Vitamin B3 Derivative Nicotinamide Riboside May Help Reduce Obesity-Related Inflammation

People who are overweight or obese also suffer from chronic inflammation, which has been shown to contribute to the development and progression of several chronic diseases. A new study has found that taking the vitamin B3 derivative nicotinamide riboside may help reduce obesity-related inflammation. It may also help reduce the risk of developing the diseases associated with obesity-related inflammation by triggering a protein called SIRT3.

Participants in the study included 19 healthy volunteers who underwent a 24-hour fast, after which they where fed a fixed-calorie meal. The researchers drew blood during the fasted and fed states and analyzed it for NRLP3 inflammasone activity. NRLP3 inflammasone is associated with metabolic dysfunction and increased inflammation.

The researchers then recruited eight more healthy volunteers who were given nicotinamide roboside in order to assess its effects on NRLP3 inflammasone.

In the first part of the study, the researchers found that participants showed less NLRP3  inflammasone activation in the fasting state than in the fed state. In the second part of the study, they found that nicotinamide roboside inhibits NRLP3 inflammasone by activating SIRT3, which blocks the activity of the NRLP3 inflammasone.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the UK conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on November 3, 2015, in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Nicotinamide riboside is found in trace amounts in some foods, including milk. Previous studies suggest that it acts as a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or NAD+, which helps with mitochondrial performance and energy metabolism.