What is vitamin B3 (niacin) good for, and how much do you need?

Ingredient spotlight · Vitamin B3, niacinamide in Health Royals’ Peak Performance, multivitamin for women with omega 3 · 5 min read

Vitamin B3, niacin, sits at the centre of how cells release energy from food. Niacin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal functioning of the nervous system, to normal psychological function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. The reference intake is 16 mg a day, found in fish, meat, peanuts and wholegrains. Peak Performance Formula provides the full 16 mg as niacinamide from Quali®-B by dsm-firmenich, the form that does not cause flushing.

Energy is often described as something we either have or lack. Biologically, it is a process: the food we eat contains potential energy, and cells need a network of enzymes and coenzymes to release, transfer and use it.

Vitamin B3 is part of that network. It does not stimulate the body. It supplies the material for two of the coenzymes that cells use in their everyday energy work.

Here we go through what vitamin B3 is, how niacin and niacinamide differ, how much you need, where NAD⁺ fits in, and why we chose niacinamide at 16 mg for Peak Performance, our daily multivitamin for women with omega 3 from algae. The questions were the ones we ask of every nutrient: which form, from which manufacturer, and at what dose.

Vitamin B3 at Health Royals

Peak Performance provides 16 mg of vitamin B3 per daily dose as niacinamide from Quali®-B by dsm-firmenich, 100 per cent of the nutrient reference value, together with thiamin, folate and vitamin B12. Niacin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Niacinamide is the form that does not cause the flushing higher amounts of nicotinic acid can cause.

See Peak Performance, multivitamin for women with omega 3

What is vitamin B3, and are niacin and niacinamide the same?

Niacin is the family name for vitamin B3, and niacinamide is one of its two main forms.

The two forms are nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, which is also called niacinamide. Both provide vitamin B3, but they differ chemically and behave differently at higher amounts, which is why they are chosen for different uses. Niacinamide is also familiar from skincare, but its role inside the body is much broader than its reputation on the bathroom shelf.

Vitamin B3 is found in fish, poultry, meat, peanuts, mushrooms, wholegrains and fortified foods, and the body can make some niacin from the amino acid tryptophan. The EU nutrient reference value used on labels is 16 mg a day for adults.

How does vitamin B3 support everyday energy?

By providing the building material for coenzymes that carry energy through the cell's reactions.

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins contain energy, but cells cannot use it directly. The nutrients must first be broken down through a series of biochemical reactions in which energy is released and transferred. Niacin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism because it is used to form coenzymes that take part in those reactions, and for the same reason niacin contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

That does not make niacinamide a stimulant. It works nothing like caffeine, and taking more than the body needs does not turn into more energy. Its role is quieter and more fundamental: keeping the normal machinery supplied, every day.

What is NAD⁺, and where does vitamin B3 fit in?

The body uses vitamin B3 to form two related coenzymes, NAD and NADP. NAD exists in different chemical states, including NAD⁺ and NADH, and moves electrons between reactions, including those that extract energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins. NADP does related work in building processes and in the cell's normal redox balance.

That is why NAD⁺ has become a prominent topic in research on cellular energy and healthy ageing, since it also takes part in enzyme systems involved in normal cellular maintenance. It is an interesting field. A nutritional amount of niacinamide does something simpler and well established: it gives the body the material it uses every day to form NAD and NADP. That is a different proposition from the high dose NAD⁺ precursor products discussed in that field.

Why does vitamin B3 matter for the nervous system and the mind?

Because the brain and nervous system run on a continuous supply of energy.

Nerve cells depend on normal cellular metabolism to send signals, communicate and maintain everyday function. Niacin contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and to normal psychological function.

Focus, presence and mental stamina are shaped by many things, including sleep, stress, recovery, food, movement and health. What we do know is that the nervous system needs its nutritional foundation in place, and vitamin B3 is one part of it.

Does vitamin B3 do more than support energy?

Yes. Niacin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes.

Tissues with constant renewal and high metabolic activity depend on normal energy metabolism and working cellular processes, so vitamin B3 matters in several parts of the body without doing exactly the same job everywhere.

When can vitamin B3 intake fall short?

Marked vitamin B3 deficiency is uncommon in the Nordic countries among people who eat a varied diet, and severe deficiency, known as pellagra, is a matter for healthcare. Tiredness on its own has many possible causes. What matters for most people is simply a regular and sufficient intake, not the highest possible dose.

Why did we choose niacinamide from Quali®-B?

Because it provides vitamin B3 in a well tolerated form, from a defined source, at a dose with a clear purpose.

