What Is A Major Food Source For Vitamin B-3?

Vitamin B-3, or niacin, is an essential nutrient the human body requires on a daily basis. According to MedlinePlus, niacin plays a key role in converting food to energy and aids digestive system, skin and nerve functions. You can consume vitamin B-3 through foods or dietary supplements. Consuming adequate amounts of vitamin B-3 on a daily basis helps prevent symptoms related to vitamin B-3 deficiency, and may provide additional health benefits such lowering your cholesterol levels.

Requirements

Consume the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin B-3 each day to help prevent vitamin B-3 deficiency. The Food and Nutrition Board’s RDA for vitamin B-3 is 16 milligrams per day for adult men, 14 milligrams per day for adult women, 18 milligrams per day for pregnant women and 17 milligrams per day for nursing women. According to MedlinePlus, taking 1 gram to 3 grams of nicotinic acid, a form of niacin, every day under the supervision of a healthcare provider may help raise your HDL, or good cholesterol, levels and reduce high LDL, or bad cholesterol, levels and triglyceride levels.

Meat, Chicken and Fish

Meat, chicken and fish are all sources of dietary B-3. Tuna is a particularly good source. However, if you’re pregnant, nursing or could become pregnant, the FDA recommends limiting fish consumption to 12 ounces of low-mercury selections per week, such as salmon and canned light tuna. Albacore tuna contains more mercury than canned light tuna. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, 3 ounces of cooked white chicken meat contains about 7.3 milligrams of niacin, 3 ounces of lean turkey provides about 5.8 milligrams of niacin, 3 ounces of lean beef contains about 3.1 milligrams of niacin and 3 ounces of tuna provides about 11.3 milligrams of dietary niacin.

Fortified Grains

Many types of breads, cereals and pastas are fortified, or enriched, with nutrients including niacin and other B-vitamins. The food nutrition label may list niacin content of breads and cereals, or you can look up the niacin content of your favorite grains by using an online nutrient database such as the USDA's Nutrient Data Laboratory. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, one slice of whole-wheat bread provides about 1.3 milligrams of niacin, 1 cup of enriched pasta contains about 2.3 milligrams of niacin and 1 cup of fortified cereal provides you with about 20 milligrams to 27 milligrams of niacin.

Nuts and Legumes

In general, nuts and legumes are also sources of niacin. According to the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory, 1 ounce of dry roasted, salted peanuts contains about 3.8 milligrams of niacin and 1 cup of cooked, boiled lentils with salt contains about 2.1 milligrams of niacin.