Vitamin pp excess and deficiency. Vitamin PP is a natural source of health and longevity
Vitamin PP is necessary for normal tissue growth, the beneficial substance has a beneficial effect on the state of the cardiovascular, nervous system. This vitamin is mainly involved in redox processes, PP prevents human diseases such as pellagra, migraine, diabetes, thrombosis, heart disease and digestive tract, hypertension.
Foods rich in vitamin PP
Most of the vitamin PP is found in meat - beef, rabbit meat, lamb, chicken, liver. Quantity Champion beneficial substance is buckwheat. There is a lot of nicotinic acid in fish, liver and kidneys.
Vitamin-medicine is also included in the composition of vegetables. They are rich in tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, carrots. There is PP in cereals, for example, wheat, corn. Dates, cheese, peanuts, legumes, artichokes, semolina, green pea and beans. Vitamin PP should also be looked for in yeast, oats, and some seasonings.
Where else is there a lot of vitamin PP
Surprisingly, vitamin PP can be found in many. This is the usual dandelion, clover, parsley, sage, sorrel, rosehip, burdock root. There is nicotinic acid in raspberry leaves, chamomile, peppermint, horsetail, ginseng. There is also a certain amount of vitamin in nettles, fennel seeds, hops, alfalfa.
Therapeutic vitamin is also synthesized by the human body, but only if there is enough animal protein in the diet. The value of foods containing vitamin PP varies, it directly depends on the ease of absorption of the substance. So, it is difficult for the body to extract the desired component from cereals.
Vitamin PP tolerates cooking without problems, it is practically not lost during freezing, long-term storage, drying, canning and frying. In particular, the substance is preserved even in water in which foods rich in vitamin PP were cooked. Therefore, it is recommended to reuse it for cooking.
Leads to avitaminosis. Many are aware that an overabundance does not carry anything good. However, few people are fully familiar with the entire spectrum necessary for a person vitamins and microelements, especially rarely mentioned.
What is Vitamin PP?
In 1937, when it became known that it could protect against pellagra - a serious disease manifested by confusion, hallucinations, depression, diarrhea, vomiting and dermatitis - vitamin PP was called "preventing pellagra." Pellagra is still found in the underdeveloped and poorest countries of the world and is considered a fatal disease, especially in the absence of timely and competent treatment.
Vitamin PP has two active forms in which it exists - nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. The first of them has been known since the 19th century, namely, since 1873, when Professor Weidel synthesized it by oxidizing nicotine. But at that time, nicotinic acid was in no way identified with vitamin PP and was in no way associated with the development of pellagra.
Today, vitamin PP is equivalent in its importance and effectiveness to medicines and is considered an element without which the normal course of redox processes in the body is impossible.
As for the hormonal sphere, vitamin PP takes part in the formation of a number of important hormones: thyroxine, cortisol, insulin, testosterone, progesterone and estrogen.
Deficiency or excess: how to recognize?
We get vitamin PP with food, it is contained in many familiar products, and 20 mg of nicotinic acid per day is enough for the normal functioning of the body. Improper nutrition can lead to an imbalance of this vitamin and, as a result, either vitamin deficiency or hypervitaminosis develops, which is equally harmful to humans.
The state of beriberi is the most dangerous, because it leads to the development of the same pellagra. A number of signs can indicate a lack of a vitamin: sore gums, bad smell mouth, heartburn, loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhea.
In the future, with an increase in the deficiency of nicotinic acid, the normal course of biochemical processes in nerve cells is disrupted and symptoms appear that indicate damage to the nervous system. The person becomes apathetic, depressed, his mind is confused. Irritability, insomnia and fatigue become commonplace, and if left untreated, the condition worsens to the point of hallucinations and delirium.
Symptoms of hypervitaminosis are much less common and are manifested by similar neuropsychiatric phenomena, however, they are often accompanied by a variety of skin problems: dryness, redness, peeling of the skin, as well as cracks and long-term non-healing ulcers.
