Health Benefits of Niacin
Niacin, or vitamin B3, is one of the essential B-complex water-soluble vitamins that the body needs to turn food into energy. Niacin is naturally present in many foods and is available in supplement and prescription form, so it’s easy to get enough niacin and reap its health benefits. Tissues in the body convert niacin into a usable coenzyme called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is used by more than 400 enzymes in the body to perform essential functions. Following are the health benefits of Niacin: 1. It helps control cholesterol levels Sometimes niacin is prescribed alongside cholesterol-lowering medications like statins to help normalize blood lipid levels. It can increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is the healthy kind of cholesterol, by 15% to 35%. And it can decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol, by 5% to 25%. 2. It may lower blood pressure Small clinical trials of using niacin have shown it has significant blo...