurance. Compared to those who took a placebo, participants who took the supplement increased their timed walking distance by over 57 feet.
Dr. Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, a professor of physiology and aging at the University of Florida and senior author of the study, commented on the results, stating, “This is a signal that nicotinamide riboside could help these patients. We are hoping to conduct a larger follow-up trial to verify our findings.”
Nicotinamide riboside is a form of vitamin B3 that has gained popularity as an anti-aging treatment due to its role as a precursor for the essential compound NAD, which plays a key role in energy generation, blood flow, and DNA repair. As PAD is associated with energy generation issues in muscle cells, researchers hypothesized that nicotinamide riboside could help improve walking performance in patients with the disease.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, recruited 90 participants with an average age of 71 who had PAD. Those who took nicotinamide riboside saw an average increase of 23 feet in their six-minute walking test, while those who took a placebo walked 34 feet less. Participants who consistently took at least 75% of the supplement pills showed even greater improvements, with some adding over 100 feet to their walking distance.
Interestingly, the researchers also tested the effects of resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, in combination with nicotinamide riboside but found no additional benefits. However, the results for nicotinamide riboside alone were promising enough to warrant further study.
With over 8.5 million Americans over the age of 40 affected by PAD, the potential benefits of nicotinamide riboside are significant. This supplement could offer a much-needed alternative or adjunct to current treatments for PAD, especially since supervised exercise, which is typically recommended for PAD patients, is not accessible to everyone with the condition.
Looking ahead, Dr. Leeuwenburgh hopes to conduct larger trials focused specifically on PAD patients to further investigate the effects of nicotinamide riboside. Additionally, he is interested in exploring the supplement’s potential impact on walking performance in healthy older adults.
“We need to test it on a healthy older population before we recommend healthy people take it,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of further research before broadening the use of nicotinamide riboside beyond patients with PAD.
