NMU 339 – Simple Blood Test for Alzheimer’s disease Shows Impressive Accuracy: And the Importance of Vitamin B3 Supplementation in Alzheimer’s Prevention
Nutrition/Natural Medicine Update No 339 (October 31, 2024)
with Dr. James Meschino
Topic: Simple Blood Test for Alzheimer’s disease Shows Impressive Accuracy: And the Importance of Vitamin B3 Supplementation in Alzheimer’s Prevention
Source: Medscape October 29, 2024 & J Neuroscience Nov 5, 2008
A new and simple blood test has emerged that shows 91% accuracy in confirming Alzheimer’s disease in patients with cognitive symptoms, according to the October 29, 2024, update on Medscape. The blood test is known as the P-tau217 (plasma phosphorylated -tau217), which is an indirect marker of the extent to which the brain is accumulating neurofibrillary tangles from the breakdown of its tau protein. Neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are a hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease, which also promotes death of brain cells. Neurofibrillary tangles occur when the tau proteins that hold many key structural components together within brains cells, breakdown and coalesce into neurofibrillary tangles. Until recently only MRI and PET scan images of the brain could identify the extent of neurofibrillary tangle accumulation, along with examining cerebral spinal fluid from the patient’s spine. But with the advent of this new blood test (P-tau217), a greater number of individuals can undergo early, simple and non-invasive detection for Alzheimer’s disease. The blood test will also likely be used to predict who is at increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
So, all of this is great, but what about preventing neurofibrillary tangle development in the first place. The best research on this topic involves the ingestion of vitamin B3 in the form of nicotinamide. .As brilliantly outlined in the journal Neuroscience, nicotinamide is virtually the only known substance that prevents the breakdown of tau protein in the brain. Animal studies have shown that in mice that are bred to be genetically prone to Alzheimer’s disease, the administration of nicotinamide in their drinking water prevented the development of neurofibrillary tangles and it restored cognitive defects and enhanced memory.
The researchers concluded that not only can nicotinamide help prevent tau breakdown in the brain, but that preclinical trials suggest nicotinamide supplementation should be considered as a safe adjunctive treatment in patients who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease to help slow further tau breakdown and brain cell death. The first time that we had a hint that vitamin B3 could help prevent Alzheimer’ s disease was back in 2004, in the Rush Institute Study, which followed over 6,000 Chicago residents, aged 65 and older, whereby those with the highest ingestion of vitamin B3 (niacin) showed a slower annual rate of cognitive decline and protection against Alzheimer’s disease, after controlling for age, sex, race, education, and well known Apo E genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Since 2004 many studies have shown that niacin, in the form of nicotinamide, helps to stabilize tau protein in the brain, reducing the development of neurofibrillary tangles. And, as reported in the journal of Neuroscience in 2008, nicotinamide shows other effects on supporting the stability and viability of brain cells (i.e., increases acetylation of alpha-tubulin).
In my view, a very wise thing to do each day is to take a high potency multiple vitamin that contain a B-50 complex, which includes 50 mg of vitamin B3 in the form of nicotinamide. Be sure that the vitamin B3 in your supplement is nicotinamide not nicotinic acid, as only nicotinamide has been shown to provide these important tau-stabilizing brain protective effects.
I have included the references for this information in the text below.
References:
Medscape, October 29, 2024. Blood test for Alzheimer’s Are Here… Are clinicians ready? Megan Brooks (Oct 24, 2024). Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Are Here…Are Clinicians Ready?
Green K.N. et al. Nicotinamide restores cognition in Alzheimer’s disease transgenic mice via a mechanism involving Sirtuin inhibition and selective reduction of Thr321-phosphotau. J Neuroscience. 2008, 28(45): 11500-11510. Nicotinamide Restores Cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease Transgenic Mice via a Mechanism Involving Sirtuin Inhibition and Selective Reduction of Thr231-Phosphotau | Journal of Neuroscience
Morris M et al. Dietary niacin and the risk of incident Alzheimer’s disease and of cognitive decline. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 2004, 75(8): 10193-1099.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1739176/
Eat Smart, Live Well, Look Great,
Dr. Meschino