Vitamin B3 (niacin)

Vitamin B3

Normalizing blood lipid levels with niacin supplementation is extremely successful. Supplementing persons with low HDL-C levels causes a rise in HDL-C levels, whereas supplementing those with high LDL-C causes a decrease in LDL-C levels. Unfortunately, supplementing with niacin does not lower the risk of cardiovascular disease since it also raises insulin resistance, negating the benefits of niacin for blood lipid levels.

Supplementing with niacin is thought to help with growth, cognition, and lifespan, among other things. Nicotinamide is occasionally used topically to the skin for skin health, however it is not as effective as vitamin A. Because it does not create the flushed skin that niacin intake might cause, nicotinamide is utilized topically.

How to Take

The majority of the advantages of niacin supplementation emerge after at least one gram of the vitamin. This is almost 5,000% the daily recommended amount.

According to current research, long-term niacin intake promotes insulin resistance through impairing insulin’s capacity to inhibit glucose production in the liver. Because the relevant receptor is gradually desensitized to the high glucose levels in the blood, this produces a rise in blood glucose levels, which leads to decreased insulin sensitivity over time. The flush that niacin supplementation causes is just brief. It is not dangerous, even though it is unpleasant. Many case studies exist in which people have overdosed on niacin in order to pass an urine test. Overdosing on niacin can cause multiple organ failure and is ineffective in masking a urine test.