Niacin, more commonly known as Vitamin B3, is an essential nutrient that is vital for maintaining good health overall. Niacin supplements have become increasingly popular, often used for improving cardiovascular health. However, some people who take niacin, or B3 supplements, may experience a rather alarming side effect known as niacin flush. In this blog, we will discuss niacin flush, why it happens, and how it’s actually completely harmless.
What is Niacin Flush?
Niacin flush is a side effect that can occur when someone takes high doses of a niacin supplement. It is a temporary reaction, and typically occurs within 15 to 30 minutes after taking the supplement. The symptoms of niacin flush can include a warm, tingling sensation on the skin, redness, and itching. It is the sudden flushing of the skin caused by increasing blood flow to the face. It flush itself occurs because the blood vessels near the skin start to dilate, or widen.
Why Do People Take Niacin?
Niacin, or B3, is an essential nutrient that plays a key role in many important bodily functions. There are various benefits to taking niacin, some of them including:
Lowering Cholesterol Levels: One of the most well known benefits of niacin is its ability to lower cholesterol levels. By lowering cholesterol levels, it can also help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Improving Heart Health: Niacin has been shown to improve blood vessel function, reduce inflammation, and reduce the risk of blood clots.
Supporting Healthy Skin: Niacin can even support healthier skin. It has been known to improve the skin barrier function, increase moisture retention in the skin, reduce redness, and reduce overall inflammation. This can improve the appearance of the skin.
Regulating blood sugar: Niacin may also help to regulate blood sugar levels, which can be beneficial for those with diabetes.
Boosting Brain Function: Niacin is important for maintaining and supporting healthy brain function. It has been shown to improve cognitive function and even reduce the risk of age related cognitive decline.
Why Niacin Flush is Harmless
Despite the slight discomfort you may experience from niacin flush, it is actually harmless. It is a natural reaction to consuming a niacin supplement, and is not a sign of any sort of allergy or toxin. It’s important to learn about, because it can be quite alarming. However alarming it might be, niacin flush can actually have health benefits. Niacin helps to improve blood flow, which can increase circulation to the skin and other tissues. It also is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, so niacin flush may be able to help reduce inflammation. Some people report even enjoying the sensation of the flush, as they take it as a sign that the supplement is working correctly.
Is Niacin Flush Preventable?
Even though niacin flush is harmless, it can still be uncomfortable to experience. There are some strategies that can help prevent and minimize the symptoms of niacin flush. Healthline reports on some of these, and they include:
- Take Aspirin: They recommend taking 325 mg of aspirin about 30 minutes before taking niacin to help reduce the risk of flush.
- Ease into Niacin: They recommend starting with a smaller dose of niacin, and then increasing gradually to avoid or bypass the flush entirely.
- Have a Snack: They also suggest having a snack alongside niacin to lessen the chances of developing niacin flush.
In order to minimize niacin flush, we also recommend taking it before bedtime. This can help reduce the overall symptoms and possibly avoid the flush altogether. We also recommend switching to an extended release formula of niacin. The extended release works by releasing the niacin slowly over time, often reducing the severity of the flush.
Niacin in Relaxium Focus Max
Niacin has various proven benefits that help improve our overall health. Relaxium Focus Max prides itself in having safe and effective ingredients, and one of these is niacin, or B3.
Focus Max is designed to promote sharper focus, boost brain performance, and supply vital nutrients to the body. This extra strength cognitive support supplement helps support healthy brain function and memory, improves concentration, and even helps sharpen focus.
You can try Relaxium Focus Max, formulated with niacin and other essential ingredients, now for 20% off when you use promo code 20OFFBLOG at checkout!
At Relaxium, we have a simple mission in mind – to create affordable, safe, and effective supplements. Through extensive research, we created four life enhancing supplements: Relaxium Sleep, Relaxium Calm, Relaxium Immune Defense, and Relaxium Focus Max. We use a perfect synergistic blend of ingredients in our products to ensure results. If you are interested in trying our Relaxium products, click here for more information!
To restful and healthy days ahead,
The Relaxium Team
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Relaxium Focus Max
Sources:
[1] Niacin Flush: Heart-Healthy Treatment or Hazardous Health Risk? (dr.axe.com)