Niacin ( a.k.a. Vitamin B3 or Nicotinic Acid):
On the lookout for beautiful skin, hair, and red blood cells? Niacin is here to help! Like other watersoluble B vitamins, niacin is essential for converting food into energy.
It’s also central for the health of skin, hair, eyes, liver, and the nervous system, and is believed to lower risks of high cholesterol and heart disease. Extreme deficiencies in niacin may lead to pellagra, which is associated with the “the four D’s”:
- dermatitis (skin irritation)
- diarrhea
- dementia
- death (yikes!)
But don’t overdo it either: Pellagra is exceptionally rare.
High doses of niacin can be toxic, and may cause rosy tingling — the so-called “niacin flush” if doses exceed 50 mg per day .
What You Need:
- Men = 16 mg
- Women = 14 mg
How to Get It:
- Nosh on peanuts (3.8 mg per ounce)
- chicken (7.3 mg per 3 ounces), salmon (8.5 mg per 3 ounces)
- fortified cereals (20-27 mg per cup)
- coffee (0.5 mg per cup)
What’s Too Much:
- 35 mg
