Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is an important nutrient. However, it can also cause serious side effects if you take large doses.
What Is Niacin?
Niacin is one of the eight B vitamins, and it’s also called vitamin B3 The key role of niacin in your body is to synthesize the coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), which are involved in over 400 biochemical reactions in your body — mainly related to obtaining energy from the food you eat Niacin is water-soluble, so your body does not store it.
Your body gets niacin through food, but it also makes small amounts from the amino acid tryptophan, which can be found in protein sources like turkey and other animal foods Summary Niacin is one of eight water-soluble B vitamins.
Why Do People Take Niacin?
Niacin also modestly lowers bad LDL cholesterol.
It’s sometimes prescribed in combination with statins for cholesterol control, such as rosuvastatin (Crestor, Ezallor), simvastatin, fluvastatin (Lescol), atorvastatin (Lipitor) and pravastatin (Pravachol). However, niacin is only effective as a cholesterol treatment at fairly high doses. These doses could pose risks, such as liver damage, gastrointestinal problems, or glucose intolerance.
Instead, get advice from your health care provider, who can prescribe FDA-approved doses of niacin instead if recommended. In addition, niacin is an FDA-approved treatment for pellagra, a rare condition that develops from niacin deficienc.
Deficiency Symptoms
In the past, niacin deficiency was common, especially in the Southern States of the U.S. Now, however, most people get enough vitamin B-3 in their diet.
Factors that can lead to low levels of B-3 include: having a diet low in tryptophans or a condition that reduces the body’s ability to convert tryptophan to niacin, such as Hartnup disease or carcinoid syndrome
undernutrition, for example, due to alcohol use disorder, anorexia, and inflammatory bowel disease
a low intake of vitamin B-2, B-6, or iron, as this can reduce the amount of tryptophan that converts to niacin Click here to find out more about vitamin B-3 deficiency.
Uses In Medicine
However, research into this has produced mixed results, and some people have had adverse effects. On this basis, those who eat a well-balanced diet will tend to consume enough niacin in their food.