Vitamin B3

Excerpt

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, belongs to the water-soluble B complex group and is found in various foods such as bran, yeast, eggs, peanuts, poultry, red meat, fish, whole-grain cereals, legumes, and seeds. This essential vitamin plays a role in cellular metabolism as a vital component in the oxidized state of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD, or coenzyme 1) and the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP, or coenzyme 2). These coenzymes actively participate in essential oxidation-reduction reactions, playing key roles in glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, protein and amino acid metabolism, pentose biosynthesis, glycerol metabolism, synthesis of high-energy phosphate bonds, and fatty acid metabolism. Niacin is helpful in managing hyperlipidemia and is used off-label in treating pellagra, as an adjuvant for discoid lupus erythematosus, and for alleviating dermatological and neurological symptoms associated with NAXD and NAXE deficiencies. This activity discusses the mechanism of action, indications, dosing, administration, and contraindications of niacin.