Where to find vitamin PP?
If the diet is made correctly, the food is varied and complete, you can not be afraid of a lack of nicotinic acid. To our joy, it is found in the usual foods: it is abundant in milk, beef liver, eggs, cheese, pork, and fish. Vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamin PP: tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, broccoli and dates. And such crops as corn, buckwheat, wheat and other cereals in general are its storehouse.
What is useful and where vitamin PP is contained
Interestingly, when cooking food, about 40% of vitamin PP goes into water, so it can be used later, for example, for sauces.
What do nicotine and nicotinic acid have in common?
Nothing but the consonance of these concepts. Many people think that smoking and female beauty are practically incompatible. And they are right, because smoking often roughens a gentle voice, turns yellow and dries out the skin, and one can talk about the dangers of nicotine for women's health for a long time and justifiably.
Nicotinic acid, on the contrary, can only decorate. What is one of the main tools of female seduction? Of course, hair that will remain healthy, shiny and thick thanks to nicotinic acid, or vitamin PP.
What is useful and where vitamin PP is contained
Vitamin solution can be added to your usual shampoo or rubbed directly into the scalp. However, with the appearance of headaches or allergic reactions, the use of vitamin PP will have to be abandoned.
If you have insomnia, fears, anxiety, anger, irritability, inability to focus on anything, etc., if you have begun to get unreasonably fat, and your mental state is such that you are advised to consult a psychiatrist if you are full of aggression - change the diet, first of all, so as to introduce into it foods rich in B vitamins, in particular PP, B1, B2, B6, as well as vitamins A, C, etc.
Vitamin PP (vitamin B3, nicotinic acid, niacin) is to the brain what calcium is to the bones. Without it, the brain cannot function normally, because a person loses memory, the ability to associate, and cannot sleep. Often, these symptoms are taken by others for senile insanity. Signs of vitamin PP deficiency appear in 13% of people over 60 years of age. According to various clinics, more than 9% of women and 8% of men aged 18 to 44 have signs of vitamin PP (niacin) deficiency. Dr. Edwin Boyle from the USA has been working with niacin for over 20 years. He believes that a lack of vitamin PP (niacin) in the body leads to obesity and that this vitamin helps to remove even very dense deposits of cholesterol and other fats on the walls of blood vessels. Niacin also removes metabolic products from the body, alleviating the pain of arthritis.
Initially, vitamin B3 was called PP - "warning pellagra." In the USA, one of the most developed countries world - several thousand people die every year from pellagra. In Egypt, Italy, Romania and other countries, tens of thousands die from it. Pellagra is a typical disease in places where corn is the staple food, just as beriberi is characteristic of rice-eating peoples.
Where there is not enough fruits and vegetables, meat and milk, where the diet mainly consists of foods rich in starch, people begin to get sick with pellagra. In some cases, these same causes can cause chronic alcoholism. Pellagra is especially rampant in rainy years, when corn does not have time to fully ripen.
Pellagra is a severe disease that is manifested by damage to the skin and mucous membranes, severe diarrhea, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Now this serious disease is rare, but its initial symptoms - vitamin PP deficiency - are quite common. This disease was especially widespread among prisoners in the camps during the Second World War.
Acute symptoms of pellagra: "strawberry tongue", inflammation of the tongue and the entire oral cavity, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea, often low acidity gastric juice. Most often, symmetrical redness, swelling and peeling of the epidermis appear on the hands, face, neck and inner thighs. A person begins to get tired easily, he is tormented by headaches, insomnia, memory loss, he is easily irritated, he is irritated by bright light, bright colors, music. Sometimes he falls into melancholy, hallucinations, agitation, trembling in the hands are possible. All this looks like the beginning of a hard one mental illness. Pellagra is not only a deficiency of vitamin PP. This is also a lack of multivitamins, primarily of group B, as well as vitamins C, A, E, D, etc. Often the symptoms of pellagra are so masked that doctors diagnose "neurasthenia". And only when the disease develops, they can usually determine the correct diagnosis.
