We often talk about the need for vitamin B12, but do you know about the benefits of vitamin B3, niacin? A book called “Niacin: The Real Story,” published in 2015, describes many of the wonderful benefits of niacin. In addition to this book, the use and effects of niacin have been described in over 7,000 published references in PubMed since 1943, and over 35,000 published references as “nicotinic acid,” its alias.While there are many medical doctors and physicians who rave about the research reports of Abram Hoffer, M.D., one of the authors of the book and considered a leading authority on niacin research, there are of course many who deny the content of Hoffer’s article.For the trillion-dollar-a-year pharmaceutical industry, cheap, prescription-free, safe niacin is not desirable. It is said that they are being attacked not because they do not work, but because they actually work. Niacin is effective in schizophrenia, alcoholism, high cholesterol, non-Alzheimer’s dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis, learning disabilities in children, as well as juvenile diabetes, and the evidence and mechanisms have been proven.
Dr. Andrew W. Saul, who is also one of the authors of the book, says that you should first try niacin for yourself and observe how you feel. If you are healthy but a little restless, have trouble sleeping at night, or are a little anxious, he says, you should take 500 milligrams of niacin for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, many nutritional therapists recommend that the first dose of niacin be started at 100 milligrams each because some people experience hot flashes (flushing) and itching symptoms (for 30 to 60 minutes) when taking niacin. However, they do not dare to avoid niacin flushing, as it is believed to have beneficial effects on health.
The mechanism of this niacin flush, according to Dr. Saul, is that “Niacin specifically activates the high affinity G-protein coupled receptors, GPR109a and b, which then leads to release of a variety of prostaglandins that results in the flush response.” In another words, it is that niacin reacts with certain proteins to increase prostaglandins (lipid metabolites that have a variety of physiological effects, including inflammatory reactions), causing blood vessels to dilate, blood flow to increase, and skin to become red.
Those who wish to avoid this flushing should take the amide form of niacinamide (nicotinic acid amide) instead of the usual nicotinic acid. However, it doesn’t help lower high cholesterol.In addition, slow-release niacin does not cause flushing, but is less effective in preventing or treating atherosclerosis and may cause elevated liver enzymes. Therefore, I think it would be wise to start with a small dose of regular nicotinic acid.
When I took 150mg of this nicotinic acid on an empty stomach in the morning. I get flushing immediately. However, if I take it after a meal I have no symptoms. Also, in my experience, the flushing is nothing to worry about. Your skin will tingle and your face and body will become red, but it will go away eventually (after 30 minutes to an hour). To me, it is similar to getting red when I have a fist glass of alcohol beverage. How the body reacts to a niacin flush is different from person to person, so try different amounts. Also, if you are interested in trying niacin as a treatment for a pre-existing medical condition, I suggest that you consult with a medical specialist, such as alternative medicine doctors, functional medicine doctors, etc.
Reference
http://www.doctoryourself.com/omns/v09n07.shtml
https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/niacin-real-story-2nd-edition
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