A daily dose of vitamin B3 reduced inflammation in the lungs of COPD patients, Danish researchers report.
Patients with COPD, whose full name is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are more likely to contract pneumonia, influenza and other serious respiratory infections, which can be fatal.
The new study involved 40 people with COPD and a control group of 20 healthy volunteers. They received 2 grams per day of nicotinamide riboside, a member of the vitamin B3 family, or a placebo.
After six weeks, researchers noted a 53 percent reduction in an inflammation marker known as interleukin 8, or IL 8. After another 12 weeks of vitamin treatment, the effect increased by 63 percent.
“In other words,” the researchers reported, “the vitamin B3 group experienced a reduction in lung inflammation during the study.”
However, further studies will be needed to confirm the findings and determine the long-term effect of nicotinamide riboside in treating COPD, said Morten Scheibye-Knudsen of the University of Copenhagen.
During the study, the team also noticed that COPD patients have lower blood levels of a chemical called NAD, which appears to play a role in the aging process.
NAD levels increased with vitamin B3 treatment and signs of cellular aging were slowed, researchers reported Nov. 15 in the journal Nature Aging.
“As we age, we appear to metabolize a molecule known as NAD,” Scheibye-Knudsen said. “The loss of this molecule is also observed after DNA damage, for example the type of damage associated with smoking.”
Therefore, he said, NAD could be a target for future research and treatment.
Meanwhile, his team is planning a larger study to confirm the initial findings.
“We hope that this research will pave the way for new treatment options for COPD patients,” Scheibye-Knudsen said.