An effective treatment for pellagra in humans is nicotinic acid (vitamin PP). Vitamin PP is involved in many oxidative processes and body reactions. Its deficiency is often associated with a monotonous diet, the lack of herbs, greens, vegetables and "live" foods in the diet. A group of vitamins has almost the same antipellagric effect. Microorganisms living in the intestines of humans and most animals can synthesize nicotinic acid from tryptophan (an essential, non-synthesized amino acid in the human body and most animals, an integral part of many proteins found only in plants). However, during the decay of products, during the breakdown of proteins in the intestine from tryptophan, obtained from animal products, toxic substances are formed - skatole and indole. This suggests that we must constantly take care, firstly, about the use of green vegetables in their natural form; secondly, about ensuring daily cleansing of the intestines (about defecation) and thirdly, about limiting animal protein products in your diet, since the essential amino acid tryptophan is found only in plants.
Norms of the minimum daily requirement for vitamin PP
The guidelines MP 2.3.1.2432-08 on the norms of physiological needs for energy and nutrients for various groups of the population of the Russian Federation dated 12/18/2008 provide the following data:
Physiological need for Vitamin PP, mg per day:
The upper acceptable level of consumption of Vitamin PP is set in 60 mg per day
Signs of a lack of nicotinic acid, or vitamin PP:
- The defeat of the gastrointestinal tract and diarrhea;
- Damage to the skin and mucous membranes, often leading to dermatitis; cracks in the oral cavity;
- Disorder of the nervous system up to dementia.
It has been established that if a person receives a sufficient amount of nicotinic acid (15 mg - 1 g), the signs of this disease disappear very soon. But there were cases when patients recovered only when they were simultaneously injected with B: (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and nicotinic acid (vitamin PP). Studies have shown that in the treatment of pellagra, adults need from 500 mg to 1 g of nicotinic acid, children need a smaller amount, and for healthy people, the norm is much less - 15-20 mg. This amount is contained, for example, in one glass of sour milk.
At proper nutrition our food will provide us with sufficient amounts of vitamin PP, as well as other B vitamins and essential trace elements.
If the diet has a lot of fiber and little sugar, sweets, then it can not be supplemented with vitamin PP; it will most likely suffice. But for those who love sweets, drink alcohol, this vitamin is required 2-3 times more than normal. In diabetes, the dose of vitamin PP should also be higher than normal.
Vitamin PP is found in all foods that contain other B vitamins, but in different amounts (meat, kidneys, liver, dairy products). For example, in 100 g of liver it is about 14 mg, in 100 g of tuna - about 19 mg. AT meat products also contains a lot of niacin. Turkey meat is especially rich in them. Heat treatment does not reduce the content of nicotinic acid in products. But if there are a lot of starch substances in the diet, then the body's needs for nicotinic acid increase.
There is a lot of niacin in sunflower seeds and ground nuts - peanuts (in 1 glass of roasted nuts - about 24 mg). It is only necessary to remember that peanuts are easily infected by a fungus that produces aflatoxins, a strong carcinogenic poison. Therefore, it is necessary to take grains that are free from spoilage, wash them thoroughly, disinfect them in a weak solution of manganese or iodinol, and then rinse them in running water. After that, they are dried in a pan without overcooking.
A good source of vitamin PP can be considered unpeeled grains - germinated wheat, buckwheat, cereals from uncrushed cereals - oats, corn, rye, barley, and so on. In addition, they are rich in beans and peas, soybeans and mushrooms. But especially rich in vitamin PP, like all B vitamins, brewer's yeast.
