After reading the Loriaux study years ago, and after taking high-dose niacin for 40+ years, I decided to try xanthinol nicotinate about five years ago.
The Loriaux study showed as much as 40% improvement in short-term memory and sensory register with plain niacin for younger people.
Xanthinol improved short-term memory, sensory register and long-term memory for older people and now I'm moving into the older years.
The authors said, "These results are by the supposed activity of nicotinic acid at the cell membrane, improving neuronal transmission, and of xanthinol nicotinate inside the cell, enhancing cell metabolism and oxygen supply in the brain."
I was taking it regularly because I did notice more clarity, precision and subtle improvements in memory. However, the web site that sold it disappeared and I could find no source until recently when I got the following site to carry it. (https://www.buy-pharma.com/Complamina-Retard-p-2836.html)
The 500 mg slow-release (Retard) version yields the 141.7 mg (t.i.d) in the study, and to be clear, I tend to take more than three a day, as it seems to work even better.
Resuming taking it, after not having it for a year caused noticeable improvements in overall mental clarity and memory within the first week.
The Loriaux study full text said, "“Though the mechanism of action of xanthinol nicotinate is as yet not quite clear, there is evidence that it influences cell metabolism through [stimulating the synthesis of] the nucleotides NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate)…”
With NAD being a topic of considerable interest these days. I wonder how xanthinol nicotinate compares to other niacin-based molecules that increase NAD.
Perhaps a chemist here can provide an answer to that question.
Edited by mikey, 29 November 2014 - 08:28 PM.