Vitamin B3 (Niacin) can help you live longer – so the research says

 

Everyone should know by now how important a healthy diet is to support long-term health. Scientific reports suggest that one humble micronutrient — vitamin B3, also known as niacin may play a surprisingly powerful role in reducing the risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease.

Why is niacin so important and what is it?

Niacin is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays a vital role in converting food into energy and supporting cellular health. It also helps maintain skin, nerve function, and cholesterol levels. Severe niacin deficiency can cause pellagra, a potentially fatal disease marked by dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia.

Fortunately, most people in Western countries get plenty of niacin through common foods like: tuna, salmon, turkey, chicken, beef, peanuts. In fact, in the United States, average niacin intake is often three times higher than the recommended daily allowance as food is fortified with vitamin B.

What was the Scientific study on vitamin B?

Researchers analysed data from over 26,000 U.S. adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2018. Participants were grouped based on their dietary niacin intake and followed for a median of 9.17 years.

Over the study period: 3,551 participants died, including 1,096 from cardiovascular causes. It showed that higher niacin intake was consistently associated with lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and that the benefits plateaued beyond 22.45 mg/day of niacin intake, suggesting that more could be unnecessary.

Why does niacin reduce mortality risk?

Researchers proposed several reasons:

• Improved cellular metabolism: Niacin boosts levels of NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a compound essential for mitochondrial function, DNA repair, and reducing oxidative stress.
• Anti-aging effects: By improving NAD metabolism, niacin may help delay cell aging and reduce inflammation.
• Heart health: Niacin is known to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol, improving the overall lipid profile.

It may also support muscle health and energy metabolism, particularly in conditions like mitochondrial myopathy and chemotherapy-related muscle loss.

How did the benefits vary?

Interestingly, the study found that the mortality-reducing effects of niacin were more pronounced in non-diabetic individuals. This finding aligns with earlier research suggesting niacin can raise blood glucose levels and decrease insulin sensitivity, potentially worsening outcomes for people with diabetes.

Subgroup analyses showed that older adults, women, non-Hispanic Caucasian population, and those without underlying health conditions (like diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease) seemed to benefit the most from higher niacin intake.

Why is it so important to take Niacin supplements?

While niacin supplements can help in specific medical scenarios (especially for managing cholesterol), high doses can cause: flushing skin, increased blood sugar and possible gastric issues BUT high doses involve taking an over the top number of supplements which normally a person would not do. Remember that there is NO VITAMIN B that is ever STORED in the body. The only vitamin stored in the body is Vitamin A. So, if you follow the advice of your naturopath or nutritionist you should have no problems.

Also, a balanced diet rich in niacin-containing foods is a safe and effective way to support long-term health as long as you are eating organic vegetables and fruit since so much of our foods have been sprayed with pesticides and other junk that denatures it.

Niacin plays such a critical role in energy metabolism, cell health, and lipid regulation it cannot be overlooked. This study adds to growing evidence that micronutrients matter — not just for preventing deficiencies, but for optimizing long-term health. As science continues to uncover how vitamins like niacin influence aging and disease, one thing remains clear: nourishing your body with a diverse, nutrient-rich diet may be one of the most powerful steps you can take toward a longer, healthier life.

How can this help you?

If you are tired, run down, low immunity or unhealthy the only way to get healthy is to take supplements under the care of a trained natural practitioner. Remember natural practitioners are the specialists in natural products. Also remember that when you have a headache whilst the pain killer may get rid of the headache the CAUSE of the headache is not a deficiency in pain killer. It is a deficiency of some vitamin or other nutrient in your body or something in your lifestyle. That is why often a whole host of drugs do not work to get you healthy. You really need to find the UNDERLYING CAUSES. This clinic specialises in finding causes. Check us out on www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com and give us a call to see how we can help YOU today!