Foods rich in vitamin PP, NE
| Product name | Vitamin PP, NE, mg | %RSP |
|---|---|---|
| Dried boletus | 87,8764 | 439,4% |
| Dried porcini mushroom | 69,1 | 345,5% |
| Dried boletus | 63,984 | 319,9% |
| Instant coffee | 26,49 | 132,5% |
| Egg white, dry | 22,7 | 113,5% |
| Roasted coffee beans | 19,7 | 98,5% |
| Natural coffee, ground | 19,3074 | 96,5% |
| Peanut | 18,9 | 94,5% |
| roasted peanut kernel | 17,6 | 88% |
| Pork liver | 17,2 | 86% |
| Lamb liver | 16,11 | 80,6% |
| Rapeseed | 15,9 | 79,5% |
| sunflower seed | 15,7 | 78,5% |
| Tuna | 15,5 | 77,5% |
| Food gelatin | 14,4752 | 72,4% |
| Tuna natural. canned food | 14 | 70% |
| Pig's blood, dry | 13,8942 | 69,5% |
| Turkeys 2 cat. | 13,9 | 69,5% |
| Dried bream | 13,8 | 69% |
| Wheat bran | 13,5 | 67,5% |
| chicken liver | 13,3864 | 66,9% |
| Nutmeg | 13,32 | 66,6% |
| pistachios | 13,32 | 66,6% |
| Turkeys 1 cat. | 13,3 | 66,5% |
| Chicken, 2 categories | 13,3 | 66,5% |
| Egg powder | 13,2 | 66% |
| Tuna in oil. canned food | 13,2 | 66% |
| beef liver | 13 | 65% |
| Soybean flour, defatted | 12,7 | 63,5% |
| Bonito | 12,6 | 63% |
| Chicken, 1 category | 12,5 | 62,5% |
| Ginkgo nut, dried | 11,732 | 58,7% |
| Raw-smoked sausage, Brunswick | 11,6 | 58% |
| mackerel atlantic | 11,6 | 58% |
| Rabbit meat | 11,6 | 58% |
| Broilers (chickens) 2 cat. | 11,6 | 58% |
| Mackerel | 11,5 | 57,5% |
| Wheat germ flour | 11,4 | 57% |
| Pork kidneys | 11,4 | 57% |
| Semi-skimmed soy flour | 11,3 | 56,5% |
| Vobla cold smoked | 11,2 | 56% |
| Turkey poults, 2 categories | 11,2022 | 56% |
| sesame seed | 11,1 | 55,5% |
| Broilers (chickens) 1 cat. | 11,1 | 55,5% |
| whale meat | 11 | 55% |
| Turkey poults, 1st category | 10,7208 | 53,6% |
| Chicken breast (fillet) | 10,7212 | 53,6% |
| horse mackerel | 10,7 | 53,5% |
| Honey mushrooms | 10,7 | 53,5% |
| Chinook salmon | 10,5 | 52,5% |
| Mackerel Kuril natural. canned food | 10,3 | 51,5% |
| Chicken in own juice | 10,3 | 51,5% |
| Cold smoked mackerel | 10,3 | 51,5% |
| Porosyatina | 10,3 | 51,5% |
| Veal 2 cat. | 10,3 | 51,5% |
| Cervelat | 10,1 | 50,5% |
| Gutted salted salmon with head | 10 | 50% |
| Veal 1 cat. | 9,9 | 49,5% |
| Jakas | 9,8698 | 49,3% |
| Whole soy flour | 9,8 | 49% |
| Mackerel in oil. canned food | 9,8 | 49% |
| Tourist breakfast (beef) | 9,8 | 49% |
| Aspen mushrooms | 9,8 | 49% |
| Sausage raw smoked Olympic | 9,7 | 48,5% |
| Soy, grain | 9,7 | 48,5% |
| Mackerel natural. canned food | 9,7 | 48,5% |
| Calf's liver | 9,6884 | 48,4% |
Vitamin B 3, or Niacin- water-soluble, participating in many oxidative reactions of living cells of the body, belonging to the group of so-called.
Other names for Niacin (vitamin B3): Vitamin PP, Nicotinamide (Nicotinamide) Nicotinic acid (Nicotinic acid).
