Vitamin B3
Vitamin ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Critical for NAD+ production, energy metabolism, DNA repair, and cellular signaling. Available as niacin (causes flushing) or niacinamide (no flush).
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Vitamin B3 is a vitamin most often used for energy production, nad+ support, cholesterol management (niacin; raises hdl but no cv outcome benefit when added to statins, prescription-level intervention). NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong. A typical adult dose is RDA-level use unless clinician-directed; niacinamide 500–1,000 mg or niacin 1,000–2,000 mg are pharmacologic doses requiring medical supervision and liver/glucose/urate monitoring, commonly taken as niacinamide (no flush) or extended-release niacin. This profile indexes 17 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating strong. Most-documented uses: energy production, nad+ support, cholesterol management (niacin; raises hdl but no cv outcome benefit when added to statins, prescription-level intervention). 17 sources indexed (2005–2025), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Converted to NAD+ and NADP+, which participate in over 400 enzymatic reactions including glycolysis, Krebs cycle, electron transport chain, DNA repair via PARPs, and sirtuin-mediated longevity pathways.15,10
Dosing & protocol.
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Niacinamide / Niacin.
Assumes niacinamide 500-1,000 mg/day when specifically indicated. Vendor basis: NOW/iHerb, Vitacost, Life Extension, and Amazon marketplace; extended-release niacin is treated as premium. Updated 2026-05-28.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Pharmacologic niacin doses such as 1,000 mg or more should not be approximated with food and require medical supervision.
Full safety detail.
Side effects
- Flushing (niacin)
- GI upset
- Liver stress at very high doses
- Sustained-release niacin is significantly more hepatotoxic than immediate-release
- Niacin for cholesterol: no CV outcome benefit when added to statin therapy (AIM-HIGH, HPS2-THRIVE)
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews
5- 1The adverse effects of oral niacin/nicotinamide - an overview of reviewsPMIDYoung SL, Gazzard G · Eye (London, England) · 2025
Young SL, Gazzard G. The adverse effects of oral niacin/nicotinamide - an overview of reviews. Eye (London, England). 2025
- 2Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Association Between Daily Niacin Intake and GlaucomaPMIDNicola CA, Marinescu MC, Firan AM et al. · Nutrients · 2024
Nicola CA, Marinescu MC, Firan AM et al.. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Association Between Daily Niacin Intake and Glaucoma. Nutrients. 2024
- 3The Role of Nicotinamide as Chemo-Preventive Agent in NMSCs: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisPMIDTosti G, Pepe F, Gnagnarella P et al. · Nutrients · 2023
Tosti G, Pepe F, Gnagnarella P et al.. The Role of Nicotinamide as Chemo-Preventive Agent in NMSCs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2023
- 4Effect of Nicotinamide in Skin Cancer and Actinic Keratoses Chemoprophylaxis, and Adverse Effects Related to Nicotinamide: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisPMIDMainville L, Smilga AS, Fortin PR · Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgery · 2022
Mainville L, Smilga AS, Fortin PR. Effect of Nicotinamide in Skin Cancer and Actinic Keratoses Chemoprophylaxis, and Adverse Effects Related to Nicotinamide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgery. 2022
- 5Role of Niacin in Current Clinical Practice: A Systematic ReviewPMIDGarg A, Sharma A, Krishnamoorthy P et al. · The American journal of medicine · 2017
Garg A, Sharma A, Krishnamoorthy P et al.. Role of Niacin in Current Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review. The American journal of medicine. 2017
Randomized controlled trials
7- 6Nicotinamide and Pyruvate in Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Neuroprotection-Design and MethodologyPMIDShukla AG, Tsamis E, De Moraes CG et al. · Ophthalmology. Glaucoma · 2025
Shukla AG, Tsamis E, De Moraes CG et al.. Nicotinamide and Pyruvate in Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Neuroprotection-Design and Methodology. Ophthalmology. Glaucoma. 2025
- 7Daily Vinegar Ingestion Improves Depression and Enhances Niacin Metabolism in Overweight Adults: A Randomized Controlled TrialPMIDBarrong H, Coven H, Lish A et al. · Nutrients · 2024
