Vitamin B3 - Benefits, Dosage and Food Sources
What is Vitamin B3?
Vitamin B3 is also known as niacin, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, niacinamide and antipellagra vitamin or PP factor. It is important for converting calories from protein, fat and carbohydrates into energy. But it also helps the digestive system function and promotes a normal appetite and healthy skin and nerves. If large volumes of liquids are used in preparation and cooking of food significant amounts can be lost due to niacin is a water-soluble vitamin. Niacin plays an important role in ridding the body of toxic and harmful chemicals. It also helps the body make various sex and stress-related hormones in the adrenal glands and other parts of the body.
Benefits of Vitamin B3
- Niacin is used to treatment for high cholesterol. It has significant benefits on levels of high-density cholesterol with better results than other prescription drugs.
- Niacin is an essential vitamin that supports energy metabolism and reactions involving biosynthesis and degradation as part of the pyridine nucleotide coenzymes, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.
- It helps prevent development of the severe form of diabetes called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
- Other benefits of Vitamin B3 include treating acne, osteoarthritis, dysmenorrheal, raynaud’s disease, and high levels of triglycerides.
Deficiency Symptoms of Vitamin B3
Deficiency of vitamin B3 can cause symptoms like an overall feeling of tiredness, forgetfulness, nausea and/or vomiting, loss of appetite, skin outbursts or lesions, sores in the mouth, headache, anemia, problems in the digestive system and trouble sleeping or relaxing.
When the deficiency is severe the disease pellagra can be developed. A lesion appears on skin that has been exposed to sunlight. This more serious condition must be treated immediately.
Symptoms of mild deficiency include fatigue, canker sores, vomiting, and depression. The most common symptoms of vitamin B3 deficiency involve the skin, digestive system, and the nervous system.
Excessive Intake of Vitamin B3
Large doses of niacin can cause liver damage, peptic ulcers, and skin rashes. In the high doses used for controlling cholesterol levels i.e. above 100mg/day, nicotinic acid can cause skin flushing and skin itching as well as headaches, lightheadedness and low blood pressure.
Recommended Dosage of Vitamin B3
The recommended dietary allowance for the day of vitamin B3 are as follows:
- For 0 to 6 months infant have to taken 2 milligrams per day
- For 6 to12 months infant have to taken 4 milligrams per day
- For 1 to 3 years child have to be taken 6 milligrams per day
- For 4 to8 years child have to be taken 8 milligrams per day
- For males 9 to13 years have to be taken 12 milligrams per day
- For Males 14 years and older have to be taken 16 milligrams per day
- Females 9 to13 years have to taken 12 milligrams per day
- Females 14 years and older have to taken 14 milligrams per day
- Pregnant females of any age have to be taken 18 milligrams per day
- Lactating females of any age have to be 17 milligrams per day
Rich Food Sources of Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3 is found in beets, brewer’s yeast, beef liver, beef kidney, pork, turkey, chicken, veal, fish, salmon, swordfish, tuna, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.