On the this moment, Niacin is the only vitamin that traditional medicine classifies as a drug, calling it the "calm vitamin". In addition, for medical and other useful properties, many doctors compare it with.
For the first time, nicotinic acid was obtained by the researcher Huber in 1867 by oxidizing nicotine with chromic acid. The modern name "nicotinic acid", this substance received already in 1873, when Weidel obtained this substance by oxidizing nicotine with nitric acid. However, nothing was known about the vitamin properties of nicotinic acid.
In the twenties of the XX century. American doctor Goldberger suggested the existence of vitamin PP, which helps to cure. And only in 1937, a group of scientists led by Conrad Elvey (Conrad Arnold Elvehjem) proved that nicotinic acid is vitamin PP. In 1938, pellagra was already successfully treated with nicotinic acid in Russia.
It's worth putting in some clarification, about Vitamin PP: it exists in two forms − nicotinic acid and nicotinomide. Also, Vitamin PP is an amide of nicotinic acid. In the treatment, it is mainly Nicotinamide that is used, because. it is similar in structure and action to nicotinic acid, but at the same time it has a neutral reaction with solutions, due to which it does not cause a local reaction when injected. Doctors also note that nicotinaide does not have a pronounced vasodilating effect, and when it is used, redness is not observed. skin and feelings of rush of blood to the head, which often accompany the use of nicotinic acid. Indications for the use of nicotinamide, and its doses, are basically the same as for nicotinic acid.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)- white crystalline powder, odorless, slightly acidic taste. Difficult to dissolve in cold water(1:70), preferably hot (1:15), slightly soluble in ethanol, and almost insoluble in ether.
Pharmacological group: Vitamins and vitamin-like products. Nicotinates. Angioprotectors and microcirculation correctors.
ICD-10: A04.9, B99, D68.8, E52, E72, E78.5, G43, G46, G51, I20, I63, I69, I70, I70.2, I73, I73.0, I73.1, I77.1, I79.2, K52, L98.4, T14.1, T36, T37, T38, T39, T40, T41, T42, T43, T44, T45, T46, T47, T48, T49, T50, T65.9
CAS: 59-67-6
Nicotinic acid (Niacin) is sometimes used in the food industry as a food additive, where it is labeled as "E375". On the territory of the Russian Federation since 2008, it has been a prohibited food additive.
Empirical formula for Niacin: C 6 H 5 NO 2
Chemical formula: 3-pyridinecarboxylic acid
The following drugs inhibit the absorption of nicotinic acid by the body: Isoniazid, Rifampin and Penicillamine.
Safety when using nicotinic acid
With caution, nicotinic acid should be used for: hemorrhage, hyperuricemia, liver failure, hyperacidity, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer (outside the acute stage).
You should also be aware that long-term use of large doses of nicotinic acid can lead to the development of fatty liver. To prevent this complication, it is recommended to include rich foods in the diet, or prescribe methionine and other lipotropic agents.
Vitamin PP, like many other vitamins, is not one, but two different substances. However, unlike all other vitamins, these two substances differ significantly from each other. Moreover, these differences are manifested not only in their structure, but also in the functions and work in the body itself.
It would seem: why in this case not make both components different vitamins? The fact is that both types of vitamin PP interact with each other, in many cases replace one another and are generally quite closely related. But more on that…
Vitamin PP: nicotinic acid
Vitamin PP, all its names and properties
The names of the two substances referred to by the term "vitamin PP" are nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. Both of these are often called vitamin B3, and sometimes (by mistake) nicotinic acid itself is often also called niacin.
Everyone who saw a threat to health in these names should immediately be reassured: nicotinic acid does not have the harmful properties characteristic of nicotine. Moreover, the transformation of these substances from one into another cannot occur in the human body, despite their chemical proximity. Therefore, you should not be afraid that taking nicotinic acid can cause an effect characteristic of tobacco smoke. And vice versa, one should not hope that frequent and heavy smoking will eliminate the lack of vitamin PP in the body: cases when smokers suffer from a lack of nicotinic acid are quite common.
