Vitamin B3 Benefits: Brain, Liver & Alcohol Aid | Reframe
A simple, affordable vitamin that’s already widely available could soon change the way doctors treat fatty liver disease.
Researchers in South Korea have discovered that vitamin B3 (also called niacin) can help suppress a key genetic factor that drives metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD)—a condition affecting nearly 30% of people worldwide.
What the Study Found
A team led by Professor Jang Hyun Choi from UNIST, working with experts at Pusan National University and Ulsan University Hospital, identified a molecule called microRNA-93 (miR-93). This molecule plays a major role in worsening fatty liver disease by triggering fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring in the liver.
When miR-93 levels are high, they block the activity of SIRT1, a gene that normally helps regulate fat metabolism in liver cells. This disruption leads to liver damage over time.
To test their findings, scientists ran experiments on mice:
- Removing miR-93 improved liver health, reduced fat deposits, and boosted insulin sensitivity.
- Increasing miR-93 made the condition worse.
Here’s where it gets exciting: after testing 150 existing FDA-approved drugs, the researchers found that vitamin B3 was the most effective at suppressing miR-93.
Mice given niacin had lower levels of miR-93, better SIRT1 activity, and healthier fat metabolism in the liver.
Why This Matters
The discovery is a game-changer because vitamin B3 is already safe, inexpensive, and widely used to treat high cholesterol. Now, it could potentially be repurposed to help millions battling fatty liver disease—something that currently has no specific treatment.
The research team explained that this breakthrough opens the door to new therapies, possibly combining niacin with other treatments targeting genetic pathways in liver disease.
The study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea and published in Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental.
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