Early Clinical Research Shows NR May Lower Blood Pressure to Support Cardiovascular Health
Over the last several years there has been an influx of research started on nicotinamide riboside (NR) due to its unique mechanism for raising levels of the coveted compound nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). The ability of NR to increase NAD levels has been demonstrated in a myriad of peer-reviewed preclinical studies, as well as three published human clinical trials [1-3].
In this latest published clinical trial, led by Drs. Christopher Martens and Douglas Seals of the Integrative Physiology of Aging Laboratory at the University of Colorado, Boulder, the NAD precursor NR was given to middle-aged and older adults for six weeks at a dose of 500 milligrams twice daily. This trial demonstrates that chronic, or long-term, supplementation of NR in an older population is both effective and well-tolerated.
The authors concluded from various clinical and physiologic measurements that NR supplementation increases NAD levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells 60% on average compared with placebo. They saw a greater response in those individuals with lower baseline blood NAD levels. This is of particular relevance, as more and more pre-clinical research is emerging to suggest that low NAD levels are associated with the progression of many age-associated diseases.
Like human clinical trials before it, this study provides additional support to the conclusion that NR supplementation safely and reliably raises NAD, and without uncomfortable side effects or serious adverse events. The chronic nature of the study allowed the authors to add to existing knowledge, to show that the beneficial NAD-elevating effects of NR do not wear off with consistent supplementation over time, but rather continued to support elevated NAD. This suggests that NR may have the potential to render a therapeutic benefit in chronic conditions in which lowered NAD levels play a role.
The authors also uncovered trends in physiologic data that suggest NR could be beneficial in lowering blood pressure and reducing aortic stiffness in this older population. Based on these preliminary observations, the researchers have designed a larger human trial to further assess these cardiovascular risk factors. With nearly 60% of the US population, mostly middle-aged and older adults, having elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension, and nearly two-thirds of incident cardiovascular disease-related events occurring in individuals with blood pressure in this range, this will be an important area for further study.
References
Trammell SA, Schmidt MS, Weidemann BJ, Redpath P, Jaksch F, Dellinger RW, Li Z, Abel ED, Migaud ME, Brenner C. Nicotinamide riboside is uniquely and orally bioavailable in mice and humans. Nat Commun. 2016;7:12948. doi: 10.1038/ncomms12948. PubMed PMID: 27721479; PMCID: PMC5062546
Airhart SE, Shireman LM, Risler LJ, Anderson GD, Nagana Gowda GA, Raftery D, Tian R, Shen DD, O’Brien KD. An open-label, non-randomized study of the pharmacokinetics of the nutritional supplement nicotinamide riboside (NR) and its effects on blood NAD+ levels in healthy volunteers. PLoS One. 2017;12(12):e0186459. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186459. PubMed PMID: 29211728; PMCID: PMC5718430.
Dellinger RW, Santos SR, Morris M, Evans M, Alminana D, Guarente L, Marcotulli E. Repeat dose NRPT (nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene) increases NAD(+) levels in humans safely and sustainably: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. NPJ Aging Mech Dis. 2017;3:17. doi: 10.1038/s41514-017-0016-9. PubMed PMID: 29184669; PMCID: PMC5701244.