Difference Between Niacin and Nicotinic Acid

Niacin (also known as vitamin B3) is one of the water-soluble B vitamins. Niacin is the generic name for nicotinic acid (pyridine-3-carboxylic acid), nicotinamide (niacinamide or pyridine-3-carboxamide), and related derivatives, such as nicotinamide riboside [1-3].

What is the difference between nicotine and nicotinamide?
What is the best form of niacin?
What is the function of nicotinic acid?
Is there a difference between niacinamide and nicotinamide?
Is nicotinamide safe to take daily?
Is niacin related to nicotine?
What is the best time to take niacin?
What should you not take with niacin?
How fast does niacin lower cholesterol?
Is nicotinic acid the same as Vitamin B3?
Does niacin help you sleep?
What is another name for nicotinic acid?

What is the difference between nicotine and nicotinamide?

Although the name is similar, it has nothing to do either with smoke or the nicotine found in tobacco. Nicotinic acid also is called niacin, as well as vitamin B-3.

What is the best form of niacin?

Nicotinic acid: As a supplement, nicotinic acid is a form of niacin used to reduce cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease ( 1 ). Niacinamide or nicotinamide: Unlike nicotinic acid, niacinamide doesn't lower cholesterol.

What is the function of nicotinic acid?

Niacin (nicotinic acid) is used to prevent and treat niacin deficiency (pellagra). Niacin deficiency may result from certain medical conditions (such as alcohol abuse, malabsorption syndrome, Hartnup disease), poor diet, or long-term use of certain medications (such as isoniazid).

Is there a difference between niacinamide and nicotinamide?

Nicotinamide, also known as niacinamide, is a water-soluble amide form of niacin or vitamin B3. It is found in foods such as fish, poultry, eggs, and cereal grains. It is also marketed as a dietary supplement, and as a non-flushing form of niacin.

Is nicotinamide safe to take daily?

Potential Risks and Side Effects

Nicotinamide riboside is likely safe with few — if any — side effects. In human studies, taking 1,000–2,000 mg per day had no harmful effects ( 28 , 29 ). However, most human studies are short in duration and have very few participants.

Is niacin related to nicotine?

A cursory study into tobacco use by teenagers appears to have discovered a new door into the causes of teenage smoking. Nicotine has long been accepted as the addictive portion of tobacco products, but what is apparently little known is that nicotine and niacin (vitamin B3) are analogues.

What is the best time to take niacin?

General. Niacin should be taken with food. The extended-release form of niacin should be taken at bedtime.

What should you not take with niacin?

Alcohol. Taking niacin with alcohol might increase the risk of liver damage and worsen niacin side effects, such as flushing and itching. Allopurinol (Zyloprim). If you're taking niacin and have gout, you might need to take more of this gout medicine to control your gout.

How fast does niacin lower cholesterol?

The problem is that sometimes high cholesterol can't be lowered through healthy habits alone. Choosing between statins and niacin depends greatly on where your own levels stand, as well as the methods you have tried thus far. You should see changes within two to four weeks of taking statins or niacin.

Is nicotinic acid the same as Vitamin B3?

Vitamin B3 is one of 8 B vitamins. It is also known as niacin (nicotinic acid) and has 2 other forms, niacinamide (nicotinamide) and inositol hexanicotinate, which have different effects from niacin.

Does niacin help you sleep?

Niacin can be very useful for adrenal support, working with the adrenal gland to make stress-reducing hormones, thereby helping the body relax by reducing anxiety and depression. It can be used as a natural sleeping aid.