Prevention or delay of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in children using nicotinamide.

A controlled trial of oral nicotinamide to prevent the onset of diabetes mellitus in high risk children was conducted in two centres. The selection criteria were age less than 16 years, islet cell antibody greater than or equal to 80 IUs, and first phase insulin release less than 5th percentile. All of eight untreated control subjects have developed diabetes, whereas only 1 of 14 treated children has diabetes to date. This data suggests that nicotinamide has an effect in preventing Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes and that randomized controlled studies are now indicated.