Niacinamide: Benefits, Sources & What You Need to Know

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that occurs in most natural foods. Supplementing niacinamide can help you break down carbohydrates into ready-to-use energy. However, too much niacinamide can cause you to experience an irregular heartbeat and blushing.

Sources

• Foods that have high concentrations of niacinamide include eggs, green vegetables, fish, meat, milk and yeast. Most over-the-counter multivitamins also contain niacinamide.

Metabolic Role

• In addition to aiding the metabolism of foods, niacinamide plays a role in helping the body produce sex hormones and adrenalin. In very high doses, niacinamide helps the body eliminate excess cholesterol and other lipids.

Dosing

• The recommended federal daily intake of niacinamide is 20 mg. Prescription doses of niacinamide range as high as 2,500 mg per day, but this should only be done under a doctor's supervision.

Considerations

• High doses of niacinamide cause skin flushing due to the relaxation of blood vessels near the surface of the skin. Also, taking niacinamide in prescription-strength dose can lead to the breakdown of muscle tissue and heart palpitations.

Supplement Products

• Several formulas used for intravenous feeding contain niacinamide. The U.S Food and Drug Administration has approved Infuvite Pediatric and Adult from Sandoz, as well as M.V.I. Pediatric and M.V.I.-12 from Hospira.