ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the possibility of an increased requirement for niacin with a review of the structure, general properties and the metabolic functions of niacin. It also discusses the history and status of the use of pharmacologic doses of niacin to improve cholesterol profile, and the changes in fuel utilization on these mega doses of niacin and how these changes may affect performance. Niacin is a generic term for the water-soluble vitamin in the B complex that occurs as an acid or as an amide. The recommended dietary allowance for niacin is based on early studies with the intention of preventing or treating pellagra. Niacin is found in a variety of common foods and can also be synthesized in the body from the essential amino acid tryptophan. Numerous investigators have demonstrated changes in free fatty acid mobilization as a result of ingesting or infusing nicotinic acid.
