Niacin for Depression

It is a common notion that depression is only being in a bad mood just because you feel down all the time and it is all in your head.

It has been proved that there are some reasons for a person being upset all the time and they lie behind some chemical imbalances in the brain. Imbalances are caused by the deficiency of nutrients that trigger such a reaction.

Although, it has been thought for centuries that depression and emotional downs are the destiny of romantic poets singing about unrequited love, this is not exactly to be the case. There are some chemical transmitters as well as hormones that become imbalanced and therefore they cause this emotional state. In has been investigated and proved that serotonin (a chemical neurotransmitter in the brain) and exactly its scarcity, is directly in charge of mood swings and depression occurrence.

In case serotonin levels are low for a long period of time, all the depression symptoms develop. A person starts to feel down, lacks energy and desire to do anything, and is in the constant state of melancholy and so on. Loss of hope and sense in life are also characteristic.

Niacin and depression are closely connected in a peculiar way. There is such an essential amino acid as tryptophan and serotonin is its derivate. Niacin in its turn represents a compound of tryptophan and is one of its essential building blocks. More common name that people know niacin under is vitamin B3. Therefore, both tryptophan and serotonin are interconnected with the production of niacin. However, not everyone knows that you can actually use niacin for depression.

The thing about depression is that it depends on the tryptophan and its influence on the body’s production of niacin and serotonin. In the condition of tryptophan deficiency it generally chooses to produce niacin as it is essential and more important for the functioning of an organism. So, serotonin is left neglected and its levels lower and a person starts feeling down and depressed. In order to improve the situation, it is recommended to increase an intake of niacin. With enough of niacin in the organism, tryptophan will stop focusing on its production only and will turn to serotonin production. With time serotonin levels will get into norm and a person will stop feeling down all the time. That is why niacin for depression is a good thing to try.

Niacin for depression is helpful. However, there are other uses of vitamin B3 that are also very beneficial for the organism.

Niacin takes part in the ensuring that nervous system and brain cells function well. In case they do not work as they are supposed to, the brain’s electrical activity becomes unstable and neural signals are not transmitted properly, anxiety tends to increase, mood spoils and behavior changes. A person becomes depressed and upset. Therefore niacin for depression, anxiety and mood swings regulator is very frequently recommended.

It is a common practice to treat depression with anti-depressant drugs and sedatives. However, niacin for depression is a much better option let alone if depression is mild. In case depression is chronic, vitamin B3 supplement will only be a good thing to add to a prescribed therapy. However, it is not recommended to take it without a proper consultation with your healthcare provider, even if overdose risk is minimal as the vitamin is water soluble and the excess is washed away from the organism. It is still better to administer niacin for depression with the approval of your therapist in order to avoid side-effects and intolerance reactions.

Niacin supplements are ok; however, in order to keep you vitamin B3 levels in norm, you are well able to get it from foods. Tuna and salmon, whole grains, nuts, milk and eggs, chicken and different vegetables are rich in niacin and they can improve things when you feel down. Sweet products with brewer’s yeast and xylitol can also do the same thing as they are a great source of niacin for depression.