What does niacin mean?

Definitions for niacin
ˈnaɪ ə sɪnniacin

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word niacin.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. niacin, nicotinic acidnoun

    a B vitamin essential for the normal function of the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract

Wiktionary

  1. niacinnoun

    A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.

Wikipedia

  1. Niacin

    Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, is an organic compound and a form of vitamin B3, an essential human nutrient. It can be manufactured by plants and animals from the amino acid tryptophan. Niacin is obtained in the diet from a variety of whole and processed foods, with highest contents in fortified packaged foods, meat, poultry, red fish such as tuna and salmon, lesser amounts in nuts, legumes and seeds. Niacin as a dietary supplement is used to treat pellagra, a disease caused by niacin deficiency. Signs and symptoms of pellagra include skin and mouth lesions, anemia, headaches, and tiredness. Many countries mandate its addition to wheat flour or other food grains, thereby reducing the risk of pellagra.The amide derivative nicotinamide (niacinamide) is a component of the coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+). Although niacin and nicotinamide are identical in their vitamin activity, nicotinamide does not have the same pharmacological, lipid-modifying effects or side effects as niacin, i.e., when niacin takes on the -amide group, it does not reduce cholesterol nor cause flushing. Nicotinamide is recommended as a treatment for niacin deficiency because it can be administered in remedial amounts without causing the flushing, considered an adverse effect.Niacin is also a prescription medication. Amounts far in excess of the recommended dietary intake for vitamin functions will lower blood triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and raise blood high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, often referred to as "good" cholesterol). There are two forms: immediate-release and sustained-release niacin. Initial prescription amounts are 500 mg/day, increased over time until a therapeutic effect is achieved. Immediate-release doses can be as high as 3,000 mg/day; sustained-release as high as 2,000 mg/day. Despite the proven lipid changes, niacin has not been found useful for decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in those already on a statin. A 2010 review had concluded that niacin was effective as a mono-therapy, but a 2017 review incorporating twice as many trials concluded that prescription niacin, while affecting lipid levels, did not reduce all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarctions, nor fatal or non-fatal strokes. Prescription niacin was shown to cause hepatotoxicity and increase risk of type 2 diabetes. Niacin prescriptions in the U.S. had peaked in 2009, at 9.4 million, declining to 800 thousand by 2020.Niacin has the formula C6H5NO2 and belongs to the group of the pyridinecarboxylic acids. As the precursor for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, niacin is involved in DNA repair.

ChatGPT

  1. niacin

    Niacin, also known as vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that is part of the vitamin B complex. It plays vital roles in the body's conversion of food into usable energy, aids in the function of the digestive system, helps improve circulation and can reduce cholesterol levels. It cannot be stored by the body and needs to be regularly replenished through dietary sources such as meat, fish, eggs, and green vegetables. Niacin deficiency can lead to a disease called pellagra, characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and even death.

Wikidata

  1. Niacin

    Niacin is an organic compound with the formula C 6H 5NO 2 and, depending on the definition used, one of the 40 to 80 essential human nutrients. Niacin is one of five vitamins associated with a pandemic deficiency disease: niacin deficiency, vitamin C deficiency, thiamin deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin A deficiency. Niacin has been used for over 50 years to increase levels of HDL in the blood and has been found to modestly decrease the risk of cardiovascular events in a number of controlled human trials. This colorless, water-soluble solid is a derivative of pyridine, with a carboxyl group at the 3-position. Other forms of vitamin B3 include the corresponding amide, nicotinamide, where the carboxyl group has been replaced by a carboxamide group, as well as more complex amides and a variety of esters. Nicotinic acid and niacinamide are convertible to each other with steady world demand rising from 8500 tonnes per year in 1980s to 40,000 in recent years. Niacin cannot be directly converted to nicotinamide, but both compounds could be converted to NAD and NADP in vivo. Nicotinic acid, nicotinamid, and tryptophan are co-factors for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. NAD converts to NADP by phosphorylation in the presence of the enzyme NAD+ kinase. NADP and NAD are coenzyme for many dehydrogenases, participating in many hydrogen transfer processes. NAD is important in catabolism of fat, carbohydrate, protein and alcohol as well as cell signaling and DNA repair and NADP mostly in anabolism reaction such as fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis. High energy requirements or high turnover rate organs are usually the most susceptible to their deficiency. Although the two are identical in their vitamin activity, nicotinamide does not have the same pharmacological effects as niacin. Nicotinamide does not reduce cholesterol or cause flushing. Nicotinamide may be toxic to the liver at doses exceeding 3 g/day for adults. Niacin is a precursor to NAD+/NADH and NADP+/NADPH, which play essential metabolic roles in living cells. Niacin is involved in both DNA repair, and the production of steroid hormones in the adrenal gland.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Niacin

    A water-soluble vitamin of the B complex occurring in various animal and plant tissues. It is required by the body for the formation of coenzymes NAD and NADP. It has PELLAGRA-curative, vasodilating, and antilipemic properties.

Editors Contribution

  1. niacin

    A form of vitamin naturally produced within the body of a human being.

    Niacin is a form of vitamin and is important in changing food into energy within the body.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 15, 2017  

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  1. niacin

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of niacin in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of niacin in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of niacin in a Sentence

  1. Jim White:

    Pumpkin seeds are high in vitamin A, vitamin B (including thiamin, riboflavin), vitamin C, vitamin K, niacin, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and protein, they are also high in magnesium, manganese, zinc, potassium, and copper.

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"niacin." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/niacin>.

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