Niacin is carried in the blood and is found in all tissues but most abundantly in the liver, Kidney, heart, tissues brain and muscles. A lack of niacin can cause cell damage anywhere in the body.
Like the other B vitamins niacin is crucial for the body’s usage of enzymes which provides the body energy and the building blocks for cell reproduction and repair. It is known to be involved in more than 200 enzymes reactions in the body involving the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
Further, niacin has been identified as part of the chromium containing glucose tolerance factor found in brewer’s yeast which enhances the body’s response to insulin. (insulin is hormone which helps to transport glucose, blood sugar into cells and to store in it liver and muscles)
Q. What did you say earlier about nicotinic acid being able to lower cholesterol levels?
A. Large doses of the from of niacin known as nicotinic acid are sometimes used to help lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels both of which are known to be involved in the development of coronary artery disease.
Research has found that nicotinic acid markedly lowers harmful in the blood while raising levels of healthy HDL (high density lipoproteins). One major study has also found that the use of nicotinic acid reduced the recurrence of heart attacks in men with heart diseases by almost 30 per cent. The bad news unfortunately is that large doses of nicotinic acid produce undesirable side effects.
Q. What kinds of side effects are you taking about?
A. Doses in the hundreds of milligrams can cause flushing of the skin and intense itching. Doses in the thousands of milligrams can cause liver damage which may first appear as jaundice a yellowing of the eyes and skin and a clear sign that the liver has been damaged. Some doctors consider timed release nicotinic acid more likely to cause problems than ordinary nicotinic acid.
Q. What else is niacin used for?
A. Niacin has been successfully along with the amino acid and tryptophan in the treatment of depression. It apparently enhances the effect of tryptophan in maintaining blood levels of an important brain neurotransmitter serotonin.
Nicotinic acid has also been used as a therapy to dilate blood vessels and thus blood flow to certain areas of the body to stimulate tooth eruption to increase the flow of gastric juices and t to increase intestinal motility the action of the intestines to move food along.
Q. Does niacin play any role in cancer protection?
A. Preliminary research suggests that it might play a role in cancer protection. A form of niacin is involved in the body’s production of a substance which repairs the kind of genetic damage that may occur with exposure to viruses or harmful drugs. If the body lacks niacin, cell damage goes un repaired and cancer could develop. Research is currently underway to determine how different niacin intakes affect the body’s ability to repair genetic damage to cells.
Q. What else can niacin do?
A. the same study which found that people taking large amounts of niacin had reduced risk of second heart attacks also found that people taking large amounts if niacin had significantly lower death rates in every category analyzed coronary diseases, other cardiovascular diseases, cancer and all other causes. Niacin has been prescribed to reduce symptoms during alcohol or drug withdrawal, to treat schizophrenia and some other mental disorders to relives migraine headaches and to relive symptoms of diabetes and arthritis. But there is little convincing evidence that it helps any of these conditions. Disease
Q. How much niacin do people get in diets?
A. plenty. Most reasonable diets provide about 20 mg a day, which is close to RNI. So niacin isn’t considered a problem nutrient.
Niacin
Quick reference guide
RNI
Men 19 mg
Women 15 mg
Sources
The richest sources are brewer’s yeast, wheat bran and peanuts. Good sources include chicken, tuna, turkey, beef and whole grain wheat products. Fruits, vegetables and dairy products all contain some niacin.
Signs of deficiency
Irritability, Anxiety, depression, sore mouth and tongue, inflamed membranes in intestinal tract and a reddish skin rash, especially on the face, hands and feet when they are exposed to sunlight which later makes the skin rough and dark.
The classic niacin deficiency diseases, pellagra means rough skin in Italian. Symptoms of this potentially fatal disease include what medical students call 3D’s dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia.
Possible Toxicity Problems
Doses of several hundred milligrams of nicotinic acid can cause flushing of the skin and intense itching. Doses of 1500 ti 3000 mg can cause jaundice and have the potential to cause liver damage. About one third of people on high dose therapy show abnormal results in one or more tests of liver function. In most cases, liver function returns to normal once nicotinic acid is stopped. Severe heartburn, nausea and vomiting may also occur at high doses.
