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Vitamin supplement that costs just £1 a day could help millions of Britons suffering with poor blood circulation
A vitamin supplement that costs just £1 a day could help millions of Britons suffering with poor blood circulation.
Researchers have found that nicotinamide riboside – a type of Vitamin B3 – can significantly boost mobility in those with peripheral arterial disease. The condition is thought to affect 2.7 million people in the UK, mostly aged over 50.
It develops when arteries – often in the lower legs, although it can occur in the arms – become narrowed due to fatty deposits, called plaques, which gradually restrict blood flow.
The poor circulation then causes chronic leg pain. Muscle and skin tissue also start to die, leading to ulcers that won’t heal and – in the worst cases – amputation of the lower leg.
The main causes of peripheral arterial disease include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and simply getting older. Most patients are given drugs, such as aspirin, to thin the blood and reduce the risk of clotting. If that doesn’t work, a tiny tube called a stent can be inserted into narrowed blood vessels to improve flow.
Researchers have found that nicotinamide riboside – a type of Vitamin B3 – can significantly boost mobility in those with peripheral arterial disease (Stock Image)
A vitamin supplement that costs just £1 a day could help millions of Britons suffering with poor blood circulation (Stock Image)
But one of the biggest issues for patients is that the pain impacts their mobility, with even walking a few steps difficult.
Scientists at Northwestern University and the University of Florida tested nicotinamide riboside supplements on 90 men and women – mostly in their 70s – who had the condition. They measured how far each volunteer could walk in six minutes.
Half the group took the £1 a day supplement for six months while the rest took a placebo.
The results, published in the journal Nature Communications, showed that those taking the supplement – widely available in pharmacies and health food shops – were able to walk 23ft further at the end of the trial. The placebo group, meanwhile, walked an average of 34ft less.
The vitamin is thought to boost production of energy inside the body’s cells.
It has also been shown to speed up DNA repair.