Nicotinic acid can, at higher amounts, cause a noticeable flushing reaction, often called niacin flush, with warmth, redness and tingling of the skin. Niacinamide does not have that typical flush effect, which is why it is widely used where vitamin B3 is meant to be taken every day.

Peak Performance provides vitamin B3 as niacinamide from the Quali®-B portfolio by dsm-firmenich, an established global manufacturer of vitamins. Quali®-B niacinamide does not work differently in the body from other correctly made niacinamide. Its value lies in a specified raw material with known identity, traceability and quality control, so that the 16 mg on the label is 16 mg in every daily dose. Health Royals works with specialist manufacturers, researchers and supplier networks when raw materials are chosen, which we explain in branded and non-branded ingredients.

For us, the dose is as important as the raw material. 16 mg is 100% of the EU nutrient reference value: a complete daily contribution, not a high dose application of niacin. A higher number on a label is not automatically a better dose.

Why choose vitamin B3 in Peak Performance rather than a separate B3 supplement?

Niacin can be bought on its own. Our question was a different one: which nutrients belong together in one daily dose for a woman in Sweden? The starting point was intake data. In Riksmaten, Livsmedelsverket's national dietary survey, the nutrients where intake often falls below the recommendation are vitamin D, folate and iron, with selenium as a fourth, as we set out in what Riksmaten shows. Omega 3 is the other gap, because ordinary multivitamins leave it out.

Vitamin B3 belongs with the B vitamins that work alongside it in energy metabolism. So in Peak Performance it sits together with:

• Thiamin, 1.1 mg, covered in our article on vitamin B1.
• Folate, 200 µg, as Quatrefolic® 5-MTHF, and vitamin B12, 10 µg, as MecobalActive® methylcobalamin, explained in folate and vitamin B12.
• Vitamin D3, 25 µg, as Quali-D®, and vitamin K2, 90 µg, as MenaQ7®.
• OMEGATEX® algal oil, 500 mg, providing 375 mg of omega 3, of which 300 mg DHA and 50 mg EPA.
• Selenium, 27.5 µg, zinc 5 mg as L-OptiZinc® and chromium 20 µg, with Hytolive® olive fruit extract, 150 mg, and Extramel® melon extract, 10 mg.

It does not contain calcium, magnesium or iron. That is what we mean by fewer jars, more thought: one jar instead of several, each ingredient there for a reason, the doses published. The jar is amber glass with a scented core, made to stay out on the shelf so that a daily vitamin actually becomes daily.

We have done the selection so that you do not have to. Peak Performance gives you 16 mg of niacinamide every day, alongside thiamin, active folate and methylcobalamin B12, at doses we can explain. You can stop looking.

See Peak Performance, multivitamin for women with omega 3

Go deeper

• Guide: wellbeing from within
• Vitamin B1 and the first steps of cellular energy
• Vitamin B12 and its active form, methylcobalamin
• Folate or folic acid, and what active folate is
• Vitamin B2 for skin and cellular energy
• The biology of healthy ageing
• Branded and non-branded ingredients

Frequently asked questions

What does vitamin B3 do in the body?
Niacin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to the normal functioning of the nervous system, to normal psychological function and to the maintenance of normal skin and mucous membranes. The body uses it to form the coenzymes NAD and NADP.

Are niacin and niacinamide the same thing?
Niacin is the family name for vitamin B3. Its two main forms are nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, also called niacinamide. Niacinamide is the form in Peak Performance.

What is niacin flush, and does niacinamide cause it?
Nicotinic acid can, at higher amounts, cause flushing with warmth, redness and tingling of the skin. Niacinamide does not have that typical reaction, which is why it is widely used for daily vitamin B3.

How much vitamin B3 do you need?
The EU nutrient reference value used on labels is 16 mg a day for adults. Peak Performance provides 16 mg as Quali®-B niacinamide, 100% of that value.

How is vitamin B3 connected to NAD⁺?
The body uses vitamin B3 to form NAD and NADP, coenzymes that move electrons between reactions in energy metabolism. NAD⁺ is one of the chemical states of NAD.

Which foods contain vitamin B3?
Fish, poultry, meat, peanuts, mushrooms, wholegrains and fortified foods. The body can also make some niacin from the amino acid tryptophan.

References

European Commission. EU Register of nutrition and health claims made on foods: authorised health claims for niacin.

European Food Safety Authority. Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for niacin. EFSA Journal. 2014;12(7):3759.

dsm-firmenich. Quali®-B vitamin B3 and niacinamide ingredient information.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It summarises nutrient functions, published scientific information and manufacturer-provided ingredient information. Individual needs and experiences may vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional with questions about supplementation, medication or personal health.