Barrong H, Coven H, Lish A et al.. Daily Vinegar Ingestion Improves Depression and Enhances Niacin Metabolism in Overweight Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2024
- 8Niacin Cures Systemic NAD+ Deficiency and Improves Muscle Performance in Adult-Onset Mitochondrial MyopathyPMIDPirinen E et al. · Cell Metab · 2020
Blood NAD+ increased up to 8-fold with niacin supplementation; muscle strength and mitochondrial biogenesis increased in all mitochondrial myopathy subjects
- 9Nicotinamide riboside augments the aged human skeletal muscle NAD+ metabolome and induces transcriptomic and anti-inflammatory signaturesSource linkedPMIDElhassan YS, Kluckova K, Fletcher RS et al. · Cell Rep · 2019
- 10HPS2-THRIVE randomized placebo-controlled trial in 25,673 high-risk patients of ER niacin/laropiprant: trial design, pre-specified muscle and liver outcomes, and reasons for stopping study treatmentPMIDHPS2-THRIVE Collaborative Group · Eur Heart J · 2013
Extended-release niacin-laropiprant added to statin had no cardiovascular benefit; identified serious adverse effects including new-onset diabetes, bleeding, and infection
- 11Niacin in patients with low HDL cholesterol levels receiving intensive statin therapyPMIDAIM-HIGH Investigators · N Engl J Med · 2011
No incremental clinical benefit from adding niacin to statin therapy despite improvements in HDL cholesterol and triglycerides over 36-month follow-up
- 12Niacinamide: A B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearancePMIDBissett DL et al. · Dermatol Surg · 2005
Topical niacinamide improved fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Reviews & position papers
3- 13Nicotinamide: An Update and Review of Safety & Differences from NiacinPMIDDamian DL · Skin Therapy Lett · 2020
Nicotinamide (niacinamide) is associated with lower incidence of adverse effects than niacin; effective for actinic keratosis, squamous/basal cell carcinomas
- 14Niacinamide benefits in aging and neurodegenerative diseasesSource linkedPMIDFricker RA, Green EL, Jenkins SI, Griffin SM · Mech Ageing Dev · 2018
- 15NAD+ and vitamin B3: from metabolism to therapiesPMIDSauve AA · J Pharmacol Exp Ther · 2008
NAD+ participates in reactions catalyzed by PARPs, mono-ADP-ribosyltransferases, and sirtuins regulating apoptosis, DNA repair, stress resistance, metabolism, and endocrine signaling
Reference material
2- 16Yi L, Maier AB, Tao R et al.. The efficacy and safety of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supplementation in healthy middle-aged adults: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-dependent clinical trial. GeroScience. 2023Source linkedPMID
- 17Madaan P, Sikka P, Malik DS. Cosmeceutical Aptitudes of Niacinamide: A Review. Recent advances in anti-infective drug discovery. 2021Source linkedPMID
Common questions.
Quick answers about Vitamin B3, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Vitamin B3?
Critical for NAD+ production, energy metabolism, DNA repair, and cellular signaling. Available as niacin (causes flushing) or niacinamide (no flush).
What is Vitamin B3 used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Vitamin B3 include: Energy production; NAD+ support; Cholesterol management (niacin; raises HDL but no CV outcome benefit when added to statins, prescription-level intervention); Skin health (niacinamide); DNA repair. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong.
What is a typical dose of Vitamin B3?
A typical adult dose of Vitamin B3 is RDA-level use unless clinician-directed; niacinamide 500–1,000 mg or niacin 1,000–2,000 mg are pharmacologic doses requiring medical supervision and liver/glucose/urate monitoring. The commonly recommended form is Niacinamide (no flush) or extended-release niacin. These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Vitamin B3?
Reported side effects include flushing (niacin), gi upset, liver stress at very high doses, sustained-release niacin is significantly more hepatotoxic than immediate-release, niacin for cholesterol: no cv outcome benefit when added to statin therapy (aim-high, hps2-thrive). This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Vitamin B3?
NutriStack rates this as Strong, meaning multiple high-quality meta-analyses or systematic reviews converge on the same finding. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
Vitamin B3 in NutriStack.
Add it to your stack, see how it interacts with everything else you take, and get a Stack Score that updates the moment it does.