Vitamin B3 is water-soluble and used by the body to help release energy from carbohydrates. It is also necessary to process alcohol and to form fats from carbohydrates. Niacin is responsible for regulating cholesterol.
Niacin, or nicotinic acid, and niacinamide, or nicotinamide, are the two forms of vitamin B3. Inositol hexaniacinate is a variation of niacin that can be acquired in some supplements. This form of niacin is sometimes recommended by doctors for those needing large amounts of niacin because it is not currently thought to cause niacin toxicity.
Vitamin B3 has been used to treat those suffering from:
Because white flour is fortified with vitamin B3, most people intake enough of the vitamin in their diet to avoid a deficiency. B-complex multivitamin supplements do contain between 10-25 mg of the vitamin. Certain health problems necessitate higher levels of the vitamin.
Brown WV. Niacin for lipid disorders. Postgrad Med 1995;98:185–193.
Knopp RH, Ginsberg J, Albers JJ, et al. Contrasting effects of unmodified and time-release forms of niacin on lipoproteins in hyperlipidemic subjects: clues to mechanism of action of niacin. Metabolism 1985;34:642–650.
Gray DR, Morgan T, Chretien SD, Kashyap ML. Efficacy and safety of controlled-release niacin in dyslipoproteinemic veterans. Ann Intern Med 1994;121:252–258.
Goldberg A, Alagona P Jr, Capuzzi DM, et al. Multiple-dose efficacy and safety of an extended-release form of niacin in the management of hyperlipidemia. Am J Cardiol 2000;85:1100–1115.
Garg R, Malinow M, Pettinger M, Upson B, Hunninghake D. Niacin treatment increases plasma homocyst(e)ine levels. Am Heart J 1999;138:1082–1087.
by the Harvard School of Public Health
It has been asked by millions of people “If you eat a healthy diet, do you need to take vitamins?” Not very long ago, the common answer from most experts and professionals would have been an emphatic "no". However, today there's quite a bit of evidence that taking a daily multivitamin makes good sense for most adults.
by the Mayoclinic Staff
Given the popularity and availability of “high potency” amino acids, antioxidants, enzymes and herbs, it might seem like dietary supplements could replace food as a source of the nutrients the body requires. However, this is not the case.
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Vitamin B3 is water-soluble and used by the body to help release energy from carbohydrates. It is also necessary to process alcohol and to form fats from carbohydrates. Niacin is responsible for regulating cholesterol.
