Niacinamide for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet

Niacinamide for Health & Longevity

Created on 08/26/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Grok 4.6 Audit

Niacinamide is a non-flushing vitamin B3 used to rebuild a core energy and repair molecule. The human signal is not lifespan extension but fewer new common non-melanoma skin cancers among people with a working immune system and prior skin cancers at one gram per day. That finding disappeared after organ transplant. Unproven as a general longevity drug. (Full Review)

Protocol

Chemoprevention dose used by dermatology trialists
500 mg orally twice daily
Adults with a working immune system and prior skin cancers
Time of day
Split morning and evening
Short plasma half-life (about 1–4 hours at usual doses); argues against a single daily bolus at gram intakes
Topical dermatology
Leave-on 4–5%
Appearance-trial concentration; 10% products exist without matching outcome trials
Time to effect
Keratinocyte skin-cancer chemoprevention
12 months
Reduction was a 12-month endpoint
Actinic keratoses
3 months
Counts moved by 3 months
Topical appearance of aging facial skin
8–12 weeks
Typically scored at 8–12 weeks

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Active significant liver disease or AST/ALT >3× upper limit of normal at gram doses
  • Unsupervised adult doses above 3 g/day
  • Known allergy to niacin, niacinamide, or nicotinamide
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding at megadoses
Key Interactions
  • Other vitamin B3 forms (nicotinic acid, nicotinamide riboside, NMN)
  • Isoniazid (and pyrazinamide)
  • Enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants (carbamazepine, phenobarbital, primidone)
  • Hepatotoxic over-the-counter agents (high-dose acetaminophen, heavy alcohol)
  • Anticoagulants and antiplatelets (warfarin, apixaban, aspirin)
  • Methyl-donor supplements (folate, vitamin B12, trimethylglycine)
  • Tetracyclines (doxycycline, minocycline)

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Gastrointestinal upset at gram doses; thrombocytopenia in dialysis and high-dose use
  • Medium: Hepatotoxicity at very high doses
  • Low: Flushing and vasodilation; minor insulin-resistance signal
  • Speculative: Sirtuin inhibition and longevity trade-off; methylation-sink and epigenetic change

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
ALT / AST Often <25 U/L; stop or reduce if >3× ULN Detect hepatotoxicity at high dose
Platelets Track change from personal baseline; conventional 150–400 ×10⁹/L Dialysis trials reported thrombocytopenia
Homocysteine Functional often <8 μmol/L; conventional <15 Proxy for methyl-donor strain from NNMT
HbA1c Functional often 4.8–5.3%; conventional <5.7% High-dose series reported minor insulin-resistance signals
Whole-blood NAD+ No established target; track change from own baseline Confirms precursor engagement
Skin examination Individual's new keratinocyte-cancer and actinic-keratosis counts The ONTRAC clinical endpoint

Cadence: Labs at 3 months, then every 6–12 months at 1 g/day if enzymes are stable; sooner above 1.5 g/day, with liver disease, or on dialysis. Dermatology review every 3–12 months if chemoprevention is the goal.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Energy and gut tolerance
  • New or changing skin lesions
  • Easy bruising or prolonged bleeding
  • Visual function if glaucoma is the indication (fields, not NAD+ kits)