Green Tea and Vitamin B3 Offer Promise in Alzheimer's Disease Research Advancement
The University of California, Irvine has made a significant breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. A recent study has discovered that a combination of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) and the green tea antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) can restore energy metabolism and enhance waste disposal in aging brain cells[1][2][3][4][5].
This combination has been found to rejuvenate cellular energy metabolism by restoring guanosine triphosphate (GTP) levels in neurons from aged and Alzheimer’s-model mice within 16–24 hours of treatment[1][2][3][4]. This metabolic boost reactivates Rab7 and Arl8b GTPases, key drivers of the cell’s waste disposal process[3][4].
Key developments include rapid energy restoration, improved protein clearance, and reduced oxidative stress. Enhanced autophagy clears amyloid beta aggregates, reducing neurotoxic buildup implicated in Alzheimer’s pathology[1][2][4][5]. EGCG activates antioxidant genes through Nrf2, providing neuroprotection against oxidative damage[3][4].
What makes this discovery particularly promising is that both compounds are dietary supplements, suggesting a low-risk, accessible therapeutic avenue targeting brain energy metabolism rather than amyloid plaques alone[1][5].
However, there are still challenges to overcome. Nicotinamide oral bioavailability is limited, and optimising delivery methods is a priority for future research[1][2]. Additionally, in vivo studies are needed to confirm effects on cognition and long-term outcomes.
The immediate scientific priority is to replicate results in live animal models of Alzheimer's, testing cognitive function outcomes. Alzheimer's is a multifactorial disease, and other pathological processes like neuroinflammation and vascular dysfunction also need to be addressed for meaningful clinical outcomes[1][6].
If successful, the clinical adoption of vitamin B3 and green tea brain health approaches could inspire broader research into nutrient-based neurology, encouraging preventative applications in at-risk populations. This finding that a dietary vitamin and a plant compound could jointly restore cell health offers a new and accessible research pathway for Alzheimer’s treatment[1][7].
The treatment reactivates autophagy, reduces amyloid-beta buildup, and addresses GTP depletion linked to Alzheimer’s disease[1][3]. The combination of vitamin B3 and green tea antioxidant EGCG targets fundamental energy deficits in Alzheimer's, addressing upstream causes of protein accumulation[1][8].
Researchers plan to move into human safety trials focusing on optimal delivery formats, potentially intravenous nicotinamide combined with stabilized EGCG formulations. The UC Irvine study, published in GeroScience in August 2025, targets one of the least discussed but most damaging aspects of Alzheimer's, neuronal "energy collapse"[1][9].
With the global Alzheimer's market estimated at USD 8.6 billion in 2024, even partial efficacy could transform treatment landscapes[1][10]. This study's greatest achievement may be the reframing of Alzheimer's as an energy-deficit disease with metabolic solutions, potentially signaling a practical, affordable intervention in one of medicine's most challenging frontiers.
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567579320301258 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7686854/ [3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016672320310941 [4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-74856-y [5] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-75008-y [6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6720243/ [7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7164527/ [8] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016672320310941 [9] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-74856-y [10] https://www.statista.com/topics/1163/alzheimers-disease-market/
- This discovery in health-and-wellness, spearheaded by the University of California, Irvine, has uncovered potential medical-conditions treatments for Alzheimer's disease, focusing on therapies-and-treatments that involve a combination of vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) and the green tea antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), which target neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's by addressing upstream causes of protein accumulation.
- The research promises a low-risk, accessible therapeutic avenue for Alzheimer's disease, as both compounds – nicotinamide and EGCG – are dietary supplements, reactivating autophagy, reducing amyloid-beta buildup, and addressing GTP depletion linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
- By targeting fundamental energy deficits in Alzheimer's with a dietary vitamin and a plant compound, this discovery offers a new research pathway for Alzheimer's treatment, potentially reframing the disease as an energy-deficit disease with metabolic solutions, prompting broader research into nutrient-based neurology and encouraging preventative applications in at-risk populations.
