According to the Bible and some other ancient sources, men used to live as long as 800 years to 1000 years or more but lost that long life span to the point to where in general, we now have a limit of about 120 years of maximum life expectancy. The average is now 80 years plus or minus a few.

What has happened to change this can only be guessed at but I have some good information.

In my previous posting, Medical Inquisition into Medicine and Pharmaceutical Companies , I discussed the topic of medicines, drugs, nutrition, and vitamins in relation to healing, immunity, and life span. This page is an explanation of a couple of important issues to further explain some aspects of being healthy and living long so that you might be able to understand the difference.


We frequently hear the terms metabolism and metabolic syndrome and understand that they have some relevance in health and in particular to weight gain, but what is the real significance?


Metabolism is specifically the biological process of building. Any living organism, in order to continue living, has to build most of the necessary proteins such as enzymes, co-enzymes, precursors, hormones, and many structural components that hold the organism together. Some important things might just be absorbed from the food sources but others must be manufactured. It is the process of metabolism that builds these components.

An important example is a substance known as ATP. This particular component is used in every cell to transport energy to power various processes. ATP basically carries an electron, a form of electrical energy and releases it in the form of phosphate, when it is needed.The body uses massive amounts of ATP so that it must be constantly recycled.

Another substance of importance is used to produce ATP is referred to as NADH. This is important because the name of this is Nicotine Adenine DiHydride. So wait a minute you might say. Nicotine? Is that not the same thing in tobacco that is addictive and causes problems? Well yes, and it has a lot to do with metabolism but do not worry, this is not a tirade on smoking or tobacco.

Nicotine has many forms and some are beneficial such as nicotinic acid, the true Vitamin B3, and nicotinamide, which is often used as a substitute in many cheaper brand vitamins. The importance of nicotinic acid is that it is easier for the body to metabolize into the necessary components for the body to handle where Nicotine itself is more stable and is harder for the body to metabolize. The real issue is that nicotine, nicotinic acid, and nicotinamide all compete for the same receptors and for the same processes. 

What this comes down to is if you have a lot of nicotine in your body, it interferes with the production of NAD and subsequently with the production of NADH and subsequently ATP. When your body is deficient in these substances, it can not build other important substances as quickly or efficiently.

In simple terms, your body does not get repaired as quickly or as well as it should. It ages much faster.

What do studies show us?

1) People who use nicotine age faster than others who do not. Just look at a 40 year old who has never smoked next to one who has smoked for the last 20 years. The difference is obvious. Additionally, a lifetime smoker lives about 20 years less on the average.

2) People who take large doses of Nicotinic Acid live longer and experience a significantly reduced risk of mortality, about 90 percent over a 10 year period.

3) People who take nicotinamide instead of nicotinic acid do experience some reduced mortality but the effect is nowhere near that seen when using nicotinic acid.

Based on this, most people are deficient in Vitamin B3 and as a result, their metabolic functions are impaired and their lifespan is reduced.

I am submitting an estimate here that if you took 250 mg of full flush niacin four times daily starting at age 30, that it would add at least 10 to 20 years to your life. I am not talking about just living longer but being much healthier. There are several reasons for this that will be discussed in a following article.

We need to understand that Vitamin B3 is the basis of the energy carrier in our body. This means more energy, better immunity, greater strength and endurance.

Important! There are some individuals who can develop liver problems from taking too much Niacin. While this is a very low percentage, have your medical professional monitor your liver enzymes.

This is not the only important vitamin, I offer it as an example of just what vitamins do, how important vitamins are and why they are important. I hope to follow us shortly with another page soon.

Do not bother with the vitamins on the store shelf, you really need the real thing.