Interestingly, nicotinic acid has been known to science longer than most other vitamins. Already in 1873, the Austrian chemist Hugo Weidel managed to synthesize this substance under artificial conditions, and it was known to science even earlier. That's just about useful properties Few people knew him then.
For a physicist, the difference between nicotinic acid and nicotinamide is not so significant. Both of these substances are a colorless crystalline powder, hardly soluble in cold water, but soluble in hot water. In most other solvents, they are practically insoluble. Vitamin PP is not afraid high temperatures, but at the same time it easily breaks up in the light, so its preparations are stored in places protected from the sun.
But even for a physician and a physiologist, the properties of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide are so different that they should even be described separately.
The work of vitamin PP in the body
The most remarkable is the fact that most of the nicotinic acid entering the body is converted here into nicotinamide, and that, in turn, is part of a special substance called NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), and then, in this form, participates in a huge amount of oxidative recovery reactions. Without it, any processes of protein synthesis, obtaining, using and storing energy, and metabolism are unthinkable. This compound is involved in reactions in every cell of our body. And in general, today there is not a single living organism living independently, in the cells of which NAD would not be contained.
It was this interconversion that served as the basis for naming both substances - nicotinic acid and nicotinamide - with the same name.
However, in addition to this, both nicotinic acid and nicotinamide are also involved in other processes in the body as independent substances. And here their paths, one might say, diverge.
So, nicotinic acid performs the following functions in the body:
Regulation of blood cholesterol levels
This function of niacin has been known to physicians for a long time, but only a few decades ago, detailed studies of the effect of nicotinic acid on the condition of patients with atherosclerosis showed the full strength of its influence.
Nicotinic acid is able to very effectively regulate the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which is a combination of substances of a protein-fatty nature - lipoproteins. Three types of them are known, differing in the density of their molecules - high, medium and low density. Of these, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) - the so-called "good" cholesterol, are not only safe, but also useful and essential: cell membranes and blood vessel walls are built from them in the body.
Lipoproteins of medium and low density (LSP and LDL) - this is the very "bad" cholesterol, which is main reason blockage of blood vessels and the development of atherosclerosis. Due to the fact that all lipoproteins are chemically very similar, it is very difficult for physicians to fight one type of them, but at the same time not affect another. Niacin can do this.
According to the results of research and observation of patients, scientists have found that regular intake of nicotinic acid:
- improves the condition of blood vessels and reduces the risk of developing vascular diseases;
- improves the condition of survivors of a heart attack and reduces the likelihood of a second attack.
Interestingly, the vascular support effect persists for many years after patients stop taking vitamin PP. This is due to the fact that the deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels is a rather long process, and if the vessels are properly cleaned, if problems arise with them, then only after a long period of time.
Also noteworthy is the ability of vitamin PP to regulate the activity and quantity of a special form of "bad" cholesterol - lipoprotein A, a very heavy, viscous and sticky substance. This is perhaps the most important pest of the arteries, since it is he who settles on the walls in the largest quantities and prevents normal blood flow. Today in medicine there is no drug that can effectively deal with the deposition of lipoprotein A on the walls of blood vessels. The only drug that can prevent this process is nicotinic acid.
Maintenance of energy processes throughout the body
At the same time, not only the general vigor and energy of the body, but also all energy processes in cells depend on the presence of nicotinic acid. Thus, the processes of production of new tissues and cells, metabolic reactions are supported.
Participation in cellular and tissue respiration
Cell respiration itself is the same metabolic process as many others. Therefore, the good condition and, for example, to a large extent depends on the normal content of vitamin PP in the body.
Expansion of the walls of blood vessels
This is another way to support the circulatory system, no less important than the regulation of blood cholesterol. In addition, with the participation of vitamin PP, fibrinogen is decomposed in the blood, which lowers its viscosity and thins it.
