Harmful, not helpful: NR dietary supplement may increase risk of brain metastasis and breast cancer, study stresses

15 Nov 2022 --- Research from the University of Missouri, US, has discovered that nicotinamide riboside (NR) – a form of vitamin B3 – may raise the risk of severe diseases like breast cancer and brain metastasis. Using bioluminescent imaging technology, researchers examined the effects of NR supplements on the human body.

These findings contradict earlier research that connected commercial dietary supplements like NR to cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological health advantages.

“Some people take them [vitamins and supplements] because they automatically assume that they only have positive health benefits, but very little is known about how they work,” says Elena Goun, lead researcher and associate professor of chemistry at the University of Missouri.

“Because of this lack of knowledge, we were inspired to study the basic questions surrounding how vitamins and supplements work in the body.”

The researchers discovered that high levels of NR raised a person’s risk of getting triple-negative breast cancer and increased the likelihood that the disease would metastasize or spread to the brain.

Once cancer reaches the brain, the results are deadly because no viable treatment options exist, explains Goun.

Assessing NR intake on cancer growth
The lead researcher, Goun, worked toward a profound scientific knowledge of cancer metabolism, or the energy by which cancer spreads in the body, when her 59-year-old father passed away only three months after being diagnosed with colon cancer. 

The researchers discovered that high levels of NR increased the likelihood that cancer could metastasize or spread to the brain.During the study, published in Journal of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Goun wanted to look at how NR affected the growth and spread of cancer because NR is known to help boost cellular energy levels and cancer cells need this energy to fuel their increased metabolism.

“Our work is especially important given the wide commercial availability and a large number of ongoing human clinical trials where NR is used to mitigate the side effects of cancer therapy in patients,” says Goun.

The researchers used bioluminescent imaging technology to compare and contrast the amount of NR found in cancer cells, T cells and healthy tissues.

“While NR is already being widely used in people and is being investigated in so many ongoing clinical trials for additional applications, much of how NR works is a black box – it’s not understood,” she adds. “So that inspired us to develop this novel imaging technique based on ultrasensitive bioluminescent imaging that allows quantification of NR levels in real-time in a non-invasive manner. The presence of NR is shown with light and the brighter the light is, the more NR is present.”

Personalization and more research
The study’s findings, according to Goun, highlight the significance of thoroughly examining the potential adverse effects of supplements like NR before their use in individuals with various health issues.

In the future, the researchers hope to share knowledge that could eventually create specific inhibitors to enable chemotherapy and other cancer therapies to work better against the disease. 

“The key to this approach is to look at it from a personalized medicine standpoint,” says Goun.

The study’s findings highlight the significance of thoroughly examining the potential adverse effects of supplements like NR before use.“Not all cancers are the same in every person, especially from the standpoint of metabolic signatures. Often cancers can even change their metabolism before or after chemotherapy.”

Dietary supplement safety and regulation
Regarding the safety of dietary supplements, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety highlighted the risks of vitamin D overdose, especially for young children. As a result, the agency advised the French population to choose vitamin D medication over food supplements.

A US-based study suggested that the strategy used by the US Food and Drug Administration to try and get dangerous supplements off the market is ineffective.

Furthermore, according to the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, as regulatory bodies in the US do not have adequate oversight of nutraceuticals, the market is flooded with questionable supplements, creating uncertainty for healthcare providers, patients and manufacturers.

Meanwhile, the US-based Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, found that most dietary supplement items for immune health advertised and sold on Amazon have yet to be subjected to sufficient quality control requirements.

By Nicole Kerr