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Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Deficiency

SumptuousTuna For Niacin.
Sumptuous Tuna For Niacin.

What Is Vitamin B3 (Niacin)?

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]iacin is an essential water-soluble B vitamin that is required by all cells of the body.

During digestion of food containing it, niacin (the form in food) is changed in the small intestines to the active form niacinamide (niacin plus an amide group), which is then absorbed into the bloodstream. 

Niacinamide is converted by the body into co-enzymes which are present in all cells. These are niacinimide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and NADP. NADP is formed when the body adds a phosphate to NAD.

Q: How do these enzymes work?

A: These enzymes function in oxidation-reduction reactions essential for release of energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins and are needed as components for more than 200 enzymes involved in metabolism.

In addition to producing energy, niacinamide is essential for healthy skin and the mucosal lining of the digestive tract, normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and production of steroid hormones in adrenal glands and hormones in sex glands.  Functions are more fully described below.

Urinary excretion of niacin cannot be detected when vitamin intake is below the required levels. On the other hand, when intake exceeds saturation in the body, the vitamin and/or its metabolites are actively excreted into urine to prevent excessive toxicity of the vitamins.1

What Is Niacin Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Shibata K, Hirose J, Fukuwatari T. Relationship Between Urinary Concentrations of Nine Water-soluble Vitamins and their Vitamin Intakes in Japanese Adult Males. Nutr Metab Insights. 2014 Aug 5;7:61-75. doi: 10.4137/NMI.S17245. eCollection 2014. [↩]

Infertility In Males

P6080044-False-colour_SEM_of_human_seminiferous_tubules-SPLWhat Is Infertility in Males?

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]nfertility in males is characterized by inability to either produce sperm or to produce viable sperm or mobile sperm resulting in prohibiting fertilization of the female ovum (egg).

To the left is a false-colour scanning electron micrograph of seminiferous tubules in the human testis (cross section), the site of production and maturation of sperm.

Round undifferentiated cells lining the tubule wall (brown, pink) become sperm by halving their chromosome number, and transforming in a process which takes about two months. During this time the cells move toward the centre of the tubule and develop tails (orange). Mature sperm migrate up the cavity of the tubule and are stored in the epididymis. 200-300 million sperm are released in an average ejaculation. Courtesy of Professor P. Motta, Dept.of Anatomy, University of Rome Science Photo Library.

Male androgen hormones control the development and maintenance of male sex organs and masculine secondary sex characteristics and are required for health, especially bone health.

Testosterone is the major andogen hormone. While most of this steroid is produced by the testes, some is also produced by the adrenal glands.

What Is Infertility In Males In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?