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Niacin - Side Effects

Alternative Names

Nicotinic acid; Vitamin B3

Side Effects:

A deficiency of niacin causes pellagra. The symptoms include:

Digestive problems
Inflamed skin
Mental impairment

Large doses of niacin can cause:

Increased blood sugar (glucose) level)
Liver damage
Peptic ulcers
Skin rashes

Even normal doses can be associated with skin flushing. New forms of nicotinic acid reduce this side effect. Nicotinamide does not cause these side effects.

Vitamin B3 benefit

Vitamin B3 deficit

Vitamin B3 source

Reviewed last on: 2/14/2011
Alison Evert, MS, RD, CDE, Nutritionist, University of Washington Medical Center Diabetes Care Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Escott-Stump S, ed. Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008.

Sarubin Fragaakis A, Thomson C. The Health Professional's Guide to Popular Dietary Supplements. 3rd ed. Chicago, Il: American Dietetic Association; 2007.

Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, PantothenicAcid, Biotin, and Choline. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1998.

Cervantes-Laurean D, McElvaney NG, Moss J. Niacin. In: Shils ME, Olson JA, Shike M, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 9th ed. Baltimore, Md. Williams & Wilkins; 1999:401-411.

Malik S, Kashyap ML. Niacin, lipids, and heart disease. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2003;5:470-476.

McKenny J. New perspectives on the use of niacin in the treatment of lipid disorders. Arch Intern Med; 2004;164:697-705.

Grundy SM, Vega GL, McGovern ME, et al. Efficacy, safety, tolerability of once-daily niacin for the treatmetn of dyslipidemia associated with type 2 diabetes control and evaluation and efficiency of Niaspan trial. Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:1568-1576.

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Niacin - Side Effects

Alternative Names

Side Effects:

References