Niacin

The generic descriptor for two compounds that have the biological activity of the vitamin: nicotinic acid and its amide, nicotinamide. In the USA niacin is used specifically to mean nicotinic acid, and niacinamide for nicotinamide.


An optional statement on nutrition label unless added as a nutrient supplement. It is a water-soluble vitamin and helps the body release energy from protein, fat and carbohydrate. Niacin promotes healthy skin, nerves and digestion, and also fosters normal appetite.


One of the B complex vitamins that was discovered in 1937. It aids in the release of energy during metabolism. A severe deficiency results in pellagra.


A vitamin of the vitamin B complex found in milk, meat, liver, kidney, yeast, beans, peas and bread, lack of which can cause mental disorders and pellagra.


Vitamin of the B-group, essential for proper cell function and growth. Niacin is found in groundnuts, DALS, whole wheat and unmilled rice. Its deficiency causes peIlagra.


A vitamin that serves as an essential component of the coenzymes NAD and NADP and can be synthesized from tryptophan. It exists as nicotinamide (the active form of the vitamin) and nicotinic acid. Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide are widely distributed in nature.


Niacin is a water-soluble vitamin available as either nicotinic acid or niacinamide (nicotinamide). Niacin has previously been known as vitamin B3, although that title is rarely used today. Niacin typically functions in its coenzyme forms that included the oxidized and reduced forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which are also needed for certain functions in their phosphorylated forms. Roles of niacin include the production of energy from macronutrients through various metabolic pathways including glycolysis, pyruvate dehydrogenase, Krebs cycle, beta-oxidation, and the electron transport system. Niacin is also needed for the synthesis of fat and glycogen.


A vitamin that is important to the health of tissue and nerve cells and to normal appetite and digestion, including the use of carbohydrates. Niacin is found in poultry, fish, and meat, especially liver, as well as whole-grain or fortified grain products, peas, and beans. Severe deficiency of niacin causes pellagra, once a common deficiency disease that involves mouth sores, rough skin, diarrhea, and mental disorders. Less severe symptoms of deficiency include weakness and dizziness, changes in skin and intestinal lining, loss of appetite, and irritability. Overconsumption of some forms of niacin can lead to headache, cramps, and nausea.


Vitamin of the B-complex group, essential for normal function of the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. Rich sources are meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and wheat germ. Symptoms of deficiency include fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, mouth sores, nausea, vomiting, and depression; severe deficiency leads to pellagra. Niacin is used therapeutically in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Also called nicotinic acid.


Also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B3, a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex. Niacin improves blood circulation by dilating arteries and is important for the skin, gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, and sex hormones. It is also a key element in the metabolism of nutrients such as carbohydrates and fats that create energy. Dietary sources of niacin include meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, peanut butter, brewer’s yeast, and wheat germ.


A B vitamin existing in two forms, nicotinic acid (niacin) and nicotinamide, both of which are modified within cells to form NAD and NADP, coenzymes that are essential for cellular metabolic processes. It naturally occurs in mushrooms, wheat bran, fish, poultry, meat, asparagus, and peanuts. The many products made with flour fortified with niacin are good sources of this nutrient. As tryptophan is readily converted to niacin, foods such as eggs and milk that lack niacin are good sources of this vitamin. Niacin is the form used orally or parenterally for the treatment of pellagra; oral administration of niacin is used to treat hyperlipidemia.


 


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