What does niacin mean?
Niacin is the common name for vitamin B3, an essential nutrient that occurs in the body in forms including nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. It is present in many foods, particularly meat, fish, dairy products, legumes, nuts, and fortified grains, and may also be taken as a dietary supplement. Niacin helps the body process carbohydrates and fats and supports normal nervous-system function. A serious shortage can lead to pellagra, a condition historically associated with diets based heavily on untreated maize. The word most often occurs in nutrition, food-labeling, and medical contexts. Although the body can manufacture niacin from a protein component called tryptophan, dietary intake remains necessary. Large supplemental doses may produce a temporary niacin flush, involving warmth, tingling, and redness of the skin. In careful scientific usage, niacin may denote vitamin B3 broadly, while nicotinic acid names one particular form.
nounNiacin is vitamin B3, a nutrient found in foods such as meat, fish, grains, and dairy products and also available as a supplement. It is needed for normal energy metabolism and nervous-system function, and a severe deficiency can cause pellagra.
- The nutrient commonly called vitamin B3, encompassing nicotinic acid and nicotinamide and needed for normal energy metabolism.
- Specifically, the form of vitamin B3 known as nicotinic acid.
"The nutritionist recommended adding more niacin-rich foods, such as fish and fortified grains, to her diet."
"Leafy greens, legumes, and fortified grains can contribute significant niacin to the diet."
"The patient was treated for a dietary deficiency of niacin."
The plural is rare in ordinary usage because niacin is usually discussed as a nutrient or an uncountable type of substance.
"The labels compare different niacins and their respective daily values."
Niacin has a famous side effect: taking a sufficiently large dose can produce a conspicuous flush of warmth and redness across the face and upper body.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does niacin come from?
The word was formed in the 20th century from the shortened form “ni-” plus “otinic,” with the ending “-in” added in the pattern used for many vitamins. Its related vocabulary comes from “nicotinic,” whose ultimate source is the name of the French diplomat Jean Nicot, whose writings helped popularize tobacco in Europe. Nicotinamide and nicotine belong to the same broader etymological family, although they developed through different scientific and commercial uses.
How niacin is actually used
The term is most common in American nutritional and medical usage; British usage more often specifies nicotinic acid or nicotinamide. “Niacin flush” refers to warmth and redness that may follow a large oral dose.
Easily confused with niacin
Niacin can refer to vitamin B3 generally, while nicotinamide is specifically one of the two principal forms of that vitamin; nicotinic acid is the other.