Vitamin B3

Vitamin b3 is also known as Niacin

Vitamin b3 or niacin is another one of 8 water-soluble b vitamins. These b group vitamins help the body convert carbohydrates into blood glucose, or blood sugar. Blood glucose provides energy the body needs.

Vitamin b3 plays an important role in the functioning of the digestive system, as well as skin and nervous system. Niacin also helps with circulation and with reducing cholesterol levels in blood. As other b vitamins, niacin also helps with converting food into energy.

Niacin, or vitamin b3, is particularly good for and used to help clear the body from toxins, such as pesticides found in food.

High doses of vitamin b3

High doses of niacin or vitamin b3, of over 1000 miligrams a day, have been shown to help with reducing high cholesterol. Large niacin doses boost good (HDL) cholesterol and reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol in diabetics. Vitamin b3 in large doses also helps with prevention of eye cataracts and is used to help prevent development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis causes blood vessels blockage, resulting in pain when walking.

However, extremely high doses of niacin can cause blurry vision, because of thickening of retina. So you should consult your doctor before you decide to increase your vitamin b3 dosage to over 1000 mg per day.

Niacin sources

Good sources of niacin or vitamin b3 are lean meats, such as turkey and chicken, and lean beef and pork. Fish is also good source of vitamin b3, such as salmon and tuna. Peanuts are another good source of vitamin b3.

Of vegetables, vitamin b3 is available in legumes, sunflower seeds, beets, asparagus, green leafy vegetables, and mushrooms. Breakfast cerelas are usually enriched with vitamins b, in particular b3 or niacin, because of its many benefits.

Milk and eggs contain small amounts of vitamin b3, but are excellent sources of tryptophan. Trytophan is amino acid, which the body converts into niacin. Thus vitamin b3 deficiency can be partially met by eating protein foods.

Vitamin b3 deficiencies

Early signs of vitamin b3 or niacin deficiency are tiredness, indigestion and skin problems.

Deficiencies in niacin are usually caused by alcoholism and eating too much corn, as corn is the only grain low in niacin. Severe niacin deficiency can cause pellagra. Pellagra symptoms include inflamed, scaly skin, digestive problems and diarrhea, and mental impairment.

Vitamin b3 is also known as vitamin pp - this name is derived from an old term of 'pellagra preventing factor'.

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