According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), vitamin B3 consists of niacin (nicotinic acid) and its amide (an organic compound) niacinamide. It is contained in a variety of foods such as cereal grains, green vegetables, meat, eggs and milk. The NIH says both niacin and niacinimide have been proven effective for a number of different conditions.
Niacin
Niacin is a widely accepted treatment for managing high cholesterol. Niacin may also lower the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), but the NIH says more research is necessary to confirm its effectiveness in preventing atherosclerosis.
The onset of dementia is related to a severe niacin deficiency, but it isn’t known whether introducing additional niacin into the body will reduce the risk of neurodegenerative decline or Alzheimer's disease.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), niacin encourages the production of numerous sex and stress-related hormones in the adrenal glands and other areas of the body. Niacin also promotes good circulation.
Niacin & AMD
Niacin may help the choroidal blood vessels, which lie beneath the central portion of the retina called the macula. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may occur when blood flow in the choroidal vessels is disturbed. However the Mayo Clinic says further research is needed to confirm niacin as a potential remedy for AMD.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide may help ward off the onset of diabetes or prolong the need for insulin. It appears niacinamide may lower the high serum phosphate levels linked to hyperphosphatemia (high levels of inorganic phosphate in the blood). Preliminary studies in humans indicate that niacinamide may help treat osteoarthritis (chronic breakdown of cartilage in the joints).
Some skin products (moisturizers, rosacea treatments) contain niacinamide has been used in skin care products but there is no solid evidence to support its usefulness in skin care.
Niacin & Niacinimide
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of both niacin and niacinamide to treat pellagra (niacin deficiency). The symptoms associated with pellagra are depression, dementia, skin disease and diarrhea.
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