Niacin Energy Boosts: Good for Weight Loss or Fable?

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Energy Booster

Vitamins of the B complex like niacin are notorious for giving people more energy.  Many energy drinks and pre-workout boosters contain high doses of niacin. However, do you really need a very high dose of niacin in order to enjoy increased energy? The purpose of this article is to answer this question once and for all.

A Lack of Niacin

Recent research has shown that niacin indeed increases energy, but that little amounts of niacin are needed to achieve this effect. People who are deficient in niacin either through binge drinking or a lack of niacin in their diet profit most of the energy boost. However, people who are already overdosing niacin experience little or no increased energy. Amounts exceeding 200 mg, like is the case in many popular energy drinks is totally superfluous and can lead to nasty side effects like a red skin and headaches due to a niacin flush.

Getting an Energy Boost

In order to enjoy the increased energy you can either take in niacin supplements, but you can also eat natural foods that are dense in niacin. My favorite foods high in niacin are as follows:

• Wild salmon | 9.3 mg vitamin b3 per 3 ounces serving.
• Peanut butter | 5.3 mg niacin per 1 ounce serving.
• Sun dried tomatoes | 8.7 mg vitamin b3 per 100 grams serving.
• Tamari | 1.3 mg vitamin b3 per tab.
• Raw Crimini mushrooms | 6.4 mg niacin per 5 OZ.

Avoiding Side Effects

Side effects can be avoided by monitoring the amount you consume thoroughly and by taking some preventive measures. A great tip I can give you is to jot down in a notepad how much niacin you have consumed during the day. Moreover, it is better to spread niacin over the whole day instead of taking it all in one time. Lastly, be sure to drink a lot of water during the flushing period. In this way, you can truly enjoy benefits of vitamin b3, without having to worry about common niacin side effects like a red skin.