Niacin and Butyrate: Nutraceuticals Targeting Dysbiosis and Intestinal Permeability in Parkinson’s Disease

[Farooqji]

Niacin

PD patients are found to have significantly decreased niacin levels compared to age-matched healthy controls [52]. This has been attributed to both the disease itself and the medication used to attenuate motor symptoms [58]. Sinemet, the most commonly used PD medication, includes carbidopa, which prevents the conversion from l-dopa to dopamine within the peripheral nervous system. This allows more dopamine to be taken up by the central nervous system and used where it is scarce after dopaminergic cell loss. Unfortunately, a consequence of carbidopa is reduced conversion of tryptophan to niacin. Sinemet dose and frequency are increased over time as PD symptoms worsen, but concurrently side-effects also worsen.

mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/1/28/htm

[CaseyInsights]

This paper is timely.

Currently use 500mg Niacin (Extended Release) and the Sodium Butyrate is on order ✨🙏🏾✨

[John_morris71 in reply to CaseyInsights]

Any improvement in symptoms since taking Niacin ?

[CaseyInsights in reply to John_morris71]

Some background:She has only been on Niacin Extened Release for two weeks. Gave her a slight flush, which panicked her the first time she took it. It was on an empty stomach. Now take it after breakfast, without any problems.

Symptom relief as of now: No longer sweats as much. The literature does not suggest this as one of the areas of relief. 🌺

Looking for some energy upswing as it is a key ATP co-factors ✨✌🏾✨

[John_morris71 in reply to CaseyInsights]

thanks for the input. Hopefully in a few weeks you will notice improvement.

[Kia17 in reply to CaseyInsights]

Hi Casey

Using Butyrate compounds proved to be ineffective since the are absorbed before reaching our gut. Infact, Butyrate should be produced naturally by the gut bacteria . By providing good sources of probiotics like fermented unpasteurised vegetables and prebiotics to our gut ,bacterias would produce butyrate and protect the gut tight junctions and Intestinal permeability.

I highly recommend reading this book;

The Autoimmune Fix: How to Stop the Hidden Autoimmune Damage That Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired Before It Turns Into Disease

Book by Tom O'Bryan

[CaseyInsights in reply to Kia17]

Thanks Kia17 , I am aware of the issues of butyrate delivery.

The manufacture of the product I intend to purchase promises that “an approach has been devised to tackle the challenge of butyrate delivery—coating with a vegetable fat, commonly cited as a medium-chain triglyceride. The rationale behind this is that a significant part of the butyrate will be released only when lipase is secreted in the duodenum.”

Using:

amazon.com/dp/B07KFMSKRD/?c...

If it does not work (not sure how I would know 🤓) Rick recommended the linked product some time ago. They take a different track to assure delivery.

amazon.com/dp/B077BLKJCX/?c...

I am using fiber, back to the one I first started with on this journey

amazon.com/dp/B06XKLJ9C5/?c...

Already on a vegetable based diet.

Just think it is time to double down on the production of short chain fatty acids.

P.S: Will take a look at the book recommendation🌺

[Kia17 in reply to CaseyInsights]

Please let me know how you get on with the butyrate supplement.

[Bracondale in reply to CaseyInsights]

Reading this post 4 years later, a product called Tributyrin is available.... designed to be released once it reaches the large intestine/colon (or a long way along the small intestine), where butyrate /SCFA are supposed to be produced by beneficial bacteria.

compoundsolutions.com/benef...

[CaseyInsights in reply to Bracondale]

Indeed. But I do recall Tributyrin was a bit on the pricy side🌺

[Patrickk in reply to CaseyInsights]

I seem to remember reading in a book Grow Young With HGH by Dr. Klatz that 800 mg, slow release Niacin is associated with liver damage. You might want to look into that.

verywellfit.com/what-is-a-n...

"Another alternative is inositol hexanicotinate, which your body converts to niacin. The conversion is slow enough that it doesn't cause a flush in most people."

verywellfit.com/what-is-a-n...

[CaseyInsights in reply to Patrickk]

Thanks much for the heads-up. Patrickk . Very much aware of the fact that therapeutic does of vitamins carries with it certain risk.

I believe your reference may be to a prescription formulation of extended-release niacin - Niaspan, available in three tablet strengths containing 500, 750, and 1000 mg Niacin.

Which is not to say that it may not apply to my non-prescription version

amazon.com/gp/product/B0041...

I have used and will continue to use this no-flush product

amazon.com/gp/product/B002D...

[KERRINGTON in reply to CaseyInsights]

Hi ! Has your wife noted any improvement yet with the niacin and butyrate ? Thanks

[CaseyInsights in reply to KERRINGTON]

The niacin stated some time in November last year brought immediate - within three months - improvement in speed. She still slow by ordinary standards and somewhat stiff but she is not complaining and is quite happy with her improvement.

