Niacin Deficiency Symptoms, Benefits, and Recommended Dosage
In the annals of public health, the 20th century witnessed significant strides in disease control, environmental health, and nutrition. Among these groundbreaking achievements, the discovery of niacin's role in preventing pellagra and the subsequent nutritional improvements stand out, playing a crucial part in virtually eliminating pellagra as a public health problem by mid-20th century.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognised this milestone as one of the top 10 public health achievements from 1900 to 1999. This landmark achievement linked nutritional science directly to disease prevention, transforming public health through scientific discovery, policy implementation, and community health initiatives.
Pellagra, a disease characterised by skin lesions, diarrhoea, dementia, and death, was once prevalent in the United States, particularly among the poor and malnourished. The discovery that pellagra was a result of niacin deficiency led to the development of fortified foods, improved diets, and nutritional interventions. These measures significantly reduced the incidence of pellagra in the U.S., marking a major victory in addressing a previously widespread nutritional disease.
Other notable achievements during this period included the control of infectious diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, and polio through vaccines and antibiotics; safer and healthier foods due to improved food safety regulations; and motor-vehicle safety improvements, which reduced traffic-related deaths. The recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard, reductions in heart disease and stroke, healthier mothers and babies, family planning, water fluoridation to prevent dental caries, and occupational safety regulations also made significant contributions to public health.
Vitamin B-3, also known as niacin, plays a vital role in maintaining the health of the skin, hair, and nervous system. Foods high in vitamin B-3 include beef liver, grilled chicken breast, turkey breast, sockeye salmon, cooked brown rice, enriched breakfast cereal, and dry roasted peanuts. The body does not store vitamin B-3 and excretes any excess in urine.
However, excess vitamin B-3 can cause flushed or itchy skin, a rash, headaches, dizziness, and in severe cases, liver damage. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association do not recommend combining vitamin B-3 with statin use as a treatment to control cholesterol due to mixed results and potential adverse effects.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends 16 milligrams (mg) of vitamin B-3 a day for adults on a 2,000-calorie diet. A healthful diet can provide all of a person's vitamin B-3 needs, and taking high doses of vitamin B-3 as a supplement can result in adverse effects.
In countries where corn and rice are the main sources of nutrition, pellagra remains a public health problem. This underscores the importance of continued efforts in nutritional science and public health initiatives to address this issue and promote overall health and wellbeing.
References: [1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Ten great public health achievements – United States, 1900–1999. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 60(1), 1-20. [2] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2011). Ten great public health achievements in the 20th century. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/history/announcements/2011/10/index.html [3] World Health Organization. (2015). Fluoride and oral health: Basic facts. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/oral_health/publications/facts/fluoride/en/
- The discovery of niacin's role in preventing pellagra, a disease linked to skin lesions, diarrhoea, dementia, and death, was a landmark achievement in nutritional science, significantly reducing its incidence through the development of fortified foods and improved diets.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized the elimination of pellagra as one of the top 10 public health achievements from 1900 to 1999, linking nutritional science directly to disease prevention and transforming public health.
- Poor nutrition and health-and-wellness initiatives remain crucial in countries where corn and rice are the primary sources of nutrition, as pellagra still poses a public health problem.
- Vitamin B-3, essential for maintaining the health of the skin, hair, and nervous system, can also cause adverse effects like flushed or itchy skin, rash, headaches, and dizziness in excess, and its combination with statins is not recommended due to mixed results and potential side effects.
