Niacin (AKA vitamin B3) is a vitamin that doesn’t get a lot of publicity.  It works quietly behind the scenes, keeping your body humming along.  In fact, you probably won’t notice niacin unless you don’t get enough!

The Role of Vitamin B3 In the Body

Niacin works in your body to:

• Assist in cellular respiration
• Helps the body utilize nutrients (works with B1 and B3 to do this)

Now that may not sound very impressive; isn’t that what vitamins do?  But without cellular respiration, the cells die; if the cells die….well, you can’t live without your cells!

Vitamin B3 Deficiency – What Can You Expect?

Now that I have your attention (or at least your cell’s attention), what does a niacin deficiency look like?  Symptoms of a vitamin B3 deficiency include:

• Inflamed tongue, mouth and/or lips
• Diarrhea, vomiting and other gastric problems
• Depression. personality shifts, anxiety
• Dementia, hallucinations, paranoia
• Fatigue, headache, insommnia
• Cracked, scaley, fissured skin

There is some evidence that a prolonged deficiency of niacin can create something of a dependency — your body will end up needing a higher-than-normal amounts of vitamin B3 going forwards.

Eating up the Niacin

Of course eating a healthy diet is one of the best ways to get niacin in your body.  Good sources of vitamin B3 include:

• Yeast
• Fish
• Organ meats
• Nuts
• Whole grains, including wheat germ
• Dried peas and beans

Niacin is degraded with hot water, so it’s best not to boil your foods (there goes those boiled peanuts).

Self-check:  Are You at Risk?

Are you at risk for a niacin deficiency?  It may be possible if you:

• Drink alcohol in excess
• Eat a diet that is low calorie, low protein, high carbs and high fat
• Are a fad dieter
• Are pregnant
• Have gastrointestinal programs, including ulcers
• Have liver problems, including cirrhosis

Niacin, like all B vitamins, is water-soluble so your body has only very small stores, so if you are at risk, you can slide into deficiency faster than you think.

How Much Vitamin B3 Do I Need?

The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for niacin is somewhere between 13 mg and 18 mg for a healthy adult.  A B-vitamin complex supplement is good insurance.

But keep in mind, if you are at risk, you will need more niacin than just the RDA to avoid a deficency

Niacin – Are You Blushing?

There’s something to know about when it comes to niacin — it’s a vasodialator (in other words, it dialates blood vessels).  When you take high dose of vitamin B3, you can get a “niacin flush”.  Your face will get warm and redden, and you may feel temporarily dizzy.  So why would you want to take high doses?  Because it can help to lower your cholesterol.  But you have to weigh the symptoms of the flush against how much it actually lowers your cholesterol.  For some people, the niacin flush isn’t a big deal, but for others it’s very uncomfortable.