Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found an exciting way to improve cancer treatment using the body’s own natural defense system—natural killer cells.
These cells help fight diseases, including cancer, but in some cases, they aren’t strong enough on their own. Scientists discovered that by treating them with vitamin B3 (nicotinamide), they became more powerful at targeting and destroying cancer cells.
This breakthrough could lead to better treatments for blood cancers, like leukemia and lymphoma, which are often difficult to cure.
Why Did Scientists Look for a New Approach?
Doctors have tried using natural killer cells to fight blood cancers before, but the results have been mixed.
Some patients, especially those whose standard treatments had failed, didn’t respond well to this type of therapy. The researchers wanted to find a way to make natural killer cells more effective.
How Does Vitamin B3 Help?
Vitamin B3 is well known for helping our bodies turn food into energy, but scientists have now discovered another important role: it makes natural killer cells stronger and more durable.
Here’s how the researchers did it:
- They took natural killer cells from donors and treated them with vitamin B3 in the lab.
- The treated cells became better at recognizing and killing cancer cells.
- They also lasted longer in the body, giving them more time to fight the disease.
The researchers then combined these enhanced cells with another cancer drug and tested the treatment on 30 patientswith difficult-to-treat blood cancers.
The Results Were Promising
Among 19 patients with a tough type of lymphoma:
✅ 11 patients had a complete recovery (their cancer disappeared).
✅ 3 more had a partial recovery (their cancer shrank).
✅ This happened within just 28 days of treatment.
These results suggest that vitamin B3 could help make natural killer cell therapy much more effective for cancer patients.
Why Vitamin B3?
Vitamin B3 has been known for its health benefits for a long time. Back in 1937, scientists discovered that a lack of vitamin B3 caused a disease called pellagra, which led to dementia, diarrhea, and skin problems.
Simply adding vitamin B3 to the diet prevented this illness.
In this new study, vitamin B3 did more than just boost energy—it also protected natural killer cells from damage, helping them survive longer and fight cancer better.
What’s Next?
The scientists believe this method could be a game-changer for blood cancer treatment. The next step is to test it on more patients in larger clinical trials.
If the results continue to be positive, vitamin-boosted natural killer cells could become a powerful new weapon against stubborn cancers.
The research was published in Science Translational Medicine and could lead to major improvements in cancer therapy in the near future.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about how to fight cancer with these anti-cancer superfoods, and a berry that can prevent cancer, diabetes and obesity.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to harness the power of anti-cancer foods and supplements, and cancer-fighting foods and recipes.
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