The miracle molecule: Hidden vitamin found in BEER and MILK can make you stronger, slimmer and healthier

If you were planning on having a quick pint tonight, then this will be welcome news. Beer may contain a vitamin which can fight obesity and improve muscle strength, scientists claim. The ‘miracle molecule’, which has been found in milk and may also be present in beer and some foods, has no side effects and could even lengthen lifespan, they say. The snag is that the molecule, called nicotinamide riboside (NR), is extremely small, difficult to find and expensive to synthesise. Johnan Auwerx, head of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, Switzerland, said experiments using mice revealed the molecule’s potential. In an article in the specialist journal Cell Metabolism journal, Mr Auwerx called the results 'impressive' 'NR appears to play a role in preventing obesity,' said Mr Auwerx. Working with Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, his team found mice on a high-fat diet that were fed NR gained significantly less weight – 60 per cent – than mice eating the same diet without NR supplements. And none of the NR-treated mice had indications that they were developing diabetes, unlike the untreated mice. Mice which were fed NR supplements over a ten-week period had better endurance performance than those who were not...