Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

half ounces of food from the meat and beans group
each day. Because negative calorie foods tend to be
fruits and vegetables, not meat or beans, this daily
requirement for healthy living would probably not be
met for most people following the negative calorie
diet.

As of 2007, the Center for Disease Control rec-
ommends 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise
each day for healthy adults. Because this diet includes
exercise recommendations that are only require per-
forming the exercises three times a week, for 15
minutes each workout, following this diet alone with-
out additional exercise does not meet these minimum
recommendations. Regular exercise is generally
accepted as an excellent way of improving health,
reducing the risk of disease, and managing weight.

Resources

BOOKS
Shannon, Joyce Brennfleck ed.Diet and Nutrition Source-
book.Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2006.
Willis, Alicia P. ed.Diet Therapy Research Trends.New
York: Nova Science, 2007.

ORGANIZATIONS
American Dietetic Association. 120 South Riverside Plaza,
Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995. Telephone:
(800) 877-1600. Website:http://www.eatright.org

OTHER
‘‘Negative Calorie Diet’’The Diet Channel2007.http://
[http://www.thedietchannel.com/Negative-calorie-diet.htm](http://www.thedietchannel.com/Negative-calorie-diet.htm>)
(April 6, 2007).
‘‘The Negative Calorie Diet’’Get the Skinny on Diets2007.
http://skinnyondiets.com/TheNegativeCalorieDiet
.html(April 6, 2007).
Negative Calorie Foods and Recipes eBook2005.http://
[http://www.negativecaloriefoods.com(April](http://www.negativecaloriefoods.com>(April) 6, 2007).

Helen M. Davidson

Niacin
Definition
Niacin is a general term that refers to two forms of
vitamin B 3 , nicotinic acid and niacinamide. Humans
need niacin to remain healthy, and although the liver
can slowly make very small amounts of niacin, most
niacin must come from foods ordietary supplements.

Niacin deficiency is called pellagra. Pellagra
affects the skin, digestive tract and brain. The best-
known symptom is a rash that becomes darker when

exposed to light. In later stages, the digestive system

may become inflamed, and finally the nervous system

is affected.

Purpose

Niacin is a necessary part of the cycle in which the

body breaks downcarbohydrates,fats, and proteins

and converts them into energy. Niacin also plays a role

in the production of certain hormones in the adrenal

glands and in helping the liver remove harmful chem-

icals from the body.

Description

Niacin belongs to the B-complex group of water-

solublevitamins. Scientists working with extracts of

nicotine from tobacco first discovered nicotinic acid in

the 1930s. Because nicotinic acid turned out to be a

vitamin essential to health, scientists created the name

niacin by using the first two letters of ‘‘nicotinic’’ and

‘‘acid’’ and the last two letters of ‘‘vitamin’’. They did

not want a health-promoting vitamin to be associated

with nicotine and tobacco.

Niacin

Recommended Tolerable Upper

Dietary Allowance Intake Level

Age (mg) (mg)

Children 0–6 mos. 2 (AI) Not established

Children 7–12 mos. 4 (AI) Not established

Children 1–3 yrs. 6 10

Children 4–8 yrs. 8 15

Children 9–13 yrs. 12 20

Boys 14–18 yrs. 16 30

Girls 14–18 yrs. 14 30

Men 19 yrs. 16 35

Women 19 yrs. 14 35

Pregnant women 18 35

Breastfeeding women 17 35

Food Niacin (mg)

Cereal, fortified, 1 cup 20–27

Tuna, light, packed in water, 3 oz. 11.3

Chicken, light meat, 3 oz. 10.6

Salmon, 3 oz. 8.5

Cereal, unfortified, 1 cup 5–7

Turkey, light meat, 3 oz. 5.8

Beef, lean, 3 oz. 3.1

Pasta, enriched, 1 cup cooked 2.3

Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice 1.1

Asparagus, cooked, ½ cup 1

Carrots, raw, ½ cup 0.6

Coffee, brewed, 1 cup 0.5

AI  Adequate Intake

mg  milligram

(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale.)

Niacin