Getting your vitamin B3 dosage/RDA is critical.
Vitamin B3, also called niacin, is a water soluble vitamin that plays a role in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels in your body. It also minimizes your risk of heart disease, and helps you to maintain healthy sugar levels in your body.
You usually don’t require vitamin B3 as a supplement. It is uncommon for people in developed countries to be unable to get the amount they need from the foods they eat.
However, in some cases, you may be mildly niacin deficient. This can cause fatigue, canker sores, vomiting, depression and poor circulation to occur. There are cases of severe niacin deficiency, which is called pellagra.
The most common pellagra symptoms are digestive problems, flaky skin and diarrhoea. This article discusses vitamin B3 dosage and RDA, overdose and supplementation.
What’s You Vitamin B3 RDA?
Your niacin recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is the amount of B3 you need to maintain good overall health.
The vitamin B3 dosage that is recommended varies for men and women. The recommendation is also different for children under 14, and women that are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The RDA for men over 14 years of age is 16 mg per day. For women over 14 years of age, the niacin RDA is 14 mg per day. Children under 14 have a varying RDA that depends on their age. The vitamin B3 RDA for children under 14 can be anywhere from 2 to 16 mg per day.
Women that are breastfeeding should take around 17mg of niacin per day. Women that are pregnant should have 18mgs per day. The maximum daily intake of niacin is 35mg. High doses of nicotinic acid (niacin) can cause liver damage, especially if there is already any damage to the liver.
READ ALSO: 8 Unexpected Symptoms of Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Deficiency
How Much Vitamin B3 Should You Take?
When it comes to supplementing niacin, your vitamin B3 dosage should be determined by your GP. In the case of using niacin to lower your bad cholesterol, you should check with your GP to determine if niacin in conjunction with lipids could be of benefit to you. Niacin boosts good cholesterol and lowers your triglycerides, so it has often been used in the treatment of high cholesterol.
Using niacin supplementation to normalize lipid levels is a common practice. However, this type of niacin supplementation requires close interaction with your GP so that your levels can be monitored. Do not attempt to self-treat your cholesterol with niacin supplementation. Consult with your GP prior to beginning a niacin supplementation program.
In some cases, niacin has also been used to treat children developing insulin dependent diabetes. A vitamin B3 dosage of 100 mg to 200 mg are used to supplement and treat the effects, based on their age and weight. This treatment is monitored very closely by their GP.
Should You Take Vitamin B3 Supplements?
Vitamin B3 supplements come in varying sized doses, and you will often see the formula marked as “flush free”. This is because when you ingest high levels of niacin, your skin will become red and hot, and can sometimes become itchy. This side effect is referred to as a niacin flush. The niacin flush usually lasts less than an hour.
Should you take vitamin B3 supplements? There’s no straight answer to this question. You should be able to meet your niacin RDA from the food that you eat. The exceptions to that would be those with eating disorders, or other very specific reasons that severely restrict their diets.
Some women take niacin supplements for their skin. It does lend a healthy glow and overall radiant appearance to your skin. You should consult your physician if you are trying to enhance the glow of your skin with vitamin B3 supplements.
Vitamin B3 Dosage
If supplementation is necessary, the doses of niacin that your doctor advises will be somewhere between 100 and 2,000 milligrams/mg. This is going to vary largely based on the condition you are treating and other health factors. If your niacin dosage upsets your stomach or the niacin flush is especially bothersome, you should seek medical advice from you GP.
If you’re planning to supplement with niacin, consider taking a supplement that contains all B vitamins to avoid imbalances in the long term.