Vitamin B3 and Alzheimers (broadcast Friday, November 7th, 2008)

Structure of nicotinamide, Vitamin B3

In this segment, we'll hear about new research looking at ways to slow the effects of Alzheimer's. In work reported this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers reported that large doses of the commonly available vitamin B3 (also known as nicotinamide) were able to reverse the effects of Alzheimer's in mice. But how well does that work apply to people, if at all? In this segment, we'll talk with one of the authors of the new report about the work and about what's currently known about Alzheimer's disease. So far, the work has only been done in mice. If you're interested in participating in a human clinical trial of the research, please call Beatriz Yanez at 949 824 5733. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.