Your face turns flush and your skin starts to itch. Your heart begins to beat faster. The itching may be felt all across your face and extend down your arms to your fingertips.
What is going on? If you're like me you forgot what you learned in school and had to call ask-a-nurse to be reminded.
You may have taken a little too much niacin, or vitamin B-3. It's ok, you'll be fine, it will probably wear off in about half an hour.
But it can really make you scared if you don't know what is going on.
What happened? I took a niacin supplement plus brewer's yeast which itself contains lots of niacin. That was nine years ago but I still remember it like yesterday.
Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid is very necessary for your body. Niacin is needed at the cellular level. It is an important nutrient in cellular processes that create the ultimate energy currency of your body - ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate.
A deficiency in niacin can lead to pellagra, which has a number of manifestations. An inflamed tongue and irritated gastric track and colon as well as depression and hard rough skin are just some of the symptoms of this deficiency disease.
Anxiety and hallucinations are also possible symptoms of pellagra. Wide spread pellagra is no longer seen in the United States, though individual cases can still occur.
Dermatitis, dementia and diarrhea are considered the 3 Ds or the classic symptoms of pellagra.
Diets rich in meats, eggs and milk provide adequate amounts of niacin to the body. Alcoholics and diabetics are at greater risk for being deficient in niacin.
Niacin is a vitamin, it is necessary to the body for cellular processes.
Oral supplementation can reverse the less severe cases of deficiency. In severe cases there may be permanent consequences.
So the next time your face flushes and you get an itching burning sensation down to your fingertips, take a moment to reflect before you panic. Did you have too much niacin?
This article is for information purposes only. If you have or think you have a health condition, consult your physician for proper diagnoses and treatment.
Dave Snape is a health, fitness and wellness enthusiast. His website is http://tobeinformed.com
cleaning team near Winnetka ..Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for... Read More
Beans. Legumes. Pulses. Whatever you call this plant group, they... Read More
Organic farming is the production of food using all natural... Read More
Water is a vitally important component of any valuable and... Read More
Monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, was thought of as... Read More
The Mediterranean Diet is now recognized as one of the... Read More
The quality of food we eat (or lack thereof) has... Read More
People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don't believe... Read More
East Meets WestAsian cultures have realized the medical benefits of... Read More
Because of consumer demand, the food industry focus is on... Read More
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the... Read More
Enzymes are the workers in our body that make everything... Read More
One of the most common questions I am asked is... Read More
Mango is my favorite fruit next to pineapples. They're sweet,... Read More
Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to... Read More
Most people understand that it is wise to limit the... Read More
A green and lush oasis in the middle of a... Read More
Constipation is the passing of dry, hard faeces fewer than... Read More
Nutrition is extremely important for any young person, especially an... Read More
Although many realize that the liver has its own cleansing... Read More
Okay, so you think you are doing pretty well with... Read More
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
Every person on earth has experienced pain at one time... Read More
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. American's... Read More
family-safe home cleaners Northbrook ..Food in general has the distinction of being probably the... Read More
Today we're shifting our focus from wealth to health. First... Read More
Numerous reports have recently appeared in both the lay and... Read More
PROTEIN DEFICIENT? CHANCES ARE YOU ARE!Did you know that 9... Read More
Why does disease begin in the digestive tract? Your digestive... Read More
Last year I had a number of clients who started... Read More
I turned into my parents' driveway in Maryland and parked... Read More
Water is the single most important element for human existence,... Read More
Understanding What a Low Cholesterol Diet isBasically, in order to... Read More
Cholesterol. What images come to mind when you see this... Read More
Information on potassiumWhen you read about potassium and senate document... Read More
Nutrition has everything to do with health. This isn't news,... Read More
Mannatech's patent-pending glyconutrients complex, Ambrotose, is perhaps the greatest wellness... Read More
Fat is a nutrient that is a contributor to the... Read More
Food addiction isn't a problem. Pretending like you can't live... Read More
With summer comes more sun and with more sun comes... Read More
You wouldn't judge a book by its cover, would you?You... Read More
One of the biggest mistakes many new bodybuilders make is... Read More
1. Look for high quality, crystalline, free-form, amino acids (AAs)... Read More
Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply... Read More
Understanding ocular nutrition and eye health can be one of... Read More
Salt was used long before recorded history began. One of... Read More
Unhealthy eating is a harmful problem in America, and contrary... Read More
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the... Read More
A frequent misunderstanding about macrobiotics is that it is a... Read More
Nutrition |