Researchers say this dietary supplement can slow down ageing process

Daily consumption of nicotinamide riboside (NR) has a myriad of health benefits for older persons, says a new research.

Nicotinamide ribosidea, a dietary supplement, is a form of Vitamin B3.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder say NR restricts calories, improves blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

Caloric restriction, which is the act of reducing food intake without causing malnutrition, has been found to slow down ageing process.

To make the determination, half of the study participants were given a placebo for six weeks, and also took a 500 mg twice-daily dose of nicotinamide riboside (NR) chloride (NIAGEN), while the other half took NR for the first six weeks, followed by placebo.

The researchers took blood samples and other physiological measurements at the end of each treatment period.

They found that in 13 participants with elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension (120-139/80-89 mmHg), systolic blood pressure was about 10 points lower after supplementation.

The researchers say a drop of that magnitude could translate to a 25 percent reduction in heart attack risk.

“This was the first ever study to give this novel compound to humans over a period of time,” said senior author Doug Seals.

“We found that it is well tolerated and appears to activate some of the same key biological pathways that calorie restriction does.”

On his part, lead author Chris Martens, said: “The idea is that by supplementing older adults with NR, we are not only restoring something that is lost with aging (NAD+), but we could potentially be ramping up the activity of enzymes responsible for helping protect our bodies from stress.”

The study was published in the journal, Nature Communications.