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GENERAL IMMUNITY

Vitamin B3

Niacin

also known as Niacin, Nicotinic acid, Niacinamide

A B vitamin found in two main supplemental forms — niacin (nicotinic acid), which causes the famous flush, and niacinamide (nicotinamide), which doesn't. Both prevent deficiency. Niacin in pharmacological doses is also a real cholesterol medication, used long before statins existed — but at those doses it has serious liver and other risks.

  • Cofactor in over 400 enzyme reactions, including energy production from food
  • Supports skin, nervous system, and digestive system
  • Niacin (the flushing form) at high doses raises HDL ('good' cholesterol) and lowers LDL and triglycerides — used as a cholesterol medication for decades
  • Niacinamide (non-flushing form) shows real evidence for early-stage non-melanoma skin cancer prevention in high-risk patients
  • Found in meat, fish, poultry, peanuts, mushrooms, brown rice, and fortified grains
  • The body can also make niacin from the amino acid tryptophan — corn-heavy diets without tryptophan-rich foods historically caused niacin deficiency
Niacin (nicotinic acid) at doses above 100 mg causes the niacin flush — intense skin warmth, redness, and itching that lasts 15 to 30 minutes. Harmless but uncomfortable.
High-dose niacin (typically over 1,500 mg/day) can cause liver injury, including some serious cases — use only with provider monitoring
Sustained-release niacin formulations carry higher liver injury risk than immediate-release
High-dose niacin can raise blood sugar — caution with diabetes
High-dose niacin can raise uric acid and trigger gout
Niacin (not niacinamide) can lower blood pressure — caution with blood pressure medications
Severe deficiency causes pellagra — the 'three Ds': dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia
Niacinamide does not cause flushing and is preferred when high doses are needed for skin or other non-cholesterol uses
Research
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