7 Things to Know About Vitamin B3 Deficiency

Medically Reviewed By William C. Lloyd III, MD, FACS

Written By Jennifer L.W. Fink, RN, BSN on February 6, 2021

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  Why Vitamin B3 Is Essential for Proper Health

  Every single cell in the human body requires vitamin B₃ to function properly. Vitamin B₃, also called niacin, helps convert food to energy. It also improves circulation, suppresses inflammation, and helps the body make sex and stress-related hormones. Because B vitamins are water-soluble vitamins, they can’t be stored in the body. If a person does not get sufficient amounts of vitamin B₃ from food, a deficiency quickly develops. Without treatment, vitamin B₃ deficiency can be fatal. Here are some other important facts about vitamin B₃ deficiency symptoms and treatment.
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  1. B3 deficiency was a common–but unrecognized–cause of disease in the United States in the early 1900s.

  In the first part of the 20th century, the U.S. Public Health Service sent a doctor to the American South to address a disease epidemic characterized by cracked scaly skin, dementia and diarrhea. Hundreds of thousands of people had already died from this disease, but no one knew what caused it. Most people thought it was a contagious illness, but physicians eventually proved it was caused by a poor diet and later discovered vitamin B ₃ was the key.
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  2. Vitamin B3 deficiency is now rare in most developed countries.

  By the 1950s, food producers were routinely adding niacin to breads and cereals. As a result, the incidence of vitamin B₃ deficiency decreased dramatically. Today, wherever people have access to a wide variety of foods, vitamin B₃ deficiency is rare. For most people, eating lean meats, poultry, eggs, fish, dairy products, and other vitamin B₃-rich foods, on a regular basis, can prevent vitamin B₃ deficiency. However, people who are living in poverty and lack access to healthy foods remain at risk.
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  3. Mouth and skin sores can be symptoms of vitamin B3 deficiency.

  Vitamin B₃ deficiency symptoms include fatigue, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth sores, a swollen bright red tongue, poor circulation, and depressed mood. Cracked scaly skin that is highly sensitive to the sun is another symptom of vitamin B₃ deficiency. Other symptoms include insomnia, confusion, headache and weight loss. In time, vitamin B₃ deficiency can cause delusions, dementia and death.
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  4. Some chronic medical conditions can cause B3 deficiency.

  If you have a digestive disorder that affects your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food, you’re at increased risk of vitamin B₃ deficiency. Crohn’s disease, which affects almost 800,000 Americans, can cause vitamin B₃ deficiency. So can Hartnup’s disease, a rare hereditary disorder, and a condition called carcinoid syndrome. People on dialysis and people who have cancer or HIV also have an increased risk of niacin deficiency. Your healthcare provider can help you understand your risk and design a treatment plan to help you avoid developing a deficiency.
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  5. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to vitamin B3 deficiency.

  Chronic alcoholism can cause vitamin B₃ deficiency because it affects both the intake and absorption of vitamin B₃. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol blunts the appetite, so people who are chronic alcoholics may not be eating enough food to sustain a healthy level of vitamin B₃. Over time, chronic alcohol intake also affects the body’s ability to absorb and use niacin. Some doctors routinely prescribe niacin to people with alcohol use disorders.
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  6. Pellagra is a disease caused by severe B3 deficiency.

  Mild vitamin B₃ deficiency causes relatively mild symptoms, including indigestion, fatigue and canker sores. Severe, persistent vitamin B₃ deficiency causes a disease called pellagra. The symptoms of pellagra include scaly skin, dementia and diarrhea. Without treatment, pellagra can be deadly. Between 1900 and 1950, nearly 90,000 Americans died from pellagra. Today, the disease still affects people who eat mostly corn or sorghum and little else.
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  7. B3 deficiency is easy to treat.

  Adding vitamin B₃ to the body can cure vitamin B₃ deficiency. If you have a slight B₃ deficiency, increasing your intake of niacin-rich foods may be enough to bump your levels up to the normal range. Good sources of niacin include fortified breads and cereals, beets, sunflower seeds, peanuts, tuna, salmon, and beef liver and kidney. Physicians use nicotinamide, a form of niacin, to treat severe vitamin B₃ deficiency. Treatment is typically administered daily over a period of about a month. Regular intake of foods containing vitamin B₃ is necessary to prevent a recurrence.

7 Things to Know About Vitamin B3 Deficiency | Niacin Deficiency

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