Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Niacin (Vit B) vs. Vit.B12

Bonnie - I had to run home quickly to pick up something, so I looked this up while I was there. I was thinking Niacin was for b12 deficiency - pernicious anemia, but quickly realized I was trying to make a connection that is not there. :-& (oops!)

So...
Niacin is a B vitamin. It is part of two coenzymes that aid energy metabolism.
Foods containing niacin are meat (chicken, shrimp, liver, tuna, you name it - peanut butter has almost as much as the shrimp per serving, but the other legumes have very little...and of course there is some in any fortified product - like cereal.

B12 is also part of two coenzyme, but is used in new cell synthesis, helps maintain nerve cells, reforms folate coenzyme, and helps to break down some fatty acids and amino acids. It is almost exclusively found in meats. (of course, there are also fortified products.)

Thus, vegans need to take a supplement or fortified product, like fortified soy milk.

3 comments:

Bonnie Boss said...

Shelby thank you so much for posting this for me. It was one of those nagging little things that would have made me lose sleep.

Debbie said...

Niacin is nicotinic acid. It is used in large doses to help lower triglycerides. The major side effect it has is facial flushing. It is normally given at night so the flushing is not a problem during the day.

Bonnie Boss said...

Vegans beware since these vits are in animal products.