Vitamin B3 Derivative Improves Health and Complications in Rare Premature Aging Disorder

A rare genetic disorder that causes accelerated aging and complications such as early-onset gray hair, diabetes, skin ulcers, and an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, Werner Syndrome affects about nine people per million in Japan and currently has no effective treatments.

Previous research has found that patients with the disease have depleted levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a molecule essential for energy production, DNA repair, and metabolic function. Based on this knowledge, researchers at Chiba University, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Copenhagen, conducted what they described as the world’s first rigorous clinical trial testing NAD+ in Werner Syndrome patients. They found that nicotinamide riboside supplementation significantly increased NAD+ levels and improved multiple health markers, including arterial stiffness, skin ulcer size, and kidney function.

These results suggest that a nicotinamide riboside-based approach could potentially help address several major complications of Werner Syndrome. The researchers say their findings support the idea that NAD+ depletion plays a central role in Werner Syndrome and potentially other aging-related diseases as well.

To read how nicotinamide riboside could potentially have a positive effect on damaged nerve cells in Parkinson’s disease, see this news story on our website.