Vitamin
B-3, also known as niacin, is a water-soluble vitamin which the body cannot make
or store but can convert an amino acid called tryptophan into vitamin B-3, it
is very essential to the body’s metabolic processes, its key role in skin,
hundred of enzymes, digestive and mental health; its deficiency may hamper
numerous activities in the body system and can cause a disease called pellagra.
The
body system breaks down the two chemicals in vitamin B-3 (nicotinic acid and nicotinamide),
to give two more chemicals, NAD and NADP, these two additional chemicals plays
an indispensable functions in supporting the cell metabolism.
Deficiency of vitamin B-3 can be
primary (when a person does not take enough vitamin B-3 or tryptophan), or Secondary
vitamin B-3 deficiency (when diarrhea, liver disease, or alcoholism counters
the body’s ability to absorb vitamin B-3.
Foods that are rich in vitamin B-3
are;
Soy
milk, meats, cooked oatmeal, cottage cheese, soy burgers, pumpkin seeds, bran
cereal, Portobello mushrooms, turkey and eggs.
The symptoms are:
Red,
inflamed, and irritated skin, because pellagra affects the skin, nervous system,
digestive system and mucous membranes, causes depression, paranoia,
constipation, nausea, burning in the throat, chest and stomach.
Treating vitamin B-3 with supplements
may pose many side effects, such as gallbladder problems, gout, low blood
pressure and liver disease, it is better to eat foods rich in vitamin B-3,
note; niacin intake can increase risk of
cancer especially in women as shown by some studies, always see your doctor for
an advice because people with kidney disease tend to accumulate too much niacin.
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