Vitamin B3 Helps Blueberries Provide Energy and Provides Many Other Health Benefits

Vitamin B3 (Niacin), much like the other B vitamins, helps the body turn fat, proteins, and carbohydrates into energy.

This vitamin also helps with proper function of the digestive system. It also promotes a normal appetite, and healthy skin and nails.

Metabolism of Fat

Niacin is crucial in the metabolism (changing into usable energy) of fat in the body.

One interesting thing about this B vitamin is that it helps the liver produce cholesterol, but it also helps lower the overall cholesterol in the body.

It does this by raising the HDL cholesterol (the beneficial cholesterol) and lowering LDL cholesterol (the cholesterol that causes problems for your heart and arteries).

Fight Aging

Not only does it fight bad cholesterol, niacin has also been proven to help fight age-related cognitive disorders and Alzheimer's disease.

The August 2004 issue of Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry showed that elderly people who ate a niacin-rich diet were less likely to have the age related decline of cognitive ability, and Alzheimer's disease.

Research has shown that Niacin can be useful for preventing and treating:

-Alzheimer's

-Cataracts

-Convulsions

-Depression

-Diabetes

-Gout

-Hallucinations

-Headaches

-Hyperactivity

-Hypothyroidism

-Inflammatory bowel disease

-Insomnia

-Menstrual pain

-Multiple sclerosis

-Osteoarthritis

-Pellagra

-Rheumatoid arthritis

-Smelling and taste disorders

-Vertigo

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