High-dose
niacin has versatile and substantial efficacy for the treatment of
hyperlipidemias, but its utility is compromised by various side effects, the most serious of which is liver damage. It is proposed that this hepatotoxicity reflects the high demand for methyl groups imposed by
niacin catabolism, leading to a reduction in hepatic levels of
S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Depletion of the hepatic SAM pool has likewise been shown to mediate, at least in part, the hepatotoxic effects of
ethanol,
methotrexate, and
niacinamide. If
niacin does indeed decrease SAM, a likely consequence would be a counterproductive elevation of plasma
homocysteine. Conceivably, methyl group deficiency, by altering membrane properties of skeletal muscle, also contributes to
niacin-induced
insulin resistance. Concurrent
betaine supplementation - preferably administered as a complex with equimolar amounts of
niacin - may represent the most cost-effective way to prevent
niacin-mediated depletion of SAM and thus avoid hepatotoxicity (and possibly other adverse effects) while controlling
homocysteine.
Betaine also merits evaluation as an adjuvant to
methotrexate and
niacinamide therapies.