Niacin - Vitamin B3
Why Niacin is Good for You
Ready to bring a little Niacin to your life? Read on to find out why you need this supplement now!
How Niacin Helps the Body
Like all B vitamins, Niacin is involved in the conversion of food to energy and the building and repair of DNA. It is often prescribed to people with worrying cholesterol levels as it can help lower bad cholesterol and increase the good. Several studies have shown that it is also great for the prevention of cognitive decline, which is positive news for anyone worried about suffering from Alzheimer’s in later life (1).
How Niacin Helps Balance Hormones
Niacin promotes the production of bile, which in turn, speeds up estrogen production. This is important for those going through the menopause, as it can help mitigate some of the symptoms (2).
It also stimulates the production of growth hormone (3). This is the hormone responsible for the growth of your muscles and it also affects the way you store fat in the body. Another hormone niacin stimulates is adiponectin, which is also responsible for reducing fat. If you are trying to lose a little weight, niacin could be a helpful supplement (4).
The Truth About Niacin as a Vitamin
Niacin is also called vitamin B3, but scientists insist that it is not actually a real vitamin (3). That is because real vitamins cannot be made inside the body – the only way to get them is through your diet. But the body can make its own niacin provided it has access to an amino acid called tryptophan.
However, you do need to get tryptophan through your diet. So, if you are deficient in either nutrient, a supplement can be very useful to get those hormones back on track.
- https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/75/8/1093.short
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24662263/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5360541/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3742781/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/niacin#:~:text=Dietary%20Sources,the%20total%20niacin%20equivalent%20intake