Niacin, also called vitamin B-3, is an essential nutrient that helps the body generate energy from food. Niacin also helps with hormone production, circulation and reducing blood cholesterol. Some conditions and health problems can be treated effectively with niacin, though other medications and treatment methods are often used in conjunction with niacin supplementation.
Cholesterol
Niacin works as a natural herbal remedy to lower LDL, or bad, cholesterol levels and raise good HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. While other prescription drugs are often very effective at lowering LDL cholesterol, niacin outperforms these drugs when it comes to raising HDL levels, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Regular niacin supplementation can raise HDL cholesterol by 15 to 35 percent, according to MayoClinic.com, and high HDL levels can lower your risk of heart disease since it helps to remove bad cholesterol.
Diabetes
Another form of vitamin B-3 called niacinamide can help delay the time before a type 1 diabetic must use insulin when taken regularly. This vitamin is similar to niacin but is in a different form. Niacinamide helps to protect the pancreas cells that make insulin from attacks by the type 1 diabetic's immune system, which sometimes provides the person with extra time before he must take insulin. Niacin can help some type 2 diabetics by helping lower LDL cholesterol levels, which are often high, but diabetics should only take niacin under a doctor's supervision, since the vitamin can raise blood sugar levels.
Arthritis
Niacinamide can help reduce joint inflammation and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis in some individuals. While additional scientific studies are needed to determine vitamin B-3's true benefit for arthritis, some arthritis patients have reported increased joint movement and less swelling, which leads to taking fewer nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Warning
Niacin remedies are safe for most people, but you should talk to your doctor about your health conditions and concerns before adding niacin to your treatment plan. The vitamin can interact with some medications, including cholesterol drugs, blood pressure medications, diabetes medications and tetracycline, an antibiotic. The dosage of niacin required to treat certain conditions, particularly cholesterol levels, can be very high. High dosages increase the risk of side effects, including skin flushing, ulcers and liver damage.
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