Alzheimers's disease, the best-known form of dementia, affects at least 5.4 million Americans and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Dementia normally appears after age 65, starting with mild cognitive impairment, which affects 10 to 20 percent of people over 65. A derivative of vitamin B-3, also called niacin, niacinamide and nicotinamide, may help treat dementia, although studies have given mixed results. Don't treat dementia with niacinamide without your doctor's approval.
Niacinamide and Dementia
Severe niacin deficiency can cause dementia. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in the August 2004 "Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry" reported a correlation between increased dietary intake of niacin and lower levels of dementia. However, niacin and niacinamide don't always give the same clinical results. Niacinamide is the form of B-3 found in most dietary supplements and is helpful in promoting a healthy insulin response and skin conditions, while niacin helps promote healthy cholesterol levels and can cause uncomfortable flushing.
Positive Studies
A Croatian study conducted by the Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital reported on the use of nicotinamide, another name for niacinamide, to treat cognitive functioning in Alzheimer's disease patients. The study, reported in the 2004 issue of "Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research" found that subjects with probable Alzheimer's disease who took 10 mg per day of stabilized oral reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide did not worsen over a six-month period and had higher scores on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale than those who took a placebo.
Negative Studies
An Austrian study conducted by researchers from the Memory-Clinic and Psychiatric Department, Donauspital also used nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide but gave 10 mg per day over a three-month period. In this study, reported in the 2000 "Journal of Neural Transmission," nicotinamide had no clinical value over placebo in subjects with mild to moderate dementia.
Considerations
The value of treating dementia with niacinamide has not been determined. Mayo Clinic rates the evidence for niacin or a derivative used to treat dementia as a "C," meaning that there is unclear scientific evidence for this use. Talk with your doctor about adding this supplement to other treatments, but don't substitute it for other medications on your own. There is no established dose of niacinamide to treat Alzheimer's disease, so ask your doctor what dose to take. Niacin in high doses can affect your liver.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Niacin (Vitamin B3, Nicotinic acid), Niacinamide; April 2011
- "Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry"; Dietary Niacin and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer's Disease and of Cognitive Decline; M. Morris, et al.; August 2004
- "Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research"; Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease with Stabilized Oral Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide ... ; V. Demarin, et al.; 2004
- "Journal of Neural Transmi No Evidence for Cognitive Improvement From Oral Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH) in Dementia; M. Rainer, et al.; 2000
- Alzheimer's Association; 2011 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures; 2011
- MedlinePlus; Niacin and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3); April 2011
