B3 is one of 8 B vitamins. It is also known as niacin (nicotinic acid) and has 2 other forms, niacinamide (nicotinamide) and inositol hexanicotinate, which have different effects from niacin. Niacin mainly comes in 3 types or forms, that include nicotinic acid, Niacinamide, and Inositol Hexaniacinate as supplement tablets or doses. Nicotinic acid helps to reduce high blood cholesterol levels, whereas Niacinamide may be found in nutritional supplements.
Vitamin B3 may be found in meat, turkey, tuna fish, eggs, poultry products, curds, brewer's yeasts, peanuts, legumes, potatoes, cheese, brown rice, oats, barley, wheat flakes and milk. Foods like bread and cereals are also rich in niacin. Even tryptophan-rich foods like yogurt and eggs can boost niacin levels
The health benefits of niacin include maintaining good blood circulation, healthy robust skin condition, and normal functioning of the brain, boosting memory power, aiding the digestive tract to absorb sufficient carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, reducing the effects of arthritis and improving the symptoms of schizophrenia. The most important benefit of niacin or vitamin B3 is its ability to lower cholesterol levels and control them.
As a member of B-complex vitamins, niacin aids in the normal functioning of the human digestive system, promoting a healthy appetite, properly functioning nerves, and a glowing skin.
Niacin but not niacinamide has been used since the 1950s to try to lower elevated LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglyceride (fat) levels in the blood. However, side effects can be unpleasant and even dangerous. High doses of niacin cause flushing of the skin, stomach upset , headache, dizziness, and blurred vision. There is an increased risk of liver damage. A time-release form of niacin reduces flushing, but its long-term use is associated with liver damage. In addition, niacin can interact with other cholesterol-lowering drugs. You should not take niacin at high doses without your doctor's supervision.
he same niacin-containing enzymes that are involved in energy metabolism, NAD and NADP, work by quenching free radicals. This process is not only important in energy production, but in protecting your body against excessive tissue damage. While most lay person nutrition sources omit niacin from the list of dietary antioxidants, researchers are aware of this connection, and have studied it extensively, particularly in people with diabetes.
Niacin or niacinamide is used for preventing vitamin B3 deficiency and related conditions such as pellagra. Each of these forms of vitamin B3 is used for schizophrenia, hallucinations due to drugs, Alzheimer's disease and age-related loss of thinking skills, chronic brain syndrome, depression, motion sickness, alcohol dependence, and fluid collection (edema).
Even mental derangement and associated conditions may be cured with the administration of niacin supplements or medicinal drugs.
Niacin is a water-soluble vitamin that can travel through the human blood stream and the body has the option to discharge excess vitamins through the process of urination. Therefore, such vitamins may be administered to human beings through both food and liquid, since our body does need a constant supply.