What doctors do not want to you know about niacin

Introduction

One of the most important nutrients for human health is niacin. Niacin is better known as vitamin b3. This micro-nutrient can be found in almost all dairy and whole grain products. It is important to consume the daily dose, because a deficiency can cause diarrhea, depression and even alcoholism. However, taking an overdose of niacin can even lower your cholesterol and detox the body. Most doctors and other medical practitioners do not want you to know this, because they cannot make any money by advising you to eat niacin rich foods. The purpose of this article therefore is to describe which foods are rich in niacin, how niacin exactly works and other factors that could improve your cholesterol.

Niacin rich foods

As said in the introduction, diary and whole grain products are good sources of niacin. However, they are not the most efficient form of niacin, since the density of vitamin b3 in these products is not that high. Therefore, the following foods are highly recommended:

• Chicken
• Fish (Tuna and Salmon)
• Mushrooms
• Dairy
• Eggs

By consuming these foods, it is easier to attain the recommended dose of 15-20 mg per day. In order to overdose, you will need to exceed 50 mg. However, if you want to improve your cholesterol, amounts around 200 mg will suffice. For vegetarians, the following foods are great:

• Dried apricots.
• Peanuts.
• Yeast.
• Dates.

Improving cholesterol

By consuming an overdose of niacin, you veins will widen. The widening of the veins allows more blood to flow through the so called capillaries. The capillaries can be seen as some sort of access roads if the veins were a highway. Normally, the blood flow is weak around these areas, and because of this toxic waste is often stored here. By consuming an overdose of niacin, you give your body a chance to get rid of this waste. This process furthermore improves good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL).

Side effects

However, unfortunately there are also some nasty side effects of consuming too much niacin. The most common niacin side effects are reddening of the skin, a burning and tingling feeling in the chest and severe headaches. These side effects can last for approximately an hour, but this depends on your sex and the amount of overdose you took.

You can lower the side effects by taking in an aspirin 30 minutes prior to the niacin rich meal. Other things that may help are vitamin c tablets and garlic extract. Be sure to drink lots of water during the flushing and avoid hot drinks like coffee and alcoholic beverages.

Magic pill

Although, niacin is a great way to improve your cholesterol it shouldn’t be viewed as some sort of magic pill. It won’t help you if your overall lifestyle is unhealthy. Therefore be sure to:

• Stop smoking.
• Eat healthy foods every day instead of junk food.
• Start an exercise schedule.

Combining this with regular niacin consumption and you are on your way to a lower cholesterol and a better health in general. Finally, it has to be noted that increased niacin consumption can also improve conditions of social anxiety and niacin depression.