2024-02-21 10:09:31
Niacin, also called vitamin B3, is necessary for numerous metabolic processes in the body. However, overdoses can be harmful: A research group from the USA has now found a new signaling pathway through which excessive niacin levels could promote cardiovascular diseases.
The team found that a breakdown product of the B vitamin niacin called 4PY is strongly linked to the occurrence of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. In animal experiments, the team was also able to show that 4PY causes inflammation of the blood vessels, which can lead to arteriosclerosis in the long term. In the journal “Nature Medicine,” the team describes the genetic connections between 4PY and vascular inflammation. This could provide an avenue to develop new treatments to reduce inflammation. The head of preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Stanley Hazen, said: “The exciting thing about our results is that this signaling pathway appears to make a previously unrecognized but significant contribution to the development of cardiovascular disease.”
Niacin (vitamin B3) is found in many foods such as peanuts, fish, meat, mushrooms, milk, eggs, baked goods and potatoes – niacin deficiency is rare. Still, in the United States and other countries, the vitamin is added to staple foods such as flour, grains, and oats to prevent nutrient deficiencies.
Do not take nutritional supplements without medical advice
Hazen compared the body’s absorption of niacin to a bucket: once it is filled, it begins to overflow. The human body then has to process the excess niacin so that metabolic products such as 4PY are formed. “The key takeaway is not that we should sharply reduce our niacin intake – that is not a realistic approach. “But we should consider whether continued regulations to fortify flour and grains with niacin are warranted in the United States,” Hazen concluded.
He also noted that niacin is popular as an “anti-aging vitamin” and for lowering cholesterol levels. He warned against taking over-the-counter nutritional supplements without medical advice. “The effect of niacin is somewhat paradoxical,” he explained. “Although niacin lowers cholesterol, the clinical benefits are less than would be expected based on the extent of LDL reduction. This led to the idea that excess niacin could cause side effects that partially negated the benefits of LDL lowering. We believe our results help explain this paradox.”
What: DOI 10.1038/s41591-023-02793-8
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