Niacin is a B-complex vitamin which has been used for decades for the management of mixed dyslipidemias and primary hypercholesterolemia. It decreases the risk of cardiovascular events either when used as a monotherapy or in combination with other lipid lowering medications. However, a major limitation to its use is niacin-induced flushing occurring even with the extended-release formulations. ...

Urinary output of water-soluble vitamins has been used as an indices for vitamin nutrition. It has been pointed out that the coefficient variance of these values is high, especially for niacin catabolites. Thus, we investigated what kinds of stress affect the catabolism using female subjects. The effects of cold exposure (as a typical physical stress), calculation exercise (a typical mental str...

A reduction in serum cholesterol with niacin therapy in humans was first described in 1955, when Altschul and colleagues reported, in a letter to the editor, the findings in 11 healthy medical students and 57 patients.1 Subsequent clinical studies showed multiple favorable effects of niacin therapy on lipid particles, including decreases in levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, t...

Mutations in the main intestinal and kidney luminal neutral amino acid transporter B(0)AT1 (Slc6a19) lead to Hartnup disorder, a condition that is characterized by neutral aminoaciduria and in some cases pellagra-like symptoms. These latter symptoms caused by low-niacin are thought to result from defective intestinal absorption of its precursor L-tryptophan. Since Ace2 is necessary for intestin...

In a previous report (1) from this laboratory it was observed that a tryptophan deficiency in the rat brought about a decrease in activity of several liver enzyme systems. In particular the endogenous respiration of liver tissue was markedly decreased during a tryptophan deficiency. In a similar study of a methionine deficiency (2) it was noted that liver endogenous respiration was not signific...

BACKGROUND Outbreaks of pellagra were documented during the civil war in Angola, but no contemporary data on the incidence of pellagra or the prevalence of niacin deficiency were available. OBJECTIVE The objective was to investigate the incidence of pellagra and the prevalence of niacin deficiency in postwar Angola and their relation with dietary intake, poverty, and anthropometric status. ...

Niacin (Vitamin B3) is a naturally occurring human nutrient found in abundance in meat, yeast, vegetables, and seeds. Deficiencies of this vitamin lead to pellagra and it has also been found to be useful in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. As the use of niacin has increased, several cases of hepatotoxicity have been reported resulting in the recommendation to initiate treatment with a low...

Today we have more options than ever for the pharmacological management of hyperlipemia. Some of the newer agents have unprecedented potency in lowering LDL cholesterol while others may be better at reducing triglycerides or improving HDL. Keeping track of which drugs are best for which lipid problems can be a challenge in the everyday practice of medicine. I offer here a simple rationale for s...

Abstract Vitamin E nicotinate is an ester of tocopherol (vitamin E) and niacin B3). Niacin linked to the hydroxyl group active vitamin E, blocking free radical scavenging properties. While this can be chemically synthesized, whether formed from in biological system unclear. Metabolomics analysis performed our laboratory demonstrated that level 30-fold lower rats suffering inflammatory state. Th...