Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events Following Nicotinamide Exposure

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Nicotinamide (niacinamide) is a form of vitamin B3.
• Emerging evidence suggests nicotinamide metabolites may increase the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
• Clinical data on the cardiovascular risk associated with nicotinamide use is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between nicotinamide use and the risk of MACE.
• To determine if nicotinamide exposure increases the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study utilizing electronic health records from two large patient populations: Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Million Veteran Program (MVP).
• Compared MACE risk in patients exposed to nicotinamide versus unexposed patients.
• Propensity score matching was used in the MVP cohort to control for confounding factors.

Main Results:

• The study included 13,108 patients, with 5,291 exposed to nicotinamide.
• No significant differences in baseline characteristics were observed between exposed and unexposed groups.
• Analysis revealed no increased cumulative incidence or significant association between nicotinamide exposure and MACE in either cohort, even after adjusting for prior MACE history.

Conclusions:

• This study found no evidence that nicotinamide use increases the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
• The findings suggest that nicotinamide is not associated with heightened cardiovascular risk in the studied populations.
• Further research may be warranted to fully elucidate the cardiovascular safety profile of nicotinamide.