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Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

Niacin vs. Niacinamide

Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

Dr. Eric Berg

Health & Fitness

4.71.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2023

⏱️ 7 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today we’re going to cover the difference between the two forms of vitamin B3: niacin and niacinamide.


Both niacin and niacinamide chemically work similarly but have different benefits.


Niacin:

• Gives a flushing response

• Has lipid benefits

• Helps lower cholesterol

• Helps lower LDL

• Helps increase HDL

• Helps decrease inflammation in the arteries

• Supports a healthy liver

• May help with schizophrenia

• May help with drug-induced dyskinesia


Niacinamide:

• Won’t cause a flush

• Helps with certain skin conditions (acne, dermatitis, rosacea, and psoriasis)

• Helps lower histamines

• Helps reduce immune inflammatory factors

• Helps decrease flaking skin

• Helps reduce sebum

• May help reduce inflammation

• May help with arthritis

• Is used for anti-aging

• Is used for hyperpigmentation

• May help reduce anger and anxiety


Many people are discouraged from taking niacin because of potential side effects. But the dangers are rare and are typically involved in those taking very high doses over long periods and time-release niacin.


DATA:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17147...

https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g...

https://researchfeatures.com/high-dos...

http://orthomolecular.org/resources/o...

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1977-2...

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...


Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'd like to explain the difference between the two different forms of B3.

0:05.4

We have niacin and we have niacetamide.

0:08.8

The two big differences are this.

0:11.8

Niasin will give you the flush, okay, that flushing response, that basodilation response.

0:17.4

But niacidamide won't.

0:19.3

So it's a non-flush effect of B3. Other important distinction is with

0:25.5

niacin, you get all the lipid benefits. Okay. So you have all these great benefits with

0:31.4

lowering cholesterol, lowering LDL, increasing HDL, decreasing inflammation inside the artery, whereas niacinamide does not

0:41.5

have those benefits. So if you're trying to lower your cholesterol, niacin is the one you want to use.

0:47.0

Now, both of these vitamins chemically work in a similar way, especially in turning food into energy. Now, niacin is really effective for fatty liver,

1:01.7

not just a fatty liver, but a liver that's inflamed, a liver that is developing scar tissue,

1:07.8

like in cirrhosis. And so niacin is really good to remove fat from your liver.

1:13.5

Now, what's interesting about this B3, both niacin and niacinamide, is the amount of research

1:19.3

that is done on this compound. I mean, it's like, it's mind-blowing. And to me, I'm just

1:25.6

curious, like, why would they do all this research

1:28.3

on something that's like a vitamin? It's so cheap when that competes for certain drugs. I mean,

1:35.6

they found niacin to be a standalone effective remedy for managing your cholesterol. And doctors

1:42.9

used to use niacin before statins came on stage.

1:48.1

But if you dig it a little bit further, you're going to see quite a few articles and

1:53.8

internet links to the dangers of niacin.

1:58.4

So I want to talk about that.

1:59.9

You know, it's a lot of discouragement from using niacin because it could be dangerous to your liver, can create leacin. So I want to talk about that. You know, it's a lot of discouragement from using

...

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