Vitamin B3

Many people are familiar with the plague of the nutritional deficiency disease of scurvy. It is caused by lack of vitamin C. Armies and navy fleets in the past suffered extreme losses due to the disease. Vitamin C is essential for strong connective tissue. Mild deficiencies weaken tissue. Smokers who often have a mild vitamin C deficiency wrinkle 20 years faster than people who do not smoke and this has been attributed to inadequate vitamin C intake. Severe deficiency causes old wounds to open up and the body to literally begin to dissolve. The teeth fall out and blood vessels rupture.

America owes its freedom from Great Britain as much to scurvy as to all of the armies it raised to fight for freedom. Scurvy so debilitated the British navy that it could not relieve the British army being attacked by George Washington. A few years later British sailors were being called limeys because lemon and lime juice became standard rations to treat scurvy on British ships. The efficiency of the British navy was so increased a few short years later that it was able to blockade the continent of Europe and defeat Napoleon at sea.

It is more or less forgotten that a plague every bit as severe as scurvy affected the south after the American civil war. This plague which also affected other parts of the world was called pellagra. It is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B3. Pellagra deficiency is a disorder characterized by 4 D's: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and death. Many people do not know that when white flour was fortified with vitamin B3 half the people in mental hospitals were able to leave the institutions, go home, and live normal lives.

Abram Hoffer was a psychiatrist who had a very high success rate in treating mental illness and depression with vitamin B3 and other nutrients (including vitamin C). Hoffer maintained that the amount of vitamin B3 used to fortify foods was inadequate to meet the needs of many people. This was particularly true of individuals who had suffered prolonged or serious deficiency at some point in life. Hoffer found this particularly true of schizophrenics, those who were depressed, and alcoholics.

The founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) never felt completely well until Hoffer persuaded his to supplement with vitamin B3. Hoffer reported better results treating schizophrenics with B3 and other nutrients than about anyone else treating these severely ill individuals. Hoffer and his associates wrote a book, Niacin, the Real Story, many years ago. In 2023 an update with twice the number of pages became available in a second edition which covers many topics not discussed in the earlier edition. This book is a worthy addition to the library of any budding nutritionist.

I have never been able to forget a study released in 2008 in which niacinamide, one of the forms of vitamin B3, reversed mental deterioration in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is characterized by accumulation of two substances, a form of tau protein and beta-amyloid. Niacinamide reversed the accumulation of tau protein. In another study pomegranate juice was shown to reverse the accumulation of beta-amyloid.

I consider supplementation with the B complex vitamins essential for long term health today. These nutrients help us cope with the physical and mental stresses we face in the modern world. Because both vitamin C and some of the B vitamins have a short half-life NeoLife has both nutrients in a continuous release form (Threshold Control) for optimum effectiveness and long term benefit.

Reference:

Link to a second edition of Niacin the Real Story.

Link to article on Alzheimer's and niacinamide.

Link to article on pomegranate juice and Alzheimer's.

Pathogenic Priming

 A Little Humor

One of the most delightful weekends I had spent since moving to California six months before was nearing an end as two teenage girls approached me while I was counting out my vitamins. "What are all those pills for?" one of them asked. "Well," I explained, "these two are for beautiful eyes, this one for long willowy legs, that little one is for pearly, white teeth..." and as I was waxing on, the other girl interrupted me with, "Haven't been taking them long, have you?" Luci Swindoll, Joy Breaks, p. 112.

Pathogenic Priming

"In SARS, a type of “priming” of the immune system was observed during animal studies of SARS spike protein-based vaccines leading to increased morbidity and mortality in vaccinated animals who were subsequently exposed to wild SARS virus." The above is a summary of a potential problem with the vaccines developed to fight Covid-19. Animal studies such as those discussed in this study, related to the SARS vaccine, were not done before the development of the Covid-19 vaccines due to the rush to market (operation warp speed).

This study notes that 1/3 of the proteins in the Covid-19 vaccines have the potential to create problems with immune function contributing to autoimmune disease upon subsequent exposure to similar viruses. This is referred to as "pathogenic priming" by the author of the article. Pathogenic priming can also result from infection by viruses.

The phenomena of pathogenic priming helps to explain why damaging effects from infection with Covid-19 or vaccination for the disease can result in serious problems such as lung damage long after the initial infection or vaccination.

