Did you know that a deficiency of Vitamin B3 (niacin) can cause muscular weakness and other symptoms? Learn more about the benefits of niacin.
Niacin, also called vitamin B3, is important for your body inside and out. It can help your cardiovascular system, protect your body from diabetes, and even improve your cholesterol levels.
Interested in learning more about the benefits of niacin? Or simply looking to learn what niacin is? Read on to learn more!
What is Niacin?
Niacin is a nutrient required for optimal bodily function. Luckily, vitamin B3 is in a lot of popular foods. These include turkey, salmon, pork, and ground beef.
Of course, this might be problematic if you’re a vegetarian. Luckily, there are plenty of niacin supplements on the market.
Niacin has two chemical forms, nicotinic acid and niacinamide. Both contribute to your heart health, cholesterol levels, blood sugar regulation, and skin health. Read on to learn about some of best vitamins for a hangover.
Niacin Improves Cholesterol Levels
One of the oldest-known benefits of niacin is that it modifies cholesterol. Not only does it lower the “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, but it also boosts “good” (HDL) cholesterol.
Taken together, this helps explain why niacin can help prevent heart disease. This can help prevent artery wall thickening and fight atherosclerosis. Niacin also reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, which prevent artery hardening.
Niacin Helps with Diabetes
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that vitamin B3 helps lower the risk of diabetes. Niacin may work to protect the insulin-creating cells that your body tries to destroy in type 1 diabetes. Niacin is also involved in regulating blood sugar and insulin metabolism.
The role of niacin in treating type 2 diabetes is a bit more complicated. While it helps lower high cholesterol levels, it also increases blood sugar levels, which could be problematic.
Niacin is Good for Your Skin
Niacin can also protect your skin from sun-related damage. Likewise, some evidence suggests that it prevents certain types of skin cancer.
Vitamin B3 is also good for your skin’s general appearance. Earl Hailey from Patch MD says that skin creams containing vitamin B3 will not only moisturize the skin, but will reduce brown spots as well.
Niacin Gives You Energy
Vitamin B3 helps convert fat, proteins, and carbs into energy. That’s because molecules NAD and NADP contain niacin and are necessary for this conversion process.
Niacin also helps make glycogen. This molecule is stored in your liver and muscles for future use as an energy source.
Take Niacin to Avoid Pellagra
If you are vitamin B3 deficient, you may end up with pellagra. This health condition can lead to digestive problems, mental health issues, and skin inflammation.
Most industrialized countries get enough vitamin B3 in their diet to avoid this disease. But if you are on a restrictive diet, you might want to add a vitamin B3 supplement to your daily regimen to avoid these health issues.
Now You Know the Benefits of Niacin!
Now that you know about the amazing benefits of niacin, are you ready to give it a try? Go out and buy some vitamin B3 supplements or skincare products today! And remember to check back here regularly for more information about supplements.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.
