I haven't heard of Orthomolecular, and from the first half-dozen paragraphs of the article, wouldn't read anything else they have to say. Mice are not exactly the best animal model for any human disease, and they're worse for Alzheimer's since they don't naturally develop AD themselves. They don't produce the APP protein, for one thing, and so only genetically engineered mice can be used for studies on AD, either that, or mice injected with the protein (even worse).

Then for the article to go on and say that because huge doses of something appear good in mice, it's just peachy-keen for people to rush right out and consume extra large amounts themselves ... ack. Oh my. <jumping up and down>

THEN it goes on to say niacin is perfectly safe -- which is most assuredly is NOT. (Neither is nicotinamide at high levels, for that matter.) Niacin is sometimes prescribed to help lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but it can cause liver failure, even at low therapeutic doses, especially in people who have had jaundice or any other form of liver disorder. People who have had any sort of liver trouble at ANY time in their lives should not take niacin. Anyone at all who is taking niacin should be under the close supervision of a doctor. At therapeutic doses, it can also cause serious skin rashes, hyperglycemia, cardiac arrhythmias, birth defects, and orthostasis. Higher doses may elevate blood sugar, thereby exacerbating diabetes mellitus; cause hyperuricemia; and exacerbate gout. When too much is taken, niacin can cause life-threatening acute toxic reactions; or niacin maculopathy, a thickening of the macula and retina which leads to blurred vision and blindness.

Niacin and nicotinamide are not the same thing, which this idiot article claims they are. The terms niacin, nicotinamide, and vitamin B3 are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to any one of this FAMILY of molecules, since they have ONE biochemical activity in common, that is, a vitamin activity ... but niacin and nicotinamide are most definitely two different molecules. Nicotinamide, aka niacinamide, is the amide form of niacin, in which the carboxy group has been replaced by a carboxamide group. And any time you have two different molecules, while they may have one or more activities in common, you can expect them to have other activities that differ, sometimes dramatically. Niacin can be converted to nicotinamide in the body. Nicotinamide does not have the same pharmacological effects as niacin, which are side effects of niacin's conversion to nicotinamide.

I'm not reading any further, my blood pressure has already sky-rocketed as it is.

<fanning face vigorously>

Now. Nicotinamide (NOT NIACIN) has recently cropped up as being of potential interest for treating AD, but not due to the mouse study. Actually, the mouse study was conducted because of the potential for treating AD.

Nicotinamide (NA) is known to block the ability of certain proteins to regulate other proteins by removing their acetyl groups. Recent studies have demonstrated that inhibitors such as NA prevent nerve cell degeneration in models of Huntington's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's diseases. So, if they are neuroprotective in some neurodegenerative disease models, these inhibitors may be neuroprotective in AD. Ergo, the folks at the University of California, Irvine decided to test NA in a mouse AD model. They found that it significantly improves learning and memory in transgenic mice that develop AD, and also resulted in striking changes in tau, a protein that abnormally accumulates in AD.

Tell your friend if she wants to look for interesting articles from a reputable source, to try something like ScienceDaily. See:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104180926.htm

The mechanism of action -- ***IF*** the compound behaves the same way in humans, and we have no idea whether or not it does -- is different from those of other investigational new drugs (INDs) under development.

So, UC Irvine and the Alz Assoc are now recruiting for a small PHASE I (SAFETY) study in patients with mild to moderate AD. The dose will be 1500 mg twice a day, for 6 months. Note that that idiot article is suggesting people take twice this amount... <back to face fanning>

I take Niacin 500mg no flush daily to control BP. I have had no problem and my naturopath has no problem. Well - I did have a problem once: the pill I took one time broke down so I did flush. That is an experience I do not want to repeat but if it happens again I will know what it is.

Now I do not have any dementia problems, but I would be careful with someone who does.

Good heavens! I didn't mean to cause any face fanning!! Thank you for the info though. I finally came out of the fog a bit and called the dr to ask questions I couldn't think of at the appts. He stated that the diagnosis is mild cognitive impairment. DH got a 26 on the MMSE - although he told me later that he would have done worse if not for his morning routine with his blackberry and pocket PC. He has depended on those more and more which is why I did not see the problems sooner. He is on Aricept and Namenda. So what does this mean to us? Should I start getting legal things set up, i.e., power of atty, contact elder atty, etc. We have wills, but that is it.

Thank you for the help - and with your wonderful patience with me!! <hug>

MCI can lead to AD, but not necessarily. The patient's symptoms can hold steady, or can even sometimes revert to normal.

Still, I'd agree with bluedaze, get the paper work in order. That's good advice even when a couple is healthy.

I wonder if you can get long-term healthcare insurance with a diagnosis of MCI? Probably not, but it wouldn't hurt to check. I know they won't even talk to you if you've already got a diagnosis of AD.

...just noticed a blurb in the latest issue of Preserving Your Memory Magazine: "MK-677, a new compound that had shown promise in slowing the growth of sticky plaques in mouse brains, does not have the same effect in humans, research has found."