The butyrate is going to be a long haul project. Just started early February and trying to squeeze it into the 20 pills per day limit my wife has set. Need to decide what to take out so I can get to my dose requirements.

I have also pushed into this project pre-biotic powder. This is going fine.

Thanks for the interest 🕊

[KERRINGTON in reply to CaseyInsights]

That is good news, I have to be careful with niacin, esp with food and dose it suddenly lowered my blood pressure.....I take a supplement from Nordic Naturals that is a combination of vitamin c, fish oils, and curcumen that really helps me with morning stiffness.

[CaseyInsights in reply to KERRINGTON]

Thanks for the heads up on stiffness - ‘vitamin c, fish oils, and curcumin.’ These items are spread out in different stacks through the day.

We can only hope to alleviate the most debilitating symptoms: cannot really get rid ourselves of them till a cure comes along 🕊

[gaga1958 in reply to CaseyInsights]

Hi What is the goal dosage for butyrate and niacin? Thxs

[CaseyInsights in reply to gaga1958]

The minimum dosage goal for Niacin, based on the research is 250mg per day.

As for Butyrate I use the supplier recommendations. It is a little tricky here as most of the research uses sodium butyrate which is not commercially available as a supplement. Additionally the studies I am aware of are animal studies 🌺

[KERRINGTON in reply to CaseyInsights]

How did you do with the butyrate ? Horrid stuff ! I had to stop that among others temporarily due to drop in bp after taking 10-12 pills daily for almost a week. I am on my 5th day for a new go at it. So far no side effects.

[CaseyInsights in reply to KERRINGTON]

Oh my! Sorry to hear 😰

My spouse completed her 60 capsule trial without incident. Had a strange effect: a fading away of a musky smell.

Truth be told she is quite stable and I am tired of pushing so she is running with just the basics for now.

Will return to the fight in due course 🌹

[Bolt_Upright in reply to CaseyInsights]

CaseyInsights, that is very exciting about the musky smell fading away. That might be evidence this combination of Niacin and Butyrate worked?

Am I correct that your wife discontinued the niacin butyrate combo after the 60 capsules ran out?

I have started this protocol myself.

[MarionP]

There seems to be something, some significant association at least, in longevity. There have been discussions about Niacin here at HU before, including here in PD land. You might want to look around for them with a search term search.

The mechanism may not be all so clear on directly modifying PD, or maybe research is clearing up and identifying a mechanism lately, I don't know, but if the association eventually reveals a mechanism of some kind, then being about longevity generally that means across many conditions or maybe no conditions, in the case of individuals going to be one of long term practice, such as repairing chronic deficiency or disease-related problem that destroy immune systems or toxic conditions, reactive oxygen species damage, indirect things like that. For now it's included in B-Complex vitamins. Larger doses making a difference? Don't know, maybe others do. I sure take some, in my B-Complex.

[CaseyInsights in reply to MarionP]

I very much doubt that you would find Niacin in your B-Complex. What you would find is Niacinamide, another form of B3. (Niacin is not used because of the flush factor)

Niacin (not Niacinamide) acts on a specific molecular target that is involved in the inflammatory response.That target is the G protein GPR109A.

From one of the papers sited below:

“Our results suggest that these molecular actions of niacin are mediated via its receptor GPR109A (also known as HCAR2) by controlling the translocation of p-NF-κB to the nucleus. Overall, our findings suggest that niacin treatment may have potential in reducing inflammation by targeting GPR109A.”

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...

[MarionP in reply to CaseyInsights]

You know I think I do remember that now. You have to get it as a separate supplement.

Inflammation would be a viable mechanism for protection and aging generally, assuming it creates its benefit beyond mere chronic deficiency, more I think is not proven.

However, reminds me of my other question on availability, the route. In humans, niacin supplement survives stomach does it, and acts beyond that of filling mere cases of niacin deficiency? Because it would seem to play a very general role not specifically something targeting PD alone.

[CaseyInsights in reply to MarionP]

MarionP I have not explored the pharmacological routing. But given the research papers I have read it suggest that the molecule arrives in the gut 🌺

[MBAnderson]

Good one. Thank you for all your posts this year. I learned a lot from you. Marc

[SilentEchoes]

Would it be more effective to supplement with l-tryptophan?

SE

[CaseyInsights in reply to SilentEchoes]

While L-Tryptophan does indeed break down into Niacin, you will need 1.5 gm of L-Tryptophan to give 25mg Niacin equivalent.

How can I be so sure: this comes directly from the Supplement Facts of my container of L-Tryptophan- ‘Source Naturals’ brand 🌺