Niacin is one of the B vitamins, sometimes also called vitamin B-3 or nicotinic acid. Because it is a water-soluble vitamin, your body is unable to store niacin. Rather, you must obtain it regularly from food in your diet. Niacin helps keep your skin, hair and eyes healthy and also supports the function of your nervous and digestive systems. In addition, it has an essential role in the conversion of dietary carbohydrate into energy and influences how your body processes cholesterol.
Your body converts niacin into a compound called nicotinamide, which is then modified to form two compounds, called NAD and NADP. Your cells and tissues use more than 200 enzymes to convert nutrients into energy, and most of these enzymes require NAD or NADP to function. As a result, niacin has a central role in helping you obtain energy from the food you eat. Although it helps break down many food components to produce energy, niacin is especially important in the conversion of carbohydrate-containing foods into glucose.
Effect on Cholesterol
Cholesterol travels in your blood as either low-density lipoprotein, called LDL, or high-density lipoprotein, called HDL. LDL is often referred to as bad cholesterol because high levels raise your risk of heart disease, while HDL is called good cholesterol because it lowers your risk when its level is high. According to the Mayo Clinic, consuming a niacin-rich diet or taking niacin supplements might raise your HDL levels by up to 35 percent, while also lowering LDL and triglycerides, another type of unhealthy fat. These changes in blood cholesterol could reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. However, the Mayo Clinic also indicates that more research is needed to determine whether niacin is as effective as certain medications commonly prescribed to improve cholesterol levels.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA, for niacin differs according to age and sex, but in general adults need about 15 milligrams daily. Good food sources of niacin include chicken and turkey, with 6 to 7 milligrams in a 3-ounce serving of skinless meat. Fish is also an excellent niacin source, with 11 milligrams in a 3-ounce serving of tuna and almost 9 milligrams in a similar portion of salmon. Legumes such as lentils, peas and beans also provide niacin, with between 1 and 3 milligrams in 1 cup of cooked vegetable. Breads and cereals also contain niacin, especially fortified varieties that may provide up to 27 milligrams in 1 slice and 1 cup, respectively. Niacin supplements are also available at health food stores and pharmacies, although you should not take these without consulting your doctor first.
Although niacin deficiency is rare, it might occur if you are unable to consume a normal, healthy diet or if you have a disorder that interferes with nutrient absorption or causes increased utilization of niacin. If you fail to consume enough niacin, you could develop pellagra, a syndrome caused by niacin deficiency. Its symptoms include a dark, reddish rash on your hands or feet, or on your neck, face and tongue. Sometimes, fatigue also occurs, as well as digestive problems, insomnia and, in severe cases, confusion and memory loss. If you develop a niacin deficiency, you might take a niacin supplement to counteract the deficiency, but never self treat without talking to your doctor first.
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