We use essential cookies (authentication, your saved goals/stack) by default. With your permission we'll also enable privacy-respecting analytics (Vercel Web Analytics, anonymous load-time metrics) and error-replay diagnostics (Sentry — DOM snapshots only when an error fires) so we can fix bugs faster. Learn more about cookies
NAM5.5
Nicotinamide Research
Probably helpsHigh safety
7 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Probably helps
Nicotinamide helped in about half (2/3) of the studies that measured an effect — promising, but not unanimous.
Most evidence is from high-quality randomised trials published 1995–2026 with a typical study size of 100 participants.
Based on 7 studies · 5 RCTs · 898 total participants
Confidence
Moderate
What the studies found
2helped1unclear· 4 more without graded effect data
By outcome
Skin cancer & dermatologyReduces new non-melanoma skin cancers and actinic keratoses in high-risk skin; long use in acne · 3-6 months (chemoprevention); 8 weeks (acne)
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Safety profile
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Kidney & renal health
Too few graded studies2 studies
NAD+ & healthspan (unproven)Replenishes NAD+ in theory, but a human longevity benefit from NAD+ precursors is unproven · Ongoing
Too few graded studies1 study
By the numbers
Pulled from 7 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
100%
across studies
People studied
898
typical study: 100 people
Strongest designs
5
0 pooled, 5 randomised
Showed benefit
67%
2/3 studies
How long studies ran
1–3 months
1
3+ months
3
Populations Studied
High-risk patients with prior non-melanoma skin cancers1
Adults with prior skin cancer1
Chronic hemodialysis patients1
Dermatology / photoaging1
Active research area
3 studies in the last 5 years
199520102026
1New non-melanoma skin cancers at 12 monthsRCTCited 448×n=386 · medium study2015
Oral nicotinamide was safe and effective in reducing the rates of new nonmelanoma skin cancers and actinic keratoses in high-risk patients.
Chen AC, Martin AJ, Choy B, et al. · The New England journal of medicine (2015)
Large benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
ONTRAC: phase-3, double-blind RCT randomizing 386 patients with ≥2 prior non-melanoma skin cancers to 500 mg nicotinamide twice daily or placebo for 12 months
Rate of new non-melanoma skin cancers was 23% lower with nicotinamide than placebo (95% CI 4-38, P=0.02)
Actinic keratoses were 13-20% lower across follow-up time points; no benefit persisted after discontinuation
4Nicotinamide mechanism in skin cancer prevention and agingReview2026
Nicotinamide, the amide form of vitamin B3, has gained increasing attention in dermatology due to its potential role in both skin aging and non-melanoma skin cancer prevention.
Moro F, Panebianco ASI, Bartolocci V, et al. · International journal of molecular sciences (2026)
Review of the biological rationale and clinical evidence for nicotinamide and NAD+ precursors in photoaging and cutaneous carcinogenesis
UV exposure drives DNA damage, oxidative stress, inflammation and immune dysregulation; nicotinamide replenishes NAD+ to support DNA repair and prevent UV-induced ATP depletion
Frames the photoprotective/anti-aging skin mechanism that underlies the ONTRAC chemoprevention result
5Serum phosphate concentrationRCTn=26 · very small study2024
NAM is effective in reducing serum phosphate concentrations in patients with kidney failure receiving hemodialysis... However, more research in larger populations is needed to confirm this.
Schepers L, Jans I, Pot GK, et al. · Journal of renal nutrition (2024)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Randomized crossover trial of niacinamide supplementation on serum phosphate in hemodialysis patients with kidney failure
Niacinamide significantly reduced serum phosphate and was well-tolerated, with no increased thrombocytopenia risk in this study
Positions niacinamide as a possible add-on to combat hyperphosphatemia, contrasting the tolerability problems seen in NICOREN