Sources of Vitamin B3
- In general, meat and fish are better sources of niacin than plant products. Foods of animal origin rich in this vitamin are sheep liver, lean meats, prawns, pork, and cow’s milk.
- Vegetarian sources rich in this vitamin are rice bran, rice, wheat, groundnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, and chilgozas; and green vegetables like turnip and beet greens, and the leaves of carrots, colocasia, and celery.
- Yeast and bran are good natural sources of this vitamin but the removal of the bran in the milling of wheat reduces the niacin content of white-wheat flour to a low level.
Functions of Vitamin B3 Niacin
- Niacin is important for proper blood circulation and the healthy functioning of the nervous system.
- It maintains the normal functions of the gastro-intestinal tract and is essential for the proper metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates.
- It helps to maintain a healthy skin.
- Niacin dilates the blood vessels and increases the flow of blood to the peripheral capillary system.
- This vitamin is also essential for synthesis of the sex hormones, namely, oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, as well as cortisone, thyroxin, and insulin.
Vitamin B3 Deficiency symptoms
- A mild deficiency of niacin may result in a coated tongue, sores in the mouth, irritability, nervousness, skin lesions, diarrhoea, forgetfulness, insomnia, chronic headaches, digestive disorders, and anaemia.
- Severe prolonged deficiency may cause neurasthenia (weakness of the nerves), mental disturbances, depression, mental dullness, and disorientation. More on Causes of Pellagra
Vitamin B3 healing properties
Large doses of upto 100 mg or 100,000 mcg of niacin with each meal, preferably taken together with other B group vitamins, provide tremendous relief in cases of pellagra, migraine, headaches, high blood pressure caused by nervousness high blood cholesterol, arteriosclerosis, and diarrhoea.
Precautions
- The use of large doses of niacin for long periods-causes release of histamine. This in turn can cause severe flushing, severe itching of the skin (pruritls), and gastro-intestinal disturbances.
- If taken in doses of 3 g per day, niacin has been reported to cause elevation of uric acid in the blood and glucose.