Shows detoxifying properties
Thanks to vitamin PP, many toxins and harmful substances are neutralized in the blood, as well as in the cells themselves. With this, niacin continues the work of the liver to protect the body from various poisons.
Decreased blood triglyceride levels
This is especially important for those who suffer from diabetes. Due to the presence of triglycerides in the blood, the symptoms of type 2 diabetes worsen and hypertension increases. Vitamin PP is able to reduce the content of triglycerides in the blood and significantly reduce the manifestations of diabetes.
Nicotinamide and its functions
Nicotinamide, on the other hand, has several other properties. Unlike nicotinic acid, it is not able to dilate blood vessels, but at the same time, to the same extent as nicotinic acid, it participates in various metabolic and energy reactions in the body.
In addition, nicotinamide does not show the same pronounced properties to regulate the amount and quality of cholesterol in the blood. But at the same time, it is more effective in supporting diabetic patients. When it is used, both the amount of insulin needed by the body decreases and the risk of disease of the pancreas itself decreases. Scientists and doctors have verified that with regular consumption of nicotinamide, the likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes is halved.
In addition, nicotinamide contributes to the maintenance of normal metabolism in the joints and bones and is therefore often used as a prophylactic agent to combat joint diseases.
Interestingly, nicotinamide shows the ability to neutralize some dangerous viruses. And he does it on his own. However, often nicotinamide exhibits antioxidant properties and supports the body's defense system.
A common property for both substances is their ability to have a mild sedative and sedative effect. That is why vitamin PP is often prescribed to all those suffering from headaches and nervous disorders, sometimes even such serious ones as schizophrenia, depression and alcoholism.
Deficiency of vitamin PP in the body
The main sign of a lack of vitamin PP in the body is pellagra, a complex disease that leads to damage to many organs and tissues of the body, and after a few years without treatment, to death. It can manifest itself in different ways - in the form of ulcers, psoriasis, dementia, persistent diarrhea and dermatitis. In medicine, pellagra is called so - "the disease of three D": diarrhea, dermatitis and dementia. External manifestations of this disease are:
- skin damage, especially in places that are exposed to sunlight: dermatitis, ulcers;
- loss of appetite;
- earlier baldness;
- tongue inflammation;
- diarrhea and indigestion;
- nervous disorders: irritability, depression, insomnia;
- development of dementia. At the same time, dementia itself is not a symptom of a lack of vitamin PP, but it is its progress in a previously healthy person that is a reliable sign;
- pain in the limbs, neuritis, paralysis.
At the same time, hypovitaminosis PP is not such a rare disorder: in Russia alone, several thousand patients suffering from a lack of vitamin PP are registered annually.
As a rule, vitamin PP deficiency is most often associated with an improper diet. In particular, in the absence of a special amino acid tryptophan in the diet, the risk of vitamin PP deficiency increases sharply. The most well-known mass cases of pellagra are its outbreaks in those countries and regions of the world where corn was the basis of nutrition - there is almost no methionine in it.
An important factor that increases the risk of developing hypovitaminosis RR and pellagra is chronic alcoholism. With it, the absorption of vitamin PP in the intestine decreases and an acute deficiency may occur.
the best way to avoid the development of hypovitaminosis PP is the correct balanced diet. For its formation, it is necessary to know the main sources of vitamin PP for the body.
Sources of vitamin PP
Vitamin PP is found in many foods. Cereals are very rich in them, especially from whole grains. Buckwheat, barley, wheat, oats, rye - all this excellent sources niacin.
Legumes are also rich in nicotinic acid - beans, peas, soybeans, beans, peanuts. Slightly less, but still a lot, of niacin in nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Pineapples and dates are good sources of niacin, and tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes, and carrots contain a lot of it.
Good sources of vitamin PP are meat and dairy products, fish and eggs.
It is important to note that heat treatment has little effect on the preservation of vitamin PP, so its amount is approximately the same in raw and in dishes prepared from them.
