Vitamin B3

Nicotinic Acid (niacin), Niacinamide (nicotinamide)

Nicotinic acid was isolated as a pure chemical substance in 1867, but not until 1937 was it dsicovered to be the anti-PELLAGRA vitamin for humans. Classical deficiency of niacin, Pellagra, is characterised by the four D's - dermatitis, dementia, diarhoea, and death. Nicotinic acid is produced from tryptophan in the body and is then converted into niacinamide. Nicotinic acid functions in the body as a component in the coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and NADP, which are involved in approximately 200 enzyme processes.

Nicotinic acid and niacinamide have different beneficial applications.

CHOLESTEROL LOWERING - nicotinic acid has shown effective lipid lowering effects when compared to conventional drugs. In 1994 the Annals of Internal Medicine published results of a 26 week study, demonstrating a 33% incre