The author of this article notes that studies of pathogenic priming have not been done on Covid-19 vaccines, but that this is a definite risk. He concludes with the following: "Such studies should be undertaken before use of any vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is used in humans." This is obviously not going to happen which means that we may see many negative longer-term effects of these vaccinations before the issue of pathogenic priming is clarified. In the meantime, the vaccine manufacturers run to the bank with profits from vaccination with no liability for damages and no proof that the vaccines can cause this type of damage until studies are conducted which may be well after most of the world has already been vaccinated.

References:

Article on Pathogenic Priming

Vitamin B3 and Lung Damage

"Lung damage is a major hurdle to recovery in those severe patients. Through producing various growth factors, MSCs may help repair of the damaged lung tissue. It is important to mention that various studies have shown that in animal models with bleomycin-induced lung injury, vitamin B3 (niacin or nicotinamide) is highly effective in preventing lung tissue damage [7]. It might be a wise approach to supply this food supplement to the COVID-19 patients."

In China mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are being tested to see if they can promote healing of damaged lung tissue from Covid-19. This strategy is still unproven, but the author does observe in the above quote that a natural nutrient, vitamin B3, is highly effective in preventing lung damage and should probably be administered to COVID-19 patients.

Vitamin B3 is available as a flush form (niacin) which can be unpleasant to some people, and as niacinamide which is a non-flush form. The latter is usually used in supplements. In the hamster study on vitamin B3 the niacin form was more effective in preventing lung damage.

References:

Article on Vitamin B3 and Lung Repair

Animal Study on Vitamin B3

 Alcoholism and Nutrition

Dr. Roger Williams studied alcoholism for many years. In his research he found that a single vitamin or mineral deficiency could lead to overconsumption of alcohol. Restoration of adequate quantities of that nutrient to the diet would end the binging. A study of 39 alcoholics reported in 1992 widespread deficiencies of many nutrients in alcoholics. Protein-energy malnutrition was found in 22% of the alcoholics studied. The following deficiencies were also found: B2 (69%), magnesium (54%), zinc (50%), vitamin B1 (44%), vitamin B6 (21%), vitamin C (19%), and folic acid (18%).

Abram Hoffer found that prolonged deficiency of a nutrient could lead to acquired dependency for a larger amount of the nutrient than would normally be available in the diet. He routinely supplemented alcoholics with generous quantities of nutrients including vitamin B3 which he found particularly beneficial. This nutrient benefited the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous that he wrote a booklet encouraging doctors of give the vitamin to alcoholics. Unfortunately, the doctors involved with AA were not interested in working with vitamins.

Sustained supplementation of alcoholics with quality nutrition is often very helpful. Even more important, if one is inclined to consume alcoholic beverages, is to supplement when consuming empty calories. One of our distributors served a NeoLife B Complex with every drink at her social gatherings. Guests repeatedly told her that they did not have a hangover the next day. This squares with the experience of nutrition pioneer Francis M. Pottenger, Jr. who liked his alcoholic beverages, but always blended a raw liver drink prior to enjoying his alcohol to minimize the damage caused by the alcohol. (This information was shared with me by someone who worked with Dr Pottenger many years ago) .

Reference:

Wood, B., et al., Nutritional status in alcoholism, Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 1992;5:275-285.

 

 

Hopeless Conditions: Alzheimer's

Our current lecture series is on hopeless conditions. Modern medicine has very little to offer for dementia and arthritic disorders. The Alzheimer's Association says, "A genuinely new Alzheimer's drug has not been approved since 2003, and the currently approved Alzheimer's medications are ineffective in stopping or slowing the course of the disease." The prevailing view is that Alzheimer's is incurable and largely untreatable. Most believe there is no way to prevent it. Alzheimer's is the only one of the nation's top ten leading causes of death for which there is no effective treatment. Many doctors would rather give a diagnosis of cancer rather than Alzheimer's. There is promise for Alzheimer's, however. Nutrients have been shown to slow the progression, prevent or even reverse the tau and amyloid markers for the disease. Polyphenols in pomegranate juice have reduced amyloid beta and vitamin B3 in the form of niacinamide has reversed the destruction of tau. These and many other remarkable discoveries will be discussed in our next seminar. Article on pomegranate and amyloid beta. Article on vitamin B3 and tau protein.