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Your secret weapon against cholesterol
Vitamin B-3, also known as niacin, helps lower triglycerides. It has fewer side effects and costs less than many prescription drugs for lowering triglycerides.
This amazing nutrient comes in two forms: niacin and niacinamide. Niacin is synthesized in your body in small amounts from the amino acid tryptophan. It provides numerous cardiovascular benefits.
Like other B vitamins, niacin performs a number of roles. It helps with your body's production of energy, synthesizes hormones, creates red blood cells, promotes healing through its antioxidant properties, keeps your skin clear, and works to keep your body running as a fine-tuned machine. As a water-soluble vitamin, niacin must be obtained through your diet.
Quick Facts About Vitamin B-3 (Niacin)
- RDA is 15 to 19 mg per day for healthy adults.
- Some foods rich in niacin are fish, lean meats, nuts, and poultry.
- Some signs of niacin deficiency are fatigue, skin inflammation, hallucinations, vaginitis, and swollen tongue and mouth.
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You May Need More Vitamin B-3 if You Have (or Have Had)
- A history of excessive drug or alcohol use
- Chronic malnutrition
- A portion of your gastrointestinal tract removed
- Recent injury or severe burns
- Recent surgery
Or if You're
- Pregnant or breastfeeding
- Over age 55
- Under excessive stress
What Works Best -- and Worst -- with Vitamin B-3
- B vitamins work together to keep your body functioning. So if you increase your intake of one B vitamin, you should increase your intake of the others. For example, if you're taking double the RDA of Niacin, you should double the RDA of all other B vitamins.
- Niacin is helped by taking other B vitamins.
- Niacin is hurt by tobacco or a shortage of other B vitamins.
Forms Available
- Individual supplements as tablets or capsules, in extended-release capsules or tablets, and as an oral solution
- B-complex supplements in a wide range of potencies
- A multivitamin supplement
- Injectable forms administered by your doctor or nurse
- As brewer's yeast in a low-potency food supplement
- Immediate-release (IM) niacin, sustained- or time-release (SR) niacin, or inositol hexaniacinate (IHN)
SR and IHN forms can help reduce niacin flush.
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Chemical Forms
- Immediate-release (IM) niacin
- Sustained- or time-release (SR) niacin
- Inositol hexaniacinate (IHN)
- Nicotinic acid
- Niacinamide (Nicotinaminde)
Comments on Vitamin B-3
- Nicotinic acid causes flushing of the body; however, niacinamide is much better tolerated.
- To reduce the flushing, nicotinic acid is also available as inositol hexaniacinate (IHN), which contains niacin and inositol, and SR Niacin, a sustained release form.
- Niacin flush may also be reduced by gradually working up to larger doses.
- The other common form is niacin is niacinamide, also known as nicotinamide.
- Niacinamide does not have the cholesterol lowering effects of nicotinic acid.
- IM and SR niacin have been known to cause liver problems when used at high doses for prolonged periods.
- Niacin is a component in two co-enzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), both necessary for utilization of fats, tissue repair, and sugar metabolism.
- Your body can convert 60 mg of tryptophan (an amino acid) into 1 gram of niacin.
- The maximum amount of niacin your body can absorb is between 3 to 4 grams per day.
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Known Benefits of Vitamin B-3
- Treats pellagra.
- Supports the skin, nervous, and digestive systems.
- Lowers the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in blood.
- Promotes vasodilation.
- Helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Unproven Claims
- Prevents cardiovascular disease.
- Prevents migraine headaches.
- Enhances treatment of epilepsy when used with anticonvulsants.
- Aids in treatment of mental disorders.
- Lowers blood pressure.
- Reduces symptoms of arthritis.
Vitamin B-3 May Prevent These Signs of Deficiency
- Pellagra, a chronic wasting disease with symptoms that progress over a period of years and can lead to death, including:
- Skin inflammation with scaly patches
- Inflamed tongue and mouth
- Vaginitis
- Reduced hydrochloric acid production in the stomach
- Diarrhea
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Hallucinations
- Amnesia
- Disorientation
Recommended Dosage Range for Vitamin B-3
- Our pharmacists say that healthy adults may take 20 to 150 mg if needed to supplement a well-balanced diet.
- RDA values were set as the minimum needed to offset deficiency or disease, not as an actual value needed for optimum health.
- In the United States, the average consumption of B-3 is 41 mg per day for men, 27 mg per day for women.
- Consult your physician before starting any high-dose supplement regimen.
Dietary Sources
Food Tips
- Niacin can withstand the heat of cooking, but can still be lost during cooking with water.
- Cook foods in minimal amount of water to decrease loss of the niacin.
| Foods High in B-3 | Serving Size | Amount of B-3 | Units |
|---|
Beef, ground
Beef liver
Chicken breast
Pork, roasted
Tuna, canned in water
Turkey breast
| 3 ounces
3 ounces
3 ounces
3 ounces
3 ounces
3 ounces
| 4
10
8.5
5.5
11.3
8.5
| mg
mg
mg
mg
mg
mg
|
When and How to Take Vitamin B-3
- Take with food or after meals to enhance absorption.
- Large daily doses should be divided into three to four smaller doses throughout the day for better absorption.
- Swallow tablets whole with a full glass of liquid.
- Don't crush or chew time-release or sustained-release products.
