Vitamin B3 - Niacin - Niacinamide

Niacin is another name for vitamin B3, a water soluble vitamin that is highly important for the human body, especially in dealing with preventing pellagra. We are basically talking about a compound that is organic. Its chemical formula is C6H5NO2. Niacin is a pyridine derivative and we are faced with different other vitamin B3 forms. The good news is that you do not have to worry about the various forms because all of them share the same results and impact on the human body. What you basically have to relate to is the fact that Niacin is one of the important human nutrients that are crucial to staying healthy and living. We are talking about an essential vitamin here.

Whenever a person has niacin deficiency he will be faced with pellagra. When we are talking only about mild deficiency the immediate result is a slowing down of our metabolism. This can be a sign that we are heading towards pellagra and most doctors will notice the deficiency because of a decrease in cold tolerance.

The right daily allowance of this vitamin is different for some groups of people. You should know that children have to get between 2 and 12 mg daily, women around 14 mg daily, men around 16 mg daily and women that are breast feeding or pregnant should receive around 18 mg daily. Higher niacin doses usually cause unpleasant side effects. This includes itching, skin rashes, dry skin and facial flushing. Some individuals are also faced with indigestion and even liver toxicity. Niacin pharmacological doses will also cause birth defects, orthostasis, cardiac arrhythmias and even hyperglycemia in some cases. Unfortunately sometimes you will have to go through some of these side effects in order to treat some conditions. The good news is that most people will only have to deal with facial flushing, which will last a maximum of half an hour. Simply by taking aspirin the side effect can be fought in most situations.
Niacin is included in most dietary supplements out there. It is usually included as a part of B Complex Vitamins and it is very rare that a person is faced with this vitamin deficiency. By following a good diet that contains all food types and eventually supplementing with a good daily vitamin product all problems are usually avoided. Make sure that you choose the best possible supplements and you will gain all the benefits linked with proper Niacin dosage.