Written by Catherine Saxelby
on Wednesday, 18 February 2015.
Tagged: health, healthy eating, nutrition, vitamins
Niacin is the common name for the two compounds, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide (or niacinamide) and is often referred to as vitamin B3. It is vital for your health and is one of the most commonly added “fortification vitamins” found in foods such as breakfast cereals and breads.
Niacin is involved in many vital functions including:
Because of niacin’s role in energy metabolism, an individual’s niacin requirement is based on their overall energy requirements. As a rough guide, use the RDIs* below.
2 mg as preformed niacin found naturally in breast milk (0-6 months) AI**
4 mg (7-12 months) AI**
6 mg (1-3 yrs)
8 mg (4-8 yrs)
12 mg (9-13 yrs)
14 mg girls (14-18 yrs)
16 mg boys (14-18 yrs)
14 mg
18 mg during pregnancy
17 mg during lactation
16 mg
**AI means Adequate Intake (used when there are no RDIs)
* Recommended Dietary Intakes
mg means milligrams Source: NRVs from NHMRC Australia and New Zealand 2006
Niacin can also be formed in the body from the amino acid tryptophan which can be found in animal proteins, seafood including prawns, sardines and salmon, as well as dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt. The combination of preformed niacin and that contributed by tryptophan is measured as ‘niacin equivalents'.
(niacin as nicotinamide)
150 mg (1-3 yrs)
250 mg (4-8 yrs)
500 mg (9-13 yrs)
750 mg (14-18 yrs)
900 mg
*It is not possible to establish the safe level during pregnancy and lactation, but the source of intake should be from food only.
(niacin as nicotinic acid)
10 mg (1-3 yrs)
15 mg (4-8 yrs)
20 mg (9-13 yrs)
30 mg (14-18 yrs)
35 mg
30 mg (14-18 yrs) during pregnancy and lactation
35 mg (19-50 yrs) during pregnancy and lactation
35 mg
Niacin is found in a number of foods, notably protein foods like meat, poultry and fish (particularly in organ meats or offal), legumes (especially peanuts), whole (unrefined) grains, nuts, seeds and in eggs and cow’s milk. The niacin in meats is more bioavailable than that in grains but for the non-meat eaters, legumes are a good source of niacin.
As a side note, if you have inadequate iron, riboflavin or vitamin B6 levels, niacin is less bioavailable altogether. Have a look at our posts on iron, and riboflavin to see that you are eating enough of their rich food sources.
It’s relatively easy to get enough niacin as the vitamin is widely distributed in protein foods as well as being added to fortified cereals and breads – niacin is one of the four vitamins added to most fortified products. Look for the word ‘niacin’ under Vitamins on the Ingredient List on the food label.
Most breakfast cereals are fortified with niacin at the level of 25 per cent of the average adult’s RDI or 2.5mg per serve or bowl as well as with the other B vitamins like B1, B2 and folate.
Refined food such as sugar, oils and many processed foods have little or none.
90g grilled chicken breast | 15mg |
150g grilled beef | 14mg |
75g canned tuna (10mg), 1 cup canned chick peas (2.5), ½ cup canned corn (1.5) | 14mg |
2 Tb peanut butter (11.4), 4 Vita-Weats (1.8), 1 fresh peach (1.8) | 15mg |
Bowl or 50g niacin-fortified breakfast cereal (11.5) with 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds (2.0) plus 200ml reduced fat milk (2.3) | 16mg |
250ml cappuccino with reduced fat milk (7.7), 1 slice wholegrain bread (1), 1 tsp Vegemite (8) | 17mg |
Source: Foodworks and NUTTAB 2010 database
Niacin deficiency can cause fatigue, diarrhoea, dermatitis and in severe cases, mental disorders such as depression, delirium or dementia.
A deficiency of this vitamin causes a disease known as pellagra, which causes inflammation of the skin on exposure to sunlight. It was first seen in populations that had corn (maize) as their staple food because the form of niacin found in corn, unlike other cereals, is not well absorbed.
Niacin, as a high-dose supplement, has proven very effective at lowering high blood levels of LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides.
The dose used ranges from 1500 mg to 3000 mg a day as nicotinic acid, which is hundreds of times more than the recommended dietary intake from food.
This should only be taken under your doctor’s supervision as it has side effects such as flushing of the skin due to the dilating of blood vessels in the face not to mention itchy skin, rashes, upset stomach and headaches. If taken for too long, it can lead to gout and liver damage.
Catherine Saxelby has the answers! She is an accredited nutritionist, blogger and award-winning author. Her award-winning book My Nutritionary will help you cut through the jargon. Do you know your MCTs from your LCTs? How about sterols from stanols? What’s the difference between glucose and dextrose? Or probiotics and prebiotics? What additive is number 330? How safe is acesulfame K? If you find yourself confused by food labels, grab your copy of Catherine Saxelby’s comprehensive guide My Nutritionary NOW!
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