Vitamin B3 or Niacin performs many functions in the body, including helping with proper digestion, producing sex hormones, promoting healthy nerves and skin, metabolizing cholesterol and producing energy.

Deficiency Symptoms of Niacin

Deficiency of niacin can result in depression, dermatitis and headaches, gum disease, high blood pressure, and negative personality behaviors. Those with low levels of niacin are more likely to have bronchitis or wheezing with asthma than those with more niacin.

Other symptoms include: mental confusion and weakness, irritability and loss of appetite. Although very few people become severely deficient in niacin today because of the fortification of white flour, this is a synthetic variety of B3 and we recommend that you use whole grains instead to get the real thing!

Food Sources of Vitamin B3

Some good food sources of niacin include nutritional yeast, brown rice and other whole grains, poultry like chicken and turkey, eggs, milk, nuts, organ meats, yams and broccoli, legumes and veal.

Supplementation of Vitamin B3

Supplementation with B3 seems to help relieve acne, migraine headaches and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as help improve blood sugar regulation for both diabetics and hypoglycemics.* Although there have been some studies showing that synthetic nicotinic acid can lower the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels, you need to be very careful if you use synthetic varieties of niacin because large doses of niacin in the form of nicotinic acid for example, can produce a drug-like effect on the nervous system, on glucose, and on blood lipids. Some slow-release synthetic niacin has caused liver damage and other severe side effects, so as with all vitamins and minerals, we recommend only whole food based supplements.

Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid is A Great Antioxidant!

Vitamin B5 is an antioxidant that is very important for good adrenal function because it helps produce cortisone. Antioxidants provide an extra electron to free radicals so they don't have to steal one from somewhere else in the body. This seems to provide protection from all sorts of degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer and just general aging. It also protects the body from the side effects of stress, and helps to prevent fatigue and nervous disorders. B5 can help you fight infection by building antibodies, and also inhibits loss of hair color. It is also important in overcoming the side effects of drugs, especially after surgery. Like many other B vitamins, pantothenic acid is also needed in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and hence is important for the production of energy in your body.

Extra Vitamin B5 Requirements

There are certain population groups that are more likely to need B5 supplementation. These include the elderly, those with drinking problems and those who take cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to Dr. Song, an associate professor of nutrition at Michigan State University. Dr. Song has also found that the body uses coenzyme A, which contains vitamin B5, in order to detoxify many chemicals, including those found in pesticides, herbicides and various drugs. This means that this is a very important vitamin for all of us in today's age where so many harmful man-made chemicals abound. We probably all need extra B5 today!

Deficiency Symptoms of Pantothenic Acid

Tiredness, fatigue, insomnia and muscle cramping, as well as anemia and lack of coordination can result from a deficiency of pantothenic acid. Further symptoms include gastrointestinal distress like constipation and vomiting.

Food Sources and Supplementation of Vitamin B5

Nutritional yeast, whole grains including brown rice, poultry and organ meats, broccoli and yams, mushrooms, salmon , eggs, peanuts and other legumes. When you cook, can or process foods containing pantothenic acid, up to 50 percent of it can be destroyed. We only recommend whole food supplements, and with all the B vitamins, it is important to take them in a complex, as taking just one or two B vitamins can upset the balance in your body and cause other problems.

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.