Vitamins for Mental Health, VitaminB3 (Niacin) - Information and benefits
Mental Health > supplements-vitamins : VitaminB3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Other names
Nicotinic acid, Niacinamide, Nicotinamide, Inositol hexaniacinate
Summary
Vitamin B3, or niacin, is needed to maintain a healthy skin, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system. It, along with the other B vitamins is involved in energy metabolism. Vitamin B3 is used primarily to lower serum cholesterol levels and slow the progression of Type I diabetes. It has also been used for various mental disorders, arthritis and problems with circulation. Vitamin B3 is considered very safe with the major side effect being the uncomfortable flushing of the skin that often occurs at doses greater than 50 mg. Other side effects include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, decreased blood pressure, and diarrhea. Time-released niacin eliminates many of these problems but can cause elevated liver enzymes.
Using inositol hexaniacinate generally prevents this as well as flushing. Niacin interacts with the anti-tuberculosis drug, Isoniazid. High doses of inositol hexaniacinate can thin the blood. Niacin can interfere with the control of blood sugar in those with diabetes and drugs for diabetes may need to be adjusted. It should not be used in people with liver disease. A deficiency of both niacin and tryptophan is characterized by dermatitis, dementia, and diarrhea. The skin becomes scaly and dark in places that are exposed to the sun, heat or recurrent trauma. People may have headaches or feel tired, weak, irritable, depressed and have a loss of memory. In a more severe deficiency, symptoms can include disorientation, hysteria and convulsions. Diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, indigestion, a red, swollen tongue, and ulcers in the mouth may also occur. Niacin deficiencies are most often seen in alcoholics and others with poor diets.
Deficiencies can also result from an overactive thyroid gland, pregnancy or liver disease. Vitamin B3 is available in several forms including niacin, nicotinic acid, nicotinate, niacinamide. The Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin B3 is 13-16 mg per day for adults. The therapeutic dose of vitamin B3 ranges from 50 to 3,200 mg per day. A dose of 60 mg of tryptophan is considered to be equal to 1 mg of niacin. Foods rich in niacin include Torula yeast, brewer's yeast, rice bran, wheat bran and nuts. It is also found in foods high in protein, like chicken, beef, and fish. Foods rich in tryptophan, the niacin precursor, include milk, soy, peanuts, eggs, pork, lamb, and beef.
Uses
Although niacin is needed to maintain a healthy skin, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system, its primary use, in the form of nicotinic acid or inositol hexaniacinate, has been to lower serum lipids and cholesterol. The advantage of niacin in treating high serum cholesterol is that while it lowers other serum lipids, including LDL, it raises the levels of high density lipoprotein, (HDL).
In this form, it is also used to improve circulation, especially in Raynaud's syndrome or intermittent claudication. In the form of niacinamide, also called, nicotinamide, vitamin B3 has been used to slow the progression of Type I diabetes. High doses may even reverse the development of the disease. It may also increases the pancreas's production of insulin. Because of its effects on the nervous system, vitamin B3 has been used for anxiety, nervousness, depression, insomnia, and memory loss. It has also been used for migraine headaches, and feeling tired, weak, irritable, or depressed. Vitamin B3, in the form of niacinamide, has been used in alcohol dependence, drug-induced hallucinations and schizophrenia. High dose niacinamide has been used to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Niacinamide has also been used for diarrhea and improving digestion. It has been used to improve orgasm.
Proposed Mechanism of Action
Niacin and its precursor, tryptophan, which is converted to niacin in the liver, form the active co-enzymes nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotine adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). These coenzymes carry hydrogen molecules and are involved in redox reactions. Niacin is needed for fat metabolism, steroid synthesis, DNA repair and cell differentiation. It is also needed for the manufacturing of glucose tolerance factor, which plays a role in the body's response to insulin. With serum lipids, niacin decreases the rate at which LDL and VLDL are made by the liver. It also increases lipoprotein lipase activity which increases the rate of removal of triglycerides from the plasma.
Side Effects / Precautions
The major side effect with niacin is the uncomfortable flushing of the skin that often occurs at doses greater than 50 mg. Other side effects from larger doses of niacin include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, decreased blood pressure, and diarrhea.
Time-released niacin eliminates the problems but causes elevated liver enzymes that are found on serum liver function tests. By using inositol hexaniacinate, containing six niacin molecules attached to inositol, another B vitamin, the flushing side effects are eliminated.
Interactions
The use of the anti-tuberculosis drug, Isoniazid, competes with tryptophan for niacin and lowers the levels of niacin in the body. High doses of inositol hexaniacinate , greater than 2000 mg per day, can thin the blood. Niacin can interfere with the control of blood sugars in diabetics and drugs for diabetes may need to be adjusted. It should not be used in people with liver disease.
Symptoms of Deficiency
Pellagra, a severe deficiency of both niacin and tryptophan, is characterized by dermatitis, dementia, and diarrhea. The skin becomes scaly and dark in places that are exposed to the sun, heat or recurrent trauma. The rest of the skin may be very pale. The nervous system is affected as well. People may have headaches or feel tired, weak, irritable, depressed and have a loss of memory. In a more severe deficiency, symptoms can include disorientation, hysteria and convulsions. The gastrointestinal tract is also affected. Diarrhea results because the cells of lining of the GI tract are not being properly replaced. This may also result in loss of appetite, nausea, indigestion, a red, swollen tongue, and ulcers in the mouth. Niacin deficiencies are most often seen in alcoholics and others with poor diets. Deficiencies can also result from an overactive thyroid gland, pregnancy or liver disease. If a deficiency is found, a riboflavin or iron deficiency may be present as well.
Symptoms of Toxicity
There are no toxicities to vitamin B3 except the increase in liver enzymes that occurs with high doses. This is reversible if the dose is decreased.
Dosage and Administration
Vitamin B3 is available in several forms including niacin, nicotinic acid, nicotinate, niacinamide. The Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin B3 is 13-16 mg per day for adults. It is sometimes expressed as niacin equivalents (NE), with 1 NE = 1 mg niacin. The therapeutic dose of vitamin B3 ranges from 50 to 3,200 mg per day. A dose of 60 mg of tryptophan is considered to be equal to 1 mg of niacin.
Nicotinamide, used in early Type I diabetes, is given in doses of 25 mg/kg. As much as 1,000 mg have been given to children. For elevated cholesterol, inositol hexaniacinate is the preferred form. Begin by taking 500 mg three times a day for at least two weeks. The dose can then be increased to 1000 mg three times a day. To treat arthritis, 1,000 mg of niacinamide can be taken three times a day.
Vitamin B3 should be taken with meals to decrease stomach upset. Requirements are higher in people with cancer, on the antituberculosis drug, Isoniazid, and oral contraceptives.
Food Sources
Foods rich in niacin include Torula yeast, brewer's yeast, rice bran, wheat bran and nuts. It is also found in foods high in protein, like chicken, beef, and fish. Foods rich in tryptophan, the niacin precursor, include milk, soy, peanuts, eggs, pork, lamb, and beef. Niacin is lost in cooking water, but preserved when foods are steamed, baked or stir fried.
Other Supplements to Consider
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin, hydroxycobalamin)
Folic acid
Inositol
iron