Data from a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial found that daily supplementation with nicotinamide (NAM) and pyridoxine (PN) for nine days after muscle-damaging exercise consistently improved different phases of the formation of skeletal muscular tissue (myogenesis).
“Our findings on the positive effect of NAM/PN supplementation on MuSCs [muscle stem cells] and myofiber regeneration have direct opportunities for clinical translation for the management of sport-related muscle damage, where boosting regeneration can accelerate the repair process and could be combined with dietary protein strategies for enhanced muscle recovery,” the researchers wrote in Advanced Science.
“Our findings could also have implications for a wide range of muscle disorders in which compromised MuSC function and muscle regeneration are pathological hallmarks. Notably, sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, strength and function, is in part characterized by a decline in MuSC function and number, resulting in compromised regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle.”
‘Noteworthy’
Commenting independently on the new study, David Church, PhD, director of the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), told NutraIngredients that the new trial is a rigorous examination of human muscle repair.
“The unique combination of NMES [neuromuscular electrical muscle stimulation] and the forced lengthening contraction model to reliably standardize myofiber necrosis and regeneration is noteworthy,” he said. “The study highlights the role of targeted micronutrients, often treated as an afterthought in muscle metabolism and demonstrated distinct clinical value.
“The data clearly establish that nicotinamide and pyridoxine actively drive muscle stem cell amplification and accelerate fiber repair. While exercise remains the primary driver for health outcomes, these findings validate that strategic micronutrition is a potent tool for muscle repair following muscle damaging exercise.”
Study details
Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital, the University of Copenhagen, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences and Nestlé Health Science recruited 43 healthy men between the ages of 18 and 49 to participate in their randomized placebo-controlled trial. On Day Zero of the study, all the men underwent a combination of NMES with forced lengthening contractions to induce death of muscle fibers followed by muscle regeneration. The technique leads to full restoration of force-producing capacity and does not produce any long-term side effects, said the researchers.
After this, participants were randomly split into two groups: One group received placebo, and the other received a combination of nicotinamide (714 mg) and pyridoxine (19 mg) for nine days.
Data from the 39 men who completed the study showed that the B vitamin combination led to significant increases in the number of stem cells per damaged muscle fiber (29% increase), increases in MyoD+ cells (+67%), which represent differentiating stem cells.
The number of myogenin+ cells (the final stage of muscle cell development) also significantly increased by 34% in the nicotinamide plus pyridoxine group.
Additionally, a 37% increase in the proportion of regenerating fibers was recorded for the nicotinamide plus pyridoxine group.
“Daily oral NAM/PN supplementation after high intensity muscle contractions enhances MuSC activity and accelerates muscle regeneration and repair, providing new opportunities for therapeutic applications in muscle recovery and muscle wasting disorders,” the researchers concluded.
Source: Advanced Science. doi: 10.1002/advs.202518471. “Nicotinamide and Pyridoxine Supplementation Enhances Muscle Stem Cell Activity and Muscle Regeneration in Humans: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of High Force Eccentric Contraction Recovery in Healthy Young Men”. Authors: G. Højfeldt, et al.
