|| Nutrition Basics Home ||
Deficiency Diseases and Good Nutrition
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
C6H5NO2
Vitamin B3 was called nicotinic acid before it was called niacin. Under this name, the vitamin didn't sell very well. People thought they were buying something horrible like nicotine. So the vitamin manufacturers took the "ni" from nicotinic, the "ac" from acid, and the "in" from vitamin, and came up with the slang word "niacin". This name sold the vitamin a lot better.

Like the other B vitamins, niacin also helps in the metabolism of fats. Niacin is an essential ingredient in NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). These two coenzymes are capable of receiving hydrogen atoms in the Krebs cycle. This cycle is one that unlocks the energy found in fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Without NAD and NADP, the cycle could not function properly and you couldn't use any of the energy from the food you ingest.

Niacin is a vasodilator, which means it increases the diameter of your veins. This produces a hot flush and itching sensation throughout your entire body. Because of its ability to dilate the veins, niacin can help in headaches and promotes free flow of blood. Because the itching and heat that comes with nicotinic acid medication is undesirable, it is preferred to take nicotinamide, another form of vitamin B3. Megadoses of niacin can help lower blood fat (cholesterol) and free fatty acids. When vitamins are taken in such large quantities, it becomes medical treatment and not supplementation. Do not try to treat yourself. When taking such large doses of any vitamin, you should be monitored closely by a doctor.

Niacin, like thiamin, was first discovered as the cure for a deficiency disease. Pellagra was rampant at the turn of the century claiming 10,000 lives a year. The symptoms of pellagra are known as the 4 D's: dermatitis, dementia, diarrhea, and death. The skin becomes cracked, scaly, and oddly pigmented in the areas that are exposed to sunlight. Lesions also attack the brain and spinal cord, making you confused, disoriented, and can lead to neuritis. Dr. Joseph Goldberger devoted his life to finding a cure for this frightening disease. He linked the cause back to food, and could cure it by changing the patient's diet. He noted that most pellagra sufferers ate mainly cornmeal, which has little available niacin. Adding meat, milk, and eggs to their diet, cured the disease. In 1937 Conrad Elvehjem discovered what it was in these foods that cured pellagra: nicotinic acid.

It was later discovered that pellagra is also a deficiency of the other B vitamins, and could be cured by them as well. Your body can manufacture some niacin from tryptophan, as long as you have adequate amounts of riboflavin, B6, and B12. Many times, the niacin content is listed on food labels, but does not include tryptophan content, thus underestimating the total niacin equivalent. Remember retinol equivalent? Niacin equivalent is basically the same thing, only it takes 60 mg of tryptophan to make 1 mg of niacin. Eggs are very low in niacin, but extremely high in tryptophan, making them high in NE's.



Foods High in Vitamin B3

                                           NIACIN
FOOD           NIACIN*    TRYPTOPHAN*    EQUIVALENTS*
Cow's milk     1.2 mg       673 mg        12.4 mg
Human milk     2.5 mg       443 mg         9.9 mg
Beef, round   24.7 mg      1280 mg        46.0 mg
Whole eggs     0.6 mg      1150 mg        19.8 mg
Salt pork      1.2 mg        61 mg         2.2 mg
Corn grits     1.8 mg        70 mg         3.0 mg
Corn           5.0 mg       106 mg         6.7 mg
Wheat flour,   2.5 mg       297 mg         7.4 mg
    white

* mg/1000 kcal

Some cultures who eat mainly corn have learned to prepare their corn in such a way that it makes the niacin in it available. The Hopi Indians, for example, cook mature corn in an alkaline wood ash, releasing the niacin. Immature seeds contain available niacin, as it helps the seed's metabolism. As the seed matures, the niacin attaches to a carbohydrate, making it impossible for our bodies to absorb it.

You need about 6.6 NE / 1000 kcal and a minimum of 13 NE / day. (Remember that every body is different and needs slightly different amounts of every nutrient.) The average woman eats 27 NE's / day, and the average man eats 41 NE's / day, both well above the RDA.

Too much niacin can be toxic to your liver. Also, the flushing caused by a lot of niacin intake can be hazardous to sufferers of asthma or peptic ulcer disease.

|| Walton Home Page || Walton Self Reliance Home || Nutrition Basics Home ||
Web Page Maintenance: Al Durtschi, E-mail: mark@waltonfeed.com

Note: Alisha is unable to answer your questions as she's at college.

Home Page: http://waltonfeed.com/ http://rainydayfoods.com

All contents copyright (C) 1999, Walton Feed Inc.  All rights reserved.

This information may be used by you freely for noncommercial use with this URL and my E-mail address attached.

Revised: 14 Sep 99