- Vitamin PP - what functions does it perform in the body? Properties of vitamin B3
- Vitamin PP - deficiency symptoms and effects
- Vitamin PP - symptoms and effects of excess
- Vitamin PP - in what products is it found? Vitamin B3 sources
- Vitamin PP - dosage. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)
Vitamin PP (vitamin B3, niacin, nicotinic acid) plays important roles in the body - it is responsible for the proper functioning of the brain, peripheral nervous system, and the synthesis of sex hormones. In turn, scientists from the Federal Polytechnic University of Lausanne (Switzerland) have shown that vitamin PP can … boost self-confidence. What else does vitamin PP help? What are the symptoms of niacin deficiency? What products contain nicotinic acid?
Vitamin PP - what functions does it perform in the body? Properties of vitamin B3
Vitamin PP( vitamin B3 ,niacin, nicotinic acid ) is a vitamin from the group B.
Vitamin PP plays an important role in the body.
The most important properties of vitamin B3:
- is essential for the proper functioning of the brain and peripheral nervous system.
- is involved in the synthesis of sex hormones, cortisol, thyroxine and insulin .¹
- it improves the ability of immune cells to kill bacteriaStaphylococcus aureus(golden staph). The vitamin increases the number of neutrophils - white blood cells that can kill and absorb harmful bacteria.
- can add confidence as it increases the activity of the mitochondria in the nucleus accumbens - the area of the brain responsible for feeling pleasure.
Vitamin PP - deficiency symptoms and effects
Niacin deficiency in the human body may lead to the development of pellagra - a disease whose symptoms are:
- redness and roughness of the skin in places exposed to sun rays, abrasions and pressure
- blisters which, when ruptured, turn into ulcers
- discoloration (dark brown spots), especially on the hands, neck and face, exfoliation of the epidermis
- inflammation of the mouth and tongue
- digestive system disorders leading to diarrhea
- nerve inflammation, nervous system disorders as well as mental disorders.
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Vitamin PP - symptoms and effects of excess
Excess vitamin B3 in the body increases insulin resistance in adults at high risk of developing diabetesinsulin-dependent. Additionally, overdose of niacin causes liver necrosis, cardiac arrhythmias and skin disorders.
Vitamin PP - in what products is it found? Vitamin B3 sources
Niacin (Vitamin PP) is present in significant amounts in meat and meat products, especially in poultry and pork, and in the liver. Among plant products, special attention should be paid to cereal products and potatoes. Niacin is found in food in the form of nicotinic acid and its amide.
Nicotinic acid is found in greater amounts in animal products, and nicotinic acid amide in products of plant origin. It should be remembered that niacin can be formed in the body from tryptophan contained in products (60 mg of tryplophan produces 1 mg of niacin).
| Niacin content per 100 g | Food products |
| Less than 0.10 mg | processed and matured cheese, kefir, cream, chicken eggs |
| 0.10 - 0.50 mg | milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese, Wrocław wheat flour, corn flakes, fruit (apples, oranges, strawberries), vegetables (white cabbage, onions, carrots) |
| 0.50 - 1.00 mg | bread (mixed bread, wholemeal rye bread, wheat rolls, pumpernickel bread), pasta, semolina, white rice, oatmeal, fruit (bananas, kiwi, apricots), vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts) |
| 1.00 - 5.00 mg | potatoes, graham bread, buckwheat and barley groats, brown rice, white beans, tomatoes, fish (pollock, cod, herring), turkey breast meat |
| 5.00 -10.00 mg | Sopot loin, chicken, pork - loin, turkey leg meat, fish (salmon, smoked mackerel), wheat germ, wheat bran |
| More than 10 mg | chicken breast meat and sirloin, chicken liver, beef and pork liver, peanuts |
"Vitamins", collective work edited by prof. Jana Gawęcki, Library of the Nutrition Knowledge Olympiad, Book 5, Department of Human Nutrition Hygiene, Poznań 2000
Vitamin PP - dosage. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)
- children: from 1 to 3 years of age - 6 mg; from 4 to 6 years of age - 8 mg; from 7 to 9 years of age - 12 mg
- boys: from 10 to 12 years of age - 12 mg; from 13 to 18 years of age - 16 mg
- girls - from 10 to 12 years of age - 12 mg; from 13 to 18 years of age - 14 mg
- men: 16 mg
- women: 14 mg
- pregnant women: 18 mg
- nursing women - 17 mg
Source: Nutrition standards for the populationPolish - amendment, Food and Nutrition Institute, Warsaw 2012
