NUTRIENT LIBRARY

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Nutrient Library - Niacin

• What does it do?
• How much do you need?
• What are the best food sources?
• What happens if you don’t get enough?
• What happens if you get too much?
• What are some recipes that are good sources of niacin?
• Back to Nutrient Library

What does it do?

Niacin is a water-soluble vitamin that helps your body produce energy from foods and participates in a variety of biochemical reactions in the body. Among the B vitamins, niacin is unique in that the body can synthesize niacin from the amino acid tryptophan. This is not to say that your body doesn’t utilize the niacin that you consume from foods. It just meets its niacin requirement from both.

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How much do you need?

The following table lists the recommended intake for healthy people based on current scientific information. These values are given in niacin equivalents (NEs) except for infants ages 0-6 months, where the value is in preformed niacin (niacin from foods). NEs account for the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan into niacin (1 mg of niacin = 60 mg tryptophan).

NOTE: The table is adapted from the Dietary Reference Intakes reports. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), when available, are in bold type; Adequate Intakes (AIs) are followed by an asterisk(*). RDAs and AIs may both be used as goals for individual intake. RDAs are set to meet the needs of almost all individuals (97 to 98 percent) in a group. For healthy breastfed infants, the AI is the mean intake. The AI for other life stage and gender groups is believed to cover the needs of all individuals in the group, but lack of data means the percentage of individuals covered by this intake cannot be specified with confidence.
UL = The maximum level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects. Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water and supplements.

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What are the best food sources?

Foods high in proteins, such as poultry, fish and beef, are rich sources of niacin. Peanut butter and fortified cereals are also good sources of niacin. See more food sources and calculate your daily intake.

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What happens if you don’t get enough?

Pellagra, the classic niacin-deficiency disease, is characterized by depression, apathy, headache, fatigue, memory loss, increasing mental confusion, diarrhea and skin problems. However, niacin deficiency is not seen frequently in industrialized countries except for in those individuals with chronic alcoholism or conditions, such as Hartnup’s disease, that disrupt the conversion of tryptophan to niacin.

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What happens if you get too much?

It’s not likely that you’ll get toxic levels of niacin from food sources; there has been no evidence that this occurs. However, supplementation in high doses may cause adverse effects, such as flushed skin, nausea and vomiting, or liver damage.

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What are some recipes that are good sources of niacin?

• Curried Chicken with Fresh & Dried Cranberries
• Grilled Chicken Tenders with Cilantro Pesto
• Indonesian Tofu Satés
• Roasted Halibut with Pickled Beets (Stegte Helleflynder med Rødbeder)
• Salsa-Roasted Salmon
• Spicy Peanut Sauce
• Thyme- & Sesame-Crusted Pacific Halibut
• Turkey Rollups
• White Chili
• Wok-Seared Chicken & Vegetables (Kadhai murghi)

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