Skip to main content

SUBJ: evidence supporting vitamin B3 (niacin) supplements important for health

SUBtitle: Healthy microbiome may control appetite

See past newsletters here

SHORT NOTES: Tons of evidence supporting vitamin B3 (niacin) supplements are safe and proven important for health – niacin;  Healthy microbiome may control appetite;  Pharmacogenes can vastly improve use of medicine- People over 70 have a 70% chance of taking a drug whose safety or efficacy is compromised by their genes; New radiation treatment for cancer, sounds very promising;  Get 150 minutes per week of any exercise that makes you breathe harder and revs up your heart rate;  Poor sleep quality was associated with faster longitudinal shortening of  leukocyte telomere length;   a 2-in-1 anti-cancer nanoparticle. It is the world’ first RNA-based treatment to combine chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells and immunotherapy to stimulate the immune system to identify and attack the remaining cancer cells; the first implant of the thinnest artificial cornea ever printed in the world; Dangerous foods: cherry pits, apple seeds…; Inflammation: get enough sleep, take a walk, eat turmeric,…Do Collagen supplements may support healthier skin and reduce arthritis in dogs; Dasatinib, Quercetin, and Fisetin are more effective for clearing some senescent cell types than others, but D + Q has many downsides

LONG NOTES: Tons of evidence supporting vitamin B3 (niacin) supplements are safe and proven important for health – Senescent cells promote tissue NAD+ decline during ageing via the activation of CD38+ macrophages. Declining tissue nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels are linked to ageing and its associated diseases; Fighting Glioblastoma. Reader question: everyone is excited about MNM, nicotinamide mononucleotide, DNA repair.  Is there anything to it? Roc response: MNM is just an expensive form of niacin, that breaks down in stomach acid to become niacin. Link to niacin.

Healthy microbiome may control appetite. Science 15 April 2022 pg 248. The intestinal tract microbiota communicate directly to the hypothalamus, influencing appetite. Peptidoglycan from bacteria in the gut signal to decrease appetite. I have a sip of kefir every morning to help maintain a healthy microbiome.

Pharmacogenes can vastly improve use of medicine.  8% of people have a gene that inactivates codeine so it will no relieve pain.  People over 70 have a 70% chance of taking a drug whose safety or efficacy is compromised by their genes.  A test to detect 40 such genes costs $130-195 in Britain!  If you have cancer, inform your doctor!

New radiation treatment for cancer, sounds very promising and is quite ingenious!

Here   is a technical article from C & E News published today, as usual well-written like most C&E News articles and providing just the right level of detail. Pay particular attention to the cartoon showing how it works (using an analogy to  arrows in archery!)

Web MD: Get 150 minutes per week of any exercise that makes you breathe harder and revs up your heart rate. Break it up any way you’d like — do 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week — just be sure to move for at least 10 minutes at a time. strength (also called resistance) training does wonders for your bones and joints. Get in at least two sessions a week.

Poor sleep quality, specifically short sleep duration, long sleep latency, and low sleep efficiency were associated with faster longitudinal shortening of  leukocyte telomere length

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a 2-in-1 anti-cancer nanoparticle. It is the world’ first RNA-based treatment to combine chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells and immunotherapy to stimulate the immune system to identify and attack the remaining cancer cells.

Doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center have performed the first implant of the thinnest artificial cornea ever printed in the world. The 50-micron thick EndoArt implant (see here previously) reduces recovery time and risk of rejection.

AARP Dangerous foods: cherry pits, apple seeds, raw elderberries, spoonful of nutmeg, green potatoes, raw kidney beans, rhubarb leaves, bitter almonds, star fruit if you have kidney disease, mango skin

WebMD: Inflammation: get enough sleep, take a walk, eat turmeric, rosemary, cinnamon, cumin, and ginger, intermittent fasting,  Greens such as collards, broccoli, kale, and spinach have antioxidants, Try Yoga, easy on alcohol, Refined carbohydrates, red meats, and fried foods raise inflammation, Shed Extra Weight, Go for Green Tea, Stop Smoking

Do Collagen supplements to support healthier skin?- –Augusta, GA-based dermatologist Lauren Eckert Ploch says stomach acids break down collagen proteins you eat before they reach the skin intact, so she’s not convinced it helps at all. “The jury is still out.” It could carry diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy But here’s an example of an article can be misinterpreted to suggest collagen is helpful:

Drinking ampoules provides a blend of 2.5 g of collagen peptides, acerola fruit extract, vitamin C, zinc, biotin, and a native vitamin E complex.  The beneficial ampoule had lots of ingredients, so it is unlikely that collagen had any benefit, except that it is a protein.  The Effectiveness of Specific Collagen Peptides on Osteoarthritis in Dogs-Impact on Metabolic Processes in Canine Chondrocytes – In clinical trials over the past decade, the beneficial effect of orally administered collagen peptides in osteoarthritic dogs has been clearly demonstrated.  Although a statistically significant improvement in the lameness and vitality of dogs in general has been documented, the mode of action of the collagen peptide treatment is still under discussion.

Dasatinib, Quercetin, and Fisetin are more effective for clearing some senescent cell types than others. BUT D + Q has many downsides