The Niacin Rush
By David Snape
Editor’s Note:
While health care providers might prescribe higher therapeutic
dosages for medical conditions such as high cholesterol or atherosclerosis,
excessive amounts of niacin can damage the liver and stomach
lining and should not be taken without medical supervision.
The RDA for most women is 14 mg and the RDA for men is 16 mg.
Speak with your doctor before taking niacin if you are currently
taking antibiotics, blood pressure or cholesterol medication,
aspirin or diabetes medications.
Your face turns flushed and your
skin starts to itch. Your heart begins to beat faster. The itching
may be felt all across your face and extend down your arms to
your fingertips.
What is going on? If you're like me, you forgot what you learned
in school and had to call a nurse hotline to be reminded. You
may have taken a little too much niacin, or vitamin B-3. It's
ok, you'll be fine, it will probably wear off in about half an
hour. But it can really make you scared if you don't know what
is going on.
What happened? I took a niacin
supplement plus brewer's yeast, which itself contains lots of
niacin. That was nine years ago, but I still remember it like
yesterday.
What is niacin?
Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, is very necessary
for your body. Niacin is needed at the cellular level. It is an
important nutrient in cellular processes that create the ultimate
energy currency of your body: ATP or adenosine triphosphate.
A deficiency in niacin can lead to pellagra, which has a number
of manifestations. An inflamed tongue and irritated gastric tract
and colon, as well as depression and hard, rough skin, are just
some of the symptoms of this deficiency disease. Anxiety and hallucinations
are also possible symptoms of pellagra. Widespread pellagra is
no longer seen in the United States, though individual cases can
still occur.
Dermatitis, dementia and diarrhea are considered the “3
Ds” or the classic symptoms of pellagra.
Diets rich in meats, eggs and milk provide adequate amounts of
niacin to the body. Alcoholics and diabetics are at greater risk
for being deficient in niacin. Niacin is a vitamin that is necessary
to the body for many cellular processes.
Oral supplementation can reverse the less severe cases of deficiency.
In severe cases, there may be permanent consequences.
So the next time your face flushes and you get an itching burning
sensation down to your fingertips, take a moment to reflect before
you panic. Did you have too much niacin?
This article is for information
purposes only. If you have or think you have a health condition,
consult your physician for proper diagnoses and treatment.
© David Snape
Dave Snape is a health, fitness and wellness enthusiast. His web
site is http://tobeinformed.com.
