Meat Intake and the Dose of Vitamin B₃– Nicotinamide: Cause of the Causes of Disease Transitions, Health Divides, and Health Futures?

Abstract

Meat and vitamin B3 – nicotinamide – intake was high during hunter-gatherer times. Intake then fell and variances increased during and after the Neolithic agricultural revolution. Health, height, and IQ deteriorated. Low dietary doses are buffered by ‘welcoming’ gut symbionts and tuberculosis that can supply nicotinamide, but this co-evolved homeostatic metagenomic strategy risks dysbioses and impaired resistance to pathogens. Vitamin B3 deficiency may now be common among the poor billions on a low-meat diet. Disease transitions to non-communicable inflammatory disorders (but longer lives) may be driven by positive ‘meat transitions’. High doses of nicotinamide lead to reduced regulatory T cells and immune intolerance. Loss of no longer needed symbiotic ‘old friends’ compounds immunological over-reactivity to cause allergic and auto-immune diseases. Inhibition of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide consumers and loss of methyl groups or production of toxins may cause cancers, metabolic toxicity, or neurodegeneration. An optimal dosage of vitamin B3 could lead to better health, but such a preventive approach needs more equitable meat distribution. Some people may require personalised doses depending on genetic make-up or, temporarily, when under stress.

Nicotinamide riboside supplementation dysregulates redox and energy metabolism in rats: Implications for exercise performance

“…Unfortunately, we did not measure the lactate concentration between each stage in order to gain insight into the different metabolic demands imposed by each exercise stage. In support of our findings, a recent review by Hill and Williams () highlighted the significance of maintaining an optimal level of vitamin B 3 , because shifts in both directions, to either hypo‐ (owing to malnutrition) or hypervitaminosis (owing to nicotinamide overload), may lead to adverse clinical/physiological outcomes. Exercise alone did not reduce the contents of liver and muscle glycogen in either NR‐administered or control rats and, as a result, differences in glycogen utilization during exercise cannot explain the differences observed between the groups.…”

Red meat and processed meat intake and risk for cutaneous melanoma in white women and men: Two prospective cohort studies

“…However, retinol intake was not associated with melanoma risk in a pooled analysis of NHS and Nurses’ Health Study II, another cohort study of women. 32 Red meat is also a main source of nicotinamide, 33 a niacin derivative, which has been shown to be immunoprotective against UV radiation 34 and reduce rates of skin cancers. 35 However, niacin intake was not associated with melanoma in the cohorts.…”

The 4 D’s of Pellagra and Progress

“…[137][138][139][140][141][142][143][144][145] We have made the case that pellagra is a man-made 'protonopathy' due to loss of NAD and hydrogen-carrying capacity that is of evolutionary importance: in a sense evolution in reverse, and as pointed out over 200 years ago by pellagra-ologists, such as Lombroso and Strambio, atavistic and truly degenerative with its loss of cognitive and social skills. 146,147 The characteristic rash is an exaggerated sunburn so those with a darker skin will be protected, though making it harder to diagnose or self-diagnose or treat (by altering diet). Dark skin was thought to be our original state with pale skin evolving to allow more Vitamin D production in northern climes and loss of hair helping with heat control in the tropics.…”