Nicotinamide riboside, often called NR, is a form of vitamin B3 that has become a popular dietary supplement in recent years.
Many people take it because it is promoted as a way to increase energy, support healthy aging, improve heart health, boost metabolism, and protect brain function.
Interest in the supplement has grown as researchers have studied its ability to increase levels of a molecule called NAD+, which helps cells produce energy and carry out many important jobs in the body.
However, a new study from the University of Missouri suggests that NR may not always be harmless. The research raises concerns that high levels of the supplement could increase the growth and spread of certain cancers. The findings were published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
The human body needs vitamin B3 to convert food into energy. Nicotinamide riboside is one of several forms of vitamin B3 and is found naturally in small amounts in foods such as milk.
As a supplement, however, people often take much larger amounts than they would normally get from their diet. Because NR increases NAD+ levels, many scientists have been interested in whether it can improve health or slow some effects of aging.
At the same time, researchers know that healthy cells are not the only cells that need energy. Cancer cells also require large amounts of energy to grow quickly, divide, and spread to other parts of the body. This led scientists to ask an important question: if NR boosts the energy supply inside cells, could it also help cancer cells become stronger?
To investigate this possibility, researchers led by Elena Goun studied how NR behaves in cancer cells, immune cells, and healthy tissues. They developed methods to measure NR levels and examine how different cells respond to the supplement.
Their results suggested that high levels of NR may increase the risk of triple-negative breast cancer becoming more aggressive.
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the hardest forms of breast cancer to treat because it does not respond to several common hormone-targeted therapies. It often grows quickly and has a greater chance of spreading than many other types of breast cancer.
The researchers also found evidence that higher NR levels may help cancer spread to the brain. This is especially concerning because brain metastases are very difficult to treat. Once cancer reaches the brain, treatment options become much more limited, and survival rates are often much lower.
The scientists believe the extra cellular energy produced with higher NR levels may give cancer cells an advantage, allowing them to grow faster and move more easily through the body. However, they stress that more research is needed to fully understand exactly how this happens and whether the same effects occur in people taking NR supplements.
It is important to understand what this study does and does not show. The research does not prove that taking NR supplements causes cancer in healthy people.
Instead, it raises important questions about whether the supplement could influence the behavior of existing cancer cells or affect people who already have certain types of cancer. More laboratory studies and clinical research will be needed before doctors can make firm recommendations.
The findings also highlight why dietary supplements should be studied as carefully as prescription medicines. Many supplements are widely available without a prescription, and people often assume that products described as “natural” are completely safe.
In reality, even vitamins and nutritional supplements can have unexpected effects in the body, especially when taken in high doses or by people with certain medical conditions.
The researchers hope their work will eventually help scientists develop treatments that block any harmful effects linked to NR. They also believe their findings support the growing field of personalized medicine, in which doctors tailor treatments to the biology of each patient and each cancer.
Since different cancers use energy in different ways, understanding these differences may help improve future cancer therapies and make treatments such as chemotherapy more effective.
For now, experts recommend that people should not stop or start taking NR supplements based on this study alone. Anyone who has cancer, has a history of cancer, or is considering taking high-dose supplements should discuss the decision with their healthcare provider.
As scientists continue to study NR, this research serves as an important reminder that products promoted for better health can sometimes have unexpected risks that deserve careful investigation.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that artificial sweeteners are linked to higher cancer risk, and how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and results showing vitamin D supplements strongly reduces cancer death.
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