Niagen. This time by Simon.

[sunvox]

Been saying Niagen is different and worth a look for over a year now and here’s Simon’s take:

scienceofparkinsons.com/201...

PS. As always consult a real doctor before trying something new and remember this should be but one small part of any treatment plan. It is NOT a cure, but it could be an important part of an alternative therapy.

[bassofspades]

Had me up until the part about it could cause brain cancer. Thank you for sharing.

[gingerj]

Great report. I wonder if you can have a your NAD levels checked? Must be worth adding to vitamin list

[sunvox]

It doesn't cause brain cancer, and that type of remark is an example of the over simplification that runs rampant on this forum. If you don't think increasing NAD+ is worthwhile you are seriously missing the point. Do you even know who Simon is and how much knowledge he has in his right pinky compared to everyone on this forum? Ask yourself, why would Simon write that article immediately after the B3 article if he didn't think there was serious science of interest.

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Just because you may think I am a jerk, don't let that cloud your judgement.

[Hidden in reply to sunvox]

The article did not reach the conclusions you accused it of. The greatest possibility is that gliomas may very well grow at an accelerated rate due to increased mitochondrial activity.

[sunvox in reply to Hidden]

Here is a quote from Simon in regards to that research:

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Now please note that this is not scaremongering, and that none of the research published thus far suggests that increasing NAD levels via supplements can or will cause an increase in the risk of brain cancer. We are discussing it here simply because it is a hypothetical risk, and researchers have expressed concern about these sorts of unknown risks of raising NAD levels.

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I respectfully disagree with your analysis. Here is what to me is the key part of the study:

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Here, we showed that the NAMPT gene is highly overexpressed in a large percentage of glioma tumors, in accordance to Gujar et al recently [44]. This percentage increases in late-stage tumors. Furthermore, tumors with high NAMPT expression levels were associated with poor prognosis, independently of tumor stage. Ectopic overexpression of NAMPT in glioma cells increases its protumorigenic properties, as well as its cancer initiating cell-like physiological properties.

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They are not in any way suggesting that increased NAD+ caused the Gliomas. In fact they state outright that it is a genetic predisposition towards "overexpressed" NAMPT. In other words, it is a typical cancer that is a function of overactive cellular behaviour.

[bassofspades]

I never said i think youre a jerk, although you do project a bit of an attitude some times, buddy. Of course we have tremendous respect for simon. He wraps up the article with

"And there are some concerns within the research community about the unknown consequences of raising levels of NAD in the body, particularly from the stand point of cancer. There is now research that suggests raising NAD levels may not be such a great idea if there is the risk of certain types of cancer (particularly brain cancer):"

I know you have had success with niagen and youve been touting it for sone time now. As we are all on the same team here, all contributions are appreciated and considered. Not sure if the benefits outweigh the risks. Parkinsons is a life sentence but brain cancer is a death sentence.

[felixned]

After i read Simon's post I ordered the pricey niagen. In the meantime I bought the regular kind of niacin at Walgreen. It's raising my blood pressure quite a bit. I checked this 3 days in a row. Another interesting observation: i have short episodes of local sharp pain in my legs and feet that happen approximately one hour after I take niacin. This is the first supplement that is causing such noticeable reaction for me.

[bassofspades]

Did i read it wrong? Is he saying that its basically bad if you already have gliomas? Please educate me if im wrong.

[sunvox]

As always, Simon walks a fine line.

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The study on gliomas raised an indirect concern. Gliomas are a cancer. Cancer requires cell productivity to be greater than normal. NAD+ is a key part of ALL cellular activity. Is excess NAD+ a cause or a result of cancerous hyper-activity.? That is a question that was raised. Gliomas affect a tiny portion of the population and TO DATE there is ZERO evidence that increased B3 raises one's risk of a glioma.

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On the other hand there is a plethora of research on the benefits of increasing NAD+ in old age, and in cases of neurological damage.

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My other posts on this topic include a great many papers on the subject and those papers link to a great many others.

[AmyLindy]

Simple relational question re: NAD+ and PD: isn’t NAC also a key to all cellular activity and a precursor to Glutathione, which is “lacking” in the PD Brain? As such, isn’t Glutathione on Your top 3 supplement list (if you’ve addressed this in a separate area please advise, I will search).

P.s. I notice you are SCA, perhaps not PwP? Perhaps this explains it?

[sunvox in reply to AmyLindy]

Wow - I'm gonna have to watch what I say from now on I am immensely honored that you are taking an interest in my posts. Yes, you are 100% correct. Glutathione is not implicated in the pathology of SCA1, but I would add that the glutathione issue is a downstream issue and not part of the root cause hence my focus on micro-nutrients that act on what I believe to be the primary "bad boy" namely alpha-synuclein.

Joe

[Astra7 in reply to AmyLindy]

My understanding is that glutathione can't really be absorbed so instead you have to take NAC which helps the body make glutathione.

[sunvox in reply to Astra7]

Yes, precisely, but I stopped taking NAC because I do not believe it is acting on the root causes of my illness, and I do not think it acts on the root cause of PD. I take many supplements, but even I have limits on how many supplements I'm willing to take and when I rank my choices NAC fell off the selection list.

[Astra7 in reply to sunvox]

I agree there are limits to how much you can take and some supplements just don't make the grade. My integrative GP had me on around 12 different things and my life became quite miserable just obsessing about my health. I'm down to 4 now but don't really know what's helping!