What is vitamin B3 deficiency?
Vitamin B3 (niacin) deficiency is rare in most developed countries. People at the highest risk include those with HIV/AIDS, anorexia nervosa, liver failure, alcohol dependency. You can develop niacin deficiency if you don’t get enough vitamin B3 from the foods you eat. Severe niacin deficiency may lead to a disease called pellagra.
Common vitamin B3 deficiency symptoms:
- Rough skin that turns red or brown in the sun
- Bright red tongue
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Aggressive behavior
- Paranoid behavior
- Suicidal behavior
- Hallucinations
- Memory loss
What causes a vitamin B3 deficiency?
- A diet lacking in vitamin B3-rich foods
- Alcohol dependency
- Digestive disorders
- Anorexia nervosa
- Liver cirrhosis
- Prolonged treatment with the tuberculosis medication isoniazid
- Hartnup disease
- Carcinoid syndrome, which causes tumors in the gastrointestinal tract
Further reading: National Institutes of Health (1),(2)