In 13 volunteers, fat-free mass rose a little and nothing else did
Thirteen overweight people took 1,000 mg a day for six weeks. Fat-free mass rose 1.34 percentage points; insulin sensitivity, organ fat and inflammation did not.
What the study found
One percentage point of fat-free mass, against nine other nulls
Thirteen overweight volunteers took 1,000 mg of nicotinamide riboside a day for six weeks, measured thoroughly. Fat-free mass rose 1.34 percentage points and sleeping metabolic rate went up. Insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial function, organ fat, blood pressure and inflammation did not.
The caveat · One gain among many outcomes tested
Thirteen people is very small even for a crossover design, which makes the two positive results the fragile half and the long list of nulls the sturdy one. The fat-free mass change was one of many outcomes tested, exactly the setup in which a chance finding appears. Six weeks, in healthy overweight and obese volunteers.
What we don't know
Thirteen people is very small even for a crossover design, which makes the two positive results the fragile half and the long list of nulls the sturdy one. The fat-free mass change was one of many outcomes tested, exactly the setup in which a chance finding appears. Six weeks, in healthy overweight and obese volunteers.