Understanding the benefits of Vitamin B3 in your kid's diet

Vitamin B3 is an important micronutrient for your child’s diet. Also known as niacin, this water-soluble vitamin offers a horde of benefits for your child’s body, ranging from the skin to protection from diseases to smooth cognitive functioning, among other benefits. There are two main forms of niacin: nicotinic acid and niacinamide. Both are available in food sources. The key role of niacin or vitamin B3 is synthesizing two specific co-enzymes: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). These two co-enzymes play a big role in over 400 reactions in the human body and help obtain energy from food. As all B vitamins are water-soluble, they are barely stored by the liver and are mostly flushed out via urine.

Therefore, replenishing your child’s niacin or vitamin B3 levels daily is important. A fun fact about niacin is that the human body cannot produce the vitamin by itself. But it can make small quantities of it from tryptophan (an amino acid) found in animal meat and foods. Therefore, it is important to understand the benefits of vitamin B3 before adding it to your kid’s diet.

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Vitamin B3 Daily Requirement for Children

Your child requires an adequate amount of vitamin B3 in your child’s diet to help prevent diseases and maintain the smooth functioning of their body. Accordingly,

• Children aged 4 to 6 years require 9 milligrams (mg) of niacin daily. 
• Children aged 7 to 9 need 11 mg of niacin every day.
• Kids aged 10 to 12 must include between 14 to 15 mg of niacin per day.
• Teens aged 13 to 15 should consume between 16 and 19 mg of niacin every day. 

Vitamin B3 Deficiency

It is important to meet the recommended daily allowance of niacin for children, as its deficiency can cause a host of health issues and diseases. Vitamin B3 deficiency is rare in Western countries, as it mainly affects people who are malnourished, impoverished, engage in alcohol abuse, or other medical issues. Severe niacin deficiency can cause pellagra, which mostly occurs in developing countries and can be treated with niacinamide supplementation. Some symptoms of vitamin B3 include - 

• Skin rash when exposed to sun
• Fatigue
• Bright red tongue
• Constipation or diarrhea 
• Memory loss
• Headache
• Loss of appetite

Vitamin B3 Benefits for Your Child’s Health

1. Boosts Metabolism And Digestive System

Vitamin B3 plays a major role in the conversion of consumed fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into energy that the human body can use. It also aids in the proper functioning of your kid’s digestive system by increasing the efficiency of nutrient absorption. This makes vitamin B3 a wonderful helping hand for the important digestive and enzymatic reactions of the human body. 

2. Improves Heart Health

Vitamin B3 has been linked with improved cardiovascular health and reduced risk of heart disease. It not only helps lower bad cholesterol and improves good cholesterol levels but also helps control high levels of blood pressure or hypertension. 

3. Repairs DNA

Niacin, or vitamin B3 is important for maintaining and repairing your child’s DNA. The particular B vitamin ensures that the cells replicate correctly without any genetic mutations. This can put parents at ease as vitamin B3 contributes much to healthy cell division and proper growth. 

4. Maintains Skin Health

Vitamin B3 is essential for fortifying the skin’s barrier function and maintaining beautiful, healthy skin. Also, vitamin B3 has been credited for being beneficial for children with skin conditions like acne and eczema. 

Therefore, it is very important to maintain adequate amounts of vitamin B3 or niacin in your child’s diet. This can be done quite easily with the following kinds of foods: 

Vitamin B3-Rich Food Sources For Kids

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1. Chicken

Try to incorporate more chicken breast and not thighs, as the former are doubly richer in vitamin B3 compared to the latter. 

2. Potatoes

It does not matter whether the potato’s skin was on or not, potatoes remain a good source of niacin in children. Try to feed less fried, and more baked, grilled, or air-fried potato dishes to your kids, to derive maximum nourishment for your children. 

3. Green Peas

An exceptional source of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin B3, green peas make an excellent addition to your child’s diet, in diverse forms, from curries, gravies, soups, to kachoris.

4. Peanuts

Peanuts and peanut butter, when consumed in moderation, turn out to be excellent sources of niacin, while offering the body healthy fats and other micronutrients.

5. Button Mushrooms

Button Mushrooms are some of the top vegetarian foods that offer lots of niacin and vitamin D to children. Try to include them more in curries, or sautee them in butter and serve. 

Conclusion

Vitamin B3 or niacin is an important nutrient for your children as their days will be unfulfilled and daunting without proper energy. Incorporate foods rich in vitamin B3 in your kid’s diet, according to this guide, and watch how your kids thrive and bloom in health and life.