Niacin Benefits

Niacin is also called nicotinic acid or vitamin B3, and is a vitamin within the B complex family of vitamins. As with all B complex vitamins, it's water soluble and doesn't stay in the body. It must be ingested on a daily basis through diet and/or supplements.

Niacin Benefits

One of the many benefits of niacin is it helps raise HDL or good cholesterol level and decreases the bad cholesterol. When this happens, you may lower your risk of developing heart diseases.

Niacin also helps with energy production, converting carbohydrates into glucose. It also helps the body create adrenal hormones, with detoxification, and maintains the digestive tracts. You can't properly metabolize carbohydrate or protein without niacin, and it's also necessary for proper digestive function and blood circulation.

In addition to this, it along with the other B complex vitamins help to maintain a healthy nervous system, liver, eyes, mouth, nails, skin and hair. Other niacin benefits include the treatment and prevention of other health conditions, including the prevention of cancer, protecting the body from diabetes, slowing the progression of HIV.

Niacin Deficiency

If you don't get enough niacin, you can suffer from a condition called pellagra. Symptoms of pellagra include cracked and dry skin, canker sores, vomiting, depression, indigestion, diarrhea, and, if left untreated, death. Insufficiency of niacin can cause fatigue, mild depression and frequent indigestion

Niacin Side Effects

In normal dosage amounts, niacin does not produce side effects. However, taken at high doses, niacin side effects can include a very uncomfortable hot "flush" over the body, vomiting, indigestion, diarrhea, and, if left unchecked, potential liver damage.

Foods with Niacin

Some good sources of niacin are beef liver, roasted chicken breast, peanuts, tuna, salmon, almonds, Portobello mushrooms and regular "button" mushrooms. Brewed espresso coffee has a significant amount of niacin naturally present in it. Some studies have shown that it can have over 500 mcg per serving.

As with every B vitamin, niacin works best in synergy with the others in the family, such as thiamine, riboflavin, and so on. Therefore, if you wish to take niacin supplements, it's best to take a B complex supplement containing all the vitamins in the family, not just niacin on its own. The amount of niacin in the average B complex formulation is usually somewhat above the recommended daily allowance, but is still safe so that it should cause no side effects.

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