David Grisaffi's Fit Zone | Personal Fitness Trainer | Fitness training Resources | Online Fitness Trainer
www.fit-zone.com Home | Fit Zone Blog | Login To Online Coaching | Contact David
Supplements Information

Keeping Tabs on Niacin


Vitamin B3 is one of the vitamins that make up the nutritional powerhouse known as the Vitamin B complex. Vitamin B3 is also called niacin, nicotinic acid and niacinamide and serves many vital purposes in the proper functioning of the body and the mind.

Vitamin B3 works with the other B vitamins to convert food into energy. It also serves to regulate the appetite as well as the proper function of the digestive system. Its primary tasks within the digestive system relate to controlling the levels at which bile and other stomach fluids are secreted.

Among the other important contributions that Vitamin B3 makes to the good health of the body is the essential role that it plays in the respiration of the cells its role in keeping the nervous system healthy and its relationship to the production of the hormones associated with reproduction. Vitamin B3 is also important to the health of the body's biggest organ - the skin.

Vitamin B3 plays an important role in mental health and recent research has made some intriguing connections between the use of Vitamin B3 supplements and the production of serotonin. By using the supplements L-Tryptophan it doesn't have to be spent by the body in the making of niacin thus freeing the L-Tryptophan to be taken to the nervous system where it is processed into 5-http which leads to the production of serotonin which is highly important for mood regulation and feelings of well-being. Serotonin imbalance has been shown to be associated with anxiety and depression.

Vitamin B3 is a water-soluble vitamin which means that it is washed out of the body via the urine and the body must renew its supply of this vital nutrient daily. Deficiencies of vitamin B3 can have serious health consequences for both the body and the mind.

Symptoms of physical irregularities by someone who has niacin deficiency can include muscular weakness and a lack of muscular control particularly in the larger muscles masses such as those found in the legs. Other physical irregularity symptoms are open sores on the skin and in the mouth, a swollen tongue and chronic bad breathe, loss of appetite, chronic diarrhea, joint pain, low blood sugar and headaches. It can also cause the disease pellagra which presents with such symptoms as severe dermatitis, diarrhea and dementia. Symptoms of mental irregularities caused by a severe lack of niacin in the body include depression, fatigue and insomnia. The insomnia makes all of the other symptoms both physical and mental quite much harder to bear.

Dietary supplements are a safe and effective way to be sure that you meet the recommended daily requirements of B3 in your diet. However, it is important to use dietary supplements according to the standard dose levels as taking too much can cause other health problems some that are actually serious in nature. There are cases in which higher than standard doses may be recommended such as to combat symptoms that have been brought about by deficiencies. However, taking doses that are much higher than the standard levels should only be done when under the care and supervision of a qualified healthcare professional who can see to it that you are not causing yourself any harm. Dietary supplements like all other medications should always be kept out of the reach of children.

-------------------------
Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.
-------------------------

Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about Vitamins, please go to: http://vitamins.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/


MORE RESOURCES:

TopNews United States

Diet supplements recalled on unlabeled drug worries
Fox News
iStock Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet Healthy People Co is recalling 15 lots of seven different dietary supplements because they contain appetite suppressants or a drug for male erectile dysfunction, the Long Beach, California, company said ...
Dietary Supplement Recalled After Found to Contain Drug IngredientsThirdAge
Dietary Supplements Extensively Regulated, Say Authors of New ArticleMarketWatch (press release)
Diet Supplements RecalledTopNews United States

all 33 news articles »


NoviPet Appoints US National Manager to Oversee the Sales of its Premium Pet's ...
MarketWatch (press release)
FALLBROOK, California, February 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- NoviPet, a leading global provider of premium nutritional supplements for pets, announced today the appointment of veteran sales professional Jim Boyd as NoviPet's new national sales ...

and more »


Daily Mail

Zinc supplements 'can triple the survival chances of young children with ...
Daily Mail
By Lauren Paxman Zinc supplements can triple the survival chances of young children with pneumonia who are deficient in the mineral, a study has found. Taking zinc had a dramatic effect on death rates - even though it did not shorten the time severely ...
Pneumonia wonder drug: Zinc saves livesEurekAlert (press release)

all 6 news articles »


Private MD

Vitamin D supplements among top selling nutritional aids
Private MD
Many more people may not be seeking blood tests to measure their vitamin D levels, as a new survey suggests that supplements containing this nutrient are among the most popular. Researchers from ConsumerLab.com surveyed 10000 supplement consumers from ...
Fish Oil and Multivitamins Most Popular SupplementsNatural Products INSIDER

all 2 news articles »


Know the right supplements for your individual needs
Eagle News
In recent years, the influx of different health and fitness supplements has skyrocketed. It seems as though a product for virtually any type of fitness endeavor can be found. While some of these supplements are very beneficial and proven to help in ...



French mines and… $6700 in supplements? Legislative gifts
Fredericksburg.com (blog)
And Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli collected “a box of a food supplement” worth $6711 from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., who is CEO of Glen Allen-based Star Scientific (which works to reduce the carcinogens in tobacco products, according to the Internet).

and more »


Soy supplements may not protect against breast cancer
HealthJockey.com
This study by scientists at the Northwestern University has demonstrated that soy isoflavone supplements do not seemingly lower breast cancer cell progression in women. The trial seeks to evaluate the benefits of dietary supplementation in terms of ...



Broken Heart Supplement May Cause Legal Heartburn
Natural Products INSIDER (blog)
Lonely hearts out there may turn to a new dietary supplement, Broken Heart RX to help fill the void left by a former love. However, a review of the ingredients list and the website copy shows this supplement may be running into legal issues.



Are supplements safe?
FOX19
Many people turn to supplements to help them lose weight or gain muscle, but are they helping or hurting you? It's no surprise the most popular New Year's resolution is to shed pounds. For millions of Americans, that means healthy eating, ...



Army Studies Workout Supplements After Deaths
New York Times
The United States Army is investigating whether certain dietary supplements for athletes, available until recently at stores on military bases in the United States, may have played a role in the deaths of two soldiers. Both soldiers died last year ...
A Guide to Workout Supplements That Probably Won't Kill YouGawker

all 2 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006