The Cholesterol Vitamin (Vitamin B3 - Niacin)

Ciao Nutrinutters!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!

Counting down the days to the new year yet??? I know I am pretty excited about 2014...with all of its mystery...never know what will come our way...but it is also time for a fresh start! Everything you wish you had done in the previous year, you get to try again - set new goals - improve yourself, the famous "New Year's Resolution". Have you come up with yours yet?

I confess I have not come up with mine...I do have a few things I want, does that count? Like a hammock...I imagine myself in my patio swinging while reading a Jill Shalvis romance...don't judge, it's my thing :)

How about we set one now?

I vow to learn about all vitamins and minerals together with the Nutrinutters - every Monday a new post, until we finish this journey. What do you say?

With at least one New Year's Resolution set, how about we move on to the good stuff!

It is time to introduce B3 or if you want to sound like a nutrition wiz, Niacin! This vitamin was found in the early 1900s because of a disease called pellagra. Pellagra is characterized by cracked, scaly, discolored skin, digestive problems and body weakness. What was interesting about it is that the disease prevalence was associated with diets based on corn and that the addition of protein to the diet seemed to help.

You might be thinking that corn has zero vitamin B3, but in truth it does have significant amounts, it just needed to be prepared/cooked in a way that the vitamin could be absorbed. As for why the addition of protein helped, it's because some of the B3 we get comes from the conversion of an amino acid called tryptophan into this vitamin.

Are you wondering how come these vitamins have the craziest names? Niacin kind of reminds you of nicotine doesn't it? When we say Niacin we are actually including a group of different forms of the vitamin and how this name came about is because B3 was first "discovered" during a tobacco study while investigating nicotine from tobacco leaves, isn't that neat?

Now that we understand how this name came about..

What  does vitamin B3 do for us in our bodies?

Some important functions of Niacin include energy production, breaking down and absorption of fats and finally supporting genetic processes.

Let's understand these better shall we?

Do you sense a pattern here? So far the B vitamins have participated in energy production. B3 is no different in the sense that it helps convert protein, carbohydrate and fat into usable energy for your cells. What is different about this one is that it will help store energy in your muscles and liver for whenever you need it.

You might  have noticed that I called this post the cholesterol vitamin.  Did you know niacin plays an important role in how your body processes fat? Niacin supplementation has been linked to the increase of HDL or "good" cholesterol and lowering of LDL or "bad" cholesterol, which is why there have been many studies done using Niacin supplementation to improve cholesterol status in the body.

Another important function of this vitamin is its involvement in DNA production. Niacin is essential to help support genetic processes and a B3 deficiency has been linked to genetic damage. This is extremely important especially when it comes to cancer prevention.

How much do we need and what are good sources?

The recommendation for adult females is 14 milligrams per day (pregnant: 18 mg/day, lactating: 17mg/day) and for males is 15 milligrams per day.

 

Some good food sources include:

• protein (meat, poultry, fish, beans, peas)
• whole grain and enriched breads/cereals
• eggs and milk are good sources of tryptophan (converts to B3)

 

What are some signs that show deficiency?

Niacin deficiency alone is rare, being usually accompanied by the deficiency of other B vitamins. Some signs include pellagra, inflammation of skin, digestive problems, loss of appetite and even mental confusion.

INTERESTING STUFF: Did you know that people who consume higher amounts of Niacin regularly seem to have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease?

How much more of this vitamin can I take?

The good news is that in the levels found in foods, no toxic symptoms were reported in the literature since this is another water-soluble vitamin. However, a tolerable upper limit of 35mg per day of Niacin was determined since some toxicity symptoms that can occur from high supplementation of this vitamin (1,000 mg/day) can occur, such as:

• liver damage
• flushing (reddened skin)
• upset stomach

The Nutrient Chain

We once again see that the nutrients are all linked in some way. When it comes to Niacin, since some of our supply does come from the amino acid tryptophan, a person that does not have enough protein in their diet has an increased risk of being B3 deficient. This conversion also needs the help of other vitamins including B1and B6. Deficiency in these can also inhibit the conversion into vitamin B3.

This concludes another chapter in the "B-files"!! How are we doing so far?? Feel free to message me with comments/ observations/ questions, I would love to hear from you! :)

I wanted to say a quick hi to the Nutrinutters in Brazil, Malaysia, Germany, United Kingdom, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, India, Netherlands and of course the United States! Thank you so much for your support!!!!

And finally, I wish each and every one of you a WONDERFUL 2014!!!!!

XOXO

 

    From your NUTRINUT

Sources: Nutrition411, whfoods.org, mayoclinic.com, Nutrition for Dummies