Vitamin B3 or Niacin

Vitamin B3 or Niacin is important for reducing high blood pressure and increasing your blood circulation, by dilating blood vessels.

It reduces the risks of a heart attack. It facilitates the processes with metabolizing fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

It further improves your resistance to stress; it lowers blood cholesterol; it regulates blood sugar; it helps prevent depression mental illness and migraine; it protects against toxins and pollutants; it helps eliminate canker sores; it gives you a healthy looking skin and also stimulates the sex drive (Vitamin B3 is required in order to produce various hormones, including testosterone and progesterone).

Vitamin B3 (V-B3) is one of the more stable vitamins. It is able to resist heat and oxidation.

Deficiency effect

A deficiency of V-B3 may result in fatigue, mental depression, irritability, nervousness, loss of appetite, indigestion, trouble sleeping or relaxing, insomnia, headaches, nausea and/or vomiting, muscular weakness, skin disorders, canker sores and bad breath.

A severe deficiency could even develop a disease called Pellagra, which must be treated immediately. The first (easy recognizable) symptom is a lesion that will appear on skin exposed to sunlight. Other symptoms include irritability, diarrhea, dermatitis, depression and inflammation of the mucous membranes.

Foods high in Vitamin B3

Although your body has the ability to produce a very small quantity of V-B3, it is not sufficient to meet daily requirements. Additional intake will have to come from food or from supplements.

The best naturally-occurring sources of V-B3 are animal products like organ meats (kidney, liver), pork, prawns and cow milk.

V-B3 is also found in wheat products, rice bran, seeds and almonds, carrots, green vegetables and celery.

The recommended daily intake of V-B3 for adult men is 15-19 mg and for adult females at least 15 mg daily. Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding will need slightly more.

Please note that consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, tobacco, refined sugars and caffeine inhibits the body's ability to properly absorb this vitamin.