What is "niacin"

niacin \niacin\ n. A B vitamin (vitamin B5) essential for the normal function of the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. Called also nicotinic acid and antipellagra vitamin. Chemical formula C6H5NO2, chemically it is 3-pyridinecarboxylic acid.

Syn: nicotinic acid.

nicotinic acid \nic`o*tin"ic ac"id\, n. (Chem.) An organic acid ( C6H5NO2), a carboxylated derivative of pyridine, obtained by the oxidation of nicotine; called also niacin and antipellagra vitamin, and vitamin B5. Chemically it is 3-pyridinecarboxylic acid.

Note: It is a cofactor in several enzymatic reactions, and is used to prevent a pellagra-like disease in dogs.
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Syn: 3-pyridinecarboxylic acid, niacin, antipellagra vitamin.

"pellagra-preventing vitamin in enriched bread," 1942, coined from ni(cotinic) ac(id) + -in (2), chemical suffix; suggested by the American Medical Association as a more commercially viable name than nicotinic acid.The new name was found to be necessary because some anti-tobacco groups warned against enriched bread because it would foster the cigarette habit. ["Cooperative Consumer," Feb. 28, 1942]

n. (context vitamin English) A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism.

n. a B vitamin essential for the normal function of the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract [syn: nicotinic acid]

Niacin, also known as vitamin B and nicotinic acid, is an organic compound with the formula and, depending on the definition used, one of the 20 to 80 essential human nutrients. Pharmaceutical and supplemental niacin are primarily used to treat hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) and pellagra (niacin deficiency). Insufficient niacin in the diet can cause nausea, skin and mouth lesions, anemia, headaches, and tiredness. The lack of niacin may also be observed in pandemic deficiency disease, which is caused by a lack of five crucial vitamins (niacin, vitamin C, thiamin, vitamin D, and vitamin A) and is usually found in areas of widespread poverty and malnutrition. Niacin has not been found to be useful in decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in those already on a statin but appears to be effective in those not taking a statin.

This colorless, water-soluble solid is a derivative of pyridine, with a carboxyl group (COOH) at the 3-position. Other forms of vitamin B include the corresponding amide and nicotinamide ("niacinamide"), where the carboxyl group has been replaced by a carboxamide group , as well as more complex amides and a variety of esters. Nicotinic acid and niacinamide are convertible to each other with steady world demand rising from 8,500 tonnes per year in the 1980s to 40,000 in recent years.

Niacin cannot be directly converted to nicotinamide, but both compounds are precursors of the coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) in vivo. NAD converts to NADP by phosphorylation in the presence of the enzyme NAD+ kinase. NADP and NAD are coenzymes for many dehydrogenases, participating in many hydrogen transfer processes. NAD is important in catabolism of fat, carbohydrate, protein, and alcohol, as well as cell signaling and DNA repair, and NADP mostly in anabolism reactions such as fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis. High energy requirements (brain) or high turnover rate (gut, skin) organs are usually the most susceptible to their deficiency. Although the two are identical in their vitamin activity, nicotinamide does not have the same pharmacological effects (lipid modifying effects) as niacin. Nicotinamide does not reduce cholesterol or cause flushing. As the precursor for NAD and NADP, niacin is also involved in DNA repair.

Niacin is a neo- fusion instrumental trio featuring bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Dennis Chambers, and keyboardist John Novello. Founded in 1996, the band's name comes from the timbral foundation of the Hammond B3 organ; vitamin B is also known as niacin.

While the members pursue solo and sideman projects, they have continued to record and tour as a unit.