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Vitamins for a Niacin Deficiency in Your Body

May 24, 2011 | By Stephanie Chandler
Vitamins for a Niacin Deficiency in Your Body
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Niacin is one of the eight water-soluble B vitamins, also called vitamin B-3. A niacin deficiency rarely occurs in the developed world, including the United States, but alcoholism can cause a niacin deficiency. Any multivitamin or B complex vitamin provides niacin to help treat and prevent a deficiency. Niacin supplements are available in several forms, but they should be taken only under the supervision of your doctor.

Niacin Sources

In the United States, manufacturers fortify many foods, including breads and breakfast cereals, with niacin. This explains why a niacin deficiency is rare. Some foods, such as beef liver, fish, salmon, sunflower seeds and peanuts, naturally contain niacin. To meet the recommendation set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 and to get your vitamins and minerals through a healthy diet, increase your intake of these foods.

Deficiency Symptoms

With so many foods fortified with niacin, a niacin deficiency usually occurs due to the inability to absorb the nutrients. Alcoholism and digestive disorders such as celiac disease and Crohn's disease can decrease the absorption of nutrients. A mild niacin deficiency can cause symptoms including indigestion, fatigue, vomiting and depression. A more severe deficiency causes a medical condition known as pellagra. Pellagra causes chronic diarrhea, inflamed mucus membranes, scaly skin sores, mental confusion and delusions.

Vitamin B-6

Taking vitamin supplements that contain vitamin B-6 can also help treat a niacin deficiency. The body converts vitamin B-6 into a coenzyme known as pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, or PLP. A coenzyme binds to and activates enzymes needed to facilitate chemical reactions within your body. One reaction that requires PLP converts the essential amino acid tryptophan into niacin. The Institute of Medicine sets the dietary recommended intake for vitamin B-6 at 1.3 mg per day for adults up to age 50. Getting plenty of vitamin B-6 decreases the need for dietary niacin and can help prevent or treat a deficiency.

Niacin

Doctors prescribe niacin, available in extended-release tablets, to treat a niacin deficiency. Patients with high blood cholesterol levels can also benefit from taking niacin supplements. Niacin supplements can boost your level of high-density lipoprotein, the type of cholesterol that binds excess cholesterol and helps remove it from the body, by 15 to 35 percent, according to the Mayo Clinic. Increasing the amount of good cholesterol helps to decrease the amount of bad cholesterol.

Nicotinamide

Nicotinamide is the biologically active form of vitamin B-3. Taking nicotinamide can help reduce the symptoms of a niacin deficiency but does not provide the benefit of lowering your cholesterol. Nicotinamide may help to delay the onset of insulin dependence if you suffer from Type 1 diabetes, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Nicotinamide may also help to improve the symptoms of arthritis, but more studies need to be conducted to determine the effectiveness for this purpose.

References

Article reviewed by Marie Slade Last updated on: May 24, 2011

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