For decades, niacin (vitamin B3) seemed like a straightforward intervention—lower LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol, reduce triglycerides, prevent heart disease. This logic drove niacin fortification mandates across 50+ nations, including the United States. But clinical trials revealed something troubling: niacin reduced cholesterol effectively yet failed to prevent cardiovascular disease. Worse, some trials suggested it increased…
Category: News
The NMN Hype Cycle: Why the Most Promising Longevity Supplement Is Falling Apart
The promise was extraordinary: a simple supplement that could reverse aging at the cellular level. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor to NAD+, generated massive excitement in longevity circles after landmark 2016 mouse studies showed it could restore aging tissue to youthful function within weeks. The mechanism seemed bulletproof—NAD+ naturally declines with age, sirtuins require NAD+…
Brain sparks Autophagy during fasting
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research have discovered that the brain plays a crucial role in initiating autophagy, the body’s waste disposal system, during fasting. Contrary to previous assumptions that liver cells themselves activate autophagy, the study found that the brain triggers the release of the hormone corticosterone, which stimulates autophagy in…