Alzheimer’s is a scary disease. Currently the best one can hope for is to slow its progression with various medications, supplements, and changes in diet and lifestyle. There’s good news though. One nutrient can restore memory loss and prevent Alzheimer’s disease—nicotinamide. (Nicotinamide is another term for niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3.)
Dr. Kim Green, at the University of California at Irvine, gave the human dose equivalent of 2,000 to 3,000 mg of niacinamide to mice with Alzheimer’s disease. After treating the mice for only four months, he discovered the mice were cognitively cured and performed as if they never developed the disease.
At the end of the study, the diseased mice that were treated with niacinamide performed just as well in memory tests as healthy mice. The niacinamide not only protected their brains from further memory loss, it also restored lost memory function. If this wasn’t exciting enough, niacinamide also improved memory and behavior in the mice without Alzheimer’s.
This study was performed on animals, not humans, and it’s possible that the effects wouldn’t be as profound on humans. The results of the study, however, were so impressive that the same research group immediately moved forward with a six-month clinical trial with Alzheimer’s patients. It will be a controlled trial where half the patients receive 1,500 mg of niacinamide twice a day and half receive a placebo.
If I had a friend or family member with the disease, or if I were predisposed to Alzheimer’s (meaning I had the genetic mutation for Alzheimer’s or had a family member that has or has had the disease), I would immediately start taking higher doses of niacinamide. And remember, the research also strongly suggests that it could improve memory in healthy individuals as well.
While the above clinical trials plan on utilizing 1,500 mg of niacinamide twice daily, I wish the researchers would study the work of another researcher, Dr. William Kaufman, and his findings on dosing amounts. Dr. Kaufman had experience with over a thousand patient-years of niacinamide use and was well-versed in how to obtain its greatest benefits.
In my conversations with Dr. Kaufman, he said that niacinamide, being a water-soluble vitamin, was absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and central nervous system. Body levels began to rise within 15 minutes of ingestion, and peaked after about 90 minutes; after three hours most of the vitamin had cleared the body. This is why he felt that for maximum effectiveness it was crucial to give numerous doses through the day.
He also determined that 250 mg was about the most the body could absorb at one time. Multiple doses of 250 mg is the best way to maintain effective levels. He adjusted the daily dosage to the severity of the condition being treated, generally from 1,500 to 4,000 mg a day.
Based on his observations and studies, it would appear that Alzheimer’s patients would achieve the best results if they took 250 mg every 1½ hours (a total of 12 doses). I highly recommend this niacinamide program for either preventing or treating Alzheimer’s.
Freeda Vitamins is an excellent source of 250 mg preservative-free niacinamide tablets.
Now it's your turn: How do you protect your brain and boost your memory?