What to Take with Vitamin B-3
- B vitamins compete for absorption in your intestines, so each dose of B-3 should be taken with a proportionate amount of the other B vitamins. For example, if you are consuming double the RDA of one B vitamin, you should take double the RDA of the other B vitamins.
What Not to Take with Vitamin B-3
- Tobacco decreases absorption.
- Alcohol may lower blood pressure dramatically so caution is advised.
Storage
- Keep vitamin B-3 in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and air.
- Don't store B-3 in your bathroom medicine cabinet. Heat and moisture may make it less effective.
Recommended Daily Allowance
| AGE/GROUP | RDA |
|---|
Infants
0 to 6 months
6 to 12 months
1 to 3 years
4 to 6 years
7 to 10 years
Males
11 to 14 years
15 to 18 years
19 to 24 years
25 to 50 years
51+ years
Females
11 to 14 years
15 to 18 years
19 to 24 years
25 to 50 years
51+ years
Pregnant
Lactating
1 to 6 months
6 to 12 months
| mg (milligrams)
5
6
9
12
13
17
20
19
19
15
15
15
15
15
13
17
20
20
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Warnings
Consult a physician before use or do not use vitamin B-3 if:- You're about to start a high-dose supplement program.
Vitamin B-3 May Have Interactions with the Following
- Alcohol: niacin can lower the blood pressure to extremely low levels.
- Anti-diabetic drugs: niacin decreases the anti-diabetic effect.
- Beta-adrenergic blockers: niacin can lower the blood pressure to extremely low levels.
- Chenodiol: niacin decreases the effect of chenodiol.
- Choline: niacin interacts with choline and can cause choline deficiency.
- Guanethidine: niacin increases the effect of guanethidine.
- Isoniazid: decreases niacin effect and can cause niacin deficiency.
- Mecamylamine: niacin can lower the blood pressure to extremely low levels.
- Pargyline: niacin can lower the blood pressure to extremely low levels.
- Sulfinpyrazole: vitamin B-3 decreases the effect of sulfinpyrazole.
- Tobacco: long-term use interferes with absorption and may cause niacin deficiency.
Side Effects
- Abdominal cramps and pain
- Asthma attack
- Diarrhea
- Dry skin
- Fainting
- Headache
- Increase in serum glucose levels
- Increase in serum uric acid levels
- Itching
- Nausea or vomiting
- Niacin flush -- reddening and hot feeling with a tingling, itchy, sensation in your upper torso, face, and neck
- Side effects usually occur when dose exceeds 2 grams of niacin
- Niacin flush is only cause by nicotinic acid; niacinamide is much better tolerated
Signs of Overdose
- Jaundice
- Liver damage
- Taking the SR (sustained-release) form of niacin in doses exceeding 1,500 mg per day has been linked to liver damage.
What to Do in Case of Overdose
Stop use and contact your physician immediately.
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Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. Basu, TK and Dickerson, JW.Vitamins in Human Health and Disease. CAB INTL, UK 1996.
2. Fauci et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Fourteenth Ed. McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. 1998.
3. Groff, JL, Gropper, SS, Hunt, SM.Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism, Second Ed. West Pub. Co. St. Paul, MN 1995.
4. Lieberman, S and Bruning, N.The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book, Second Ed. Avery Publishing Group. Garden City, NY 1997.
5. Machlin, LJ.Handbook of Vitamins, Second Ed. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY 1991.
6. Meletis, CD and Jacobs, T.The Practitioner's Guide to Drug-Nutrient and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions. 1996.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
Articles
- 1. Berge KG; Canner PL.Coronary drug project: experience with niacin. Coronary Drug Project Research Group. Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 40 Suppl 1():S49-51 1991.
- 2. Coppola A; Brady PG; Nord HJ.Niacin-induced hepatotoxicity: unusual presentations. South Med J 1994 Jan;87(1):30-2.
- 3. Crouse JR 3rd.New developments in the use of niacin for treatment of hyperlipidemia: new considerations in the use of an old drug. Coron Artery Dis, 7(4):321-6 1996 Apr.
- 4. Dearing BD; Lavie CJ; Lohmann TP; Genton E.Niacin-induced clotting factor synthesis deficiency with coagulopathy. Arch Intern Med, 152(4):861-3 1992 Apr.
- 5. Etchason JA; Miller TD; Squires RW; Allison TG; Gau GT; Marttila JK; Kottke BA.Niacin-induced hepatitis: a potential side effect with low-dose time-release niacin. Mayo Clin Proc, 66(1):23-8 1991 Jan.
- 6. Henkin Y; Oberman A; Hurst DC; Segrest JP.Niacin revisited: clinical observations on an important but underutilized drug. Am J Med, 91(3):239-46 1991 Sep.
- 7. Jacobson EL; Dame AJ; Pyrek JS; Jacobson MK.Evaluating the role of niacin in human carcinogenesis. Biochimie, 77(5):394-8 1995.
- 8. Keenan JM; Wenz JB; Ripsin CM; Huang Z; McCaffrey DJ.A clinical trial of oat bran and niacin in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. J Fam Pract, 34(3):313-9 1992 Mar.
- 9. Luria MH.Effect of low-dose niacin on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio. Arch Intern Med 1988 Nov;148(11):2493-5.
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