Many herbs are rich in vitamin PP. Alfalfa, cayenne, fennel, burdock, chamomile, ginseng, mint, parsley, nettle, clover, hops, horsetail, sorrel, sage, oats, raspberry leaves, and many more provide us with plenty of this vitamin.
In certain quantities, albeit in very small quantities, vitamin PP is produced by liver cells from tryptophan and in very small doses by intestinal microflora. However, these amounts are not enough to meet all the body's needs for vitamin PP. In addition, both tryptophan and nicotinic acid are found in many products together, but for the synthesis of one niacin molecule in the liver, 60 tryptophan molecules are required. Therefore, obtaining vitamin PP with food remains the main source of it for the body.
In the modern food industry, vitamin PP is registered as an independent food additive E375. However, due to the presence of certain contraindications for the vitamin in many countries, including Russia, the E375 additive is included in the composition of those prohibited for use in food products.
The body's need for vitamin PP
For an adult, 15-20 mg is considered, with elevated physical activity- 25 mg.
Children at the age of one year need to consume about 6 mg of vitamin PP per day, at the age of 10 years - 10-15 mg, during puberty - about 21 mg for boys and 18 mg for girls.
These are the normal amounts of vitamin PP that a healthy body should receive in order to ensure all its functions and prevent pellagra and some other diseases. But main feature vitamin PP are precisely its medicinal properties.
Vitamin PP as a medicine
Of all the vitamins, only vitamin PP in modern medicine is considered a real drug. Due to the fact that vitamin PP hypovitaminosis is a typical fatal disease, the vitamin itself is a remedy for it and is often prescribed on its own, without additional drugs.
In addition to pellagra, other diseases are also treated with vitamin PP. Among them:
- liver diseases: cirrhosis, chronic and acute hepatitis;
- spasms of the vessels of the extremities and the brain;
- various neuritis;
- atherosclerosis and high blood cholesterol;
- long non-healing wounds and ulcers, both external and internal;
- various infectious diseases;
- malabsorption, Harntup's disease;
- hyperthyroidism;
- fever
- diabetes;
- osteoarthritis;
- various tumors.
In addition, increased amounts of vitamin PP are prescribed for those who are addicted to nicotine and drugs, as well as in the case of multiple pregnancies. Additional amounts of vitamin PP are needed for nursing mothers.
Medicinal doses of vitamin PP
Due to the ability to dissolve in water, vitamin PP preparations can be used orally or parenterally. In this case, the therapeutic dose for an adult suffering from pellagra is 50-100 mg 3-4 times a day, for children - 10-50 mg 2-3 times a day.
In addition, injection of vitamin PP subcutaneously or intramuscularly is often used. At the same time, 1-2 ml of a 1% or 2.5% vitamin solution is administered in one injection once or twice a day.
At the same time, vitamin PP has a wide range of contraindications and various side effects.
So, it is not recommended to use it for hemorrhages, various urinary tract disorders, gout, glaucoma and arterial hypotension. It is forbidden to use vitamin PP as a medicine for peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
With prolonged use of high doses of vitamin PP, obvious signs of hypervitaminosis may develop:
- violent rushes of blood to the upper part of the body, especially to the face and head;
- diarrhea, vomiting, peptic ulcers;
- dry skin, pruritus;
- drying of the mucous membrane of the eyes;
- fatty degeneration of the liver;
- asthenia.
In addition, when injecting large doses of vitamin PP, allergic reactions often appear in the form of various rashes and redness of the skin. treatment with vitamin PP can cause sepsis, so you should definitely consult your doctor before using these drugs.
Interaction of vitamin PP with other substances in the body
Also, vitamin PP is a kind of opponent and antagonist of aspirin, and their combined use leads to the absence of the effect of both drugs.
In general, vitamin PP, like any medicine, is necessary for our body in small quantities and can be dangerous in case of an overdose. Therefore, each of us without fail should correctly compose a diet that will contain a sufficient amount of this vitamin, but not abuse it in the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
