Niacin for Depression: Is It the Right Treatment?
Depression is a possible side effect If you have a niacin insufficiency. still, no substantiation that taking niacin supplements can treat all types of depression.
Different medical and life circumstances can beget depression- including not getting enough of the B vitamin niacin. But depression is a complex beast that can not just be attributed to a niacin insufficiency.
Read: Vitamin B3 To Treat Alzheimer's
Some people believe that niacin supplements help treat symptoms of depression because there's a link between depression and niacin situations.
Let's take a near look at how niacin is related to depression, and how it can help symptoms.
How are niacin and depression related?
Niacin( aka vitamin B3) is an essential B vitamin that you need for energy and to keep your cells performing.
Specifically, niacin helps convert food into energy, makes and repairs DNA, and acts as a baddie-busting antioxidant. It also contributes to healthy skin, hair, eyes, and jitters.
Depression is an internal health complaint characterized by a bad mood and patient passions of sadness and forlornness. People with depression can lose interest in the effects they enjoy, and the symptoms can take over their diurnal lives.
You can develop side goods similar as fatigue, and depression, If you do not get enough niacin. The deficiency of B vitamins, in general, can also hurt internal health.
There's also some substantiation that people with depression may be deficient in B vitamins, similar to niacin. But not everyone with depression has a niacin insufficiency. Depression has numerous implicit causes, including genetics, stressful life events, specifics, and hormones.
And like the causes, there are numerous ways to treat depression.
Can niacin help treat depression?
A 2020 beast study set up that niacin reduced depression- suchlike in mice by adding ATP( adenosine triphosphate) situations.
ATP helps supply energy in cells, and people who are depressed may have lower than normal quantities. But these results don't inescapably apply to people.
If you're diagnosed with a niacin insufficiency, taking niacin supplements will treat your insufficiency and other associated side goods, including depression.
Talk to your doctor about B vitamins and niacin scarcities before taking supplements, If you have low tone- regard or have other symptoms of depression.
Does niacin insufficiency cause depression?
Yes, in some cases, a lack of niacin or B3 can beget depression.
Niacin is involved in the conformation of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which along with dopamine helps regulate mood. Not having enough serotonin can lead to depression.
This is why numerous antidepressants, including SSRIs( picky serotonin reuptake impediments), treat depression by adding serotonin situations.
So, because low situations of niacin can also lead to low serotonin, a lack of niacin can affect your mood.
Still, some common problems can include if you have a niacin deficiency:
- depression
- attention
- apathy
- confusion
- fatigue
- memory loss
- headache
Once a person takes a niacin supplement, these symptoms generally subside.
Severe niacin insufficiency can lead to a condition called pellagra, also called a "three-dimensional complaint." Why? Because it can cause diarrhea, dermatitis, and madness if left naked. In the worst-case scenario, it could indeed lead to death.
Other ways to help treat depression still, looking at your doctor
and a therapist should be your first step in determining the right treatment.
If depression makes you sad and affects your life. There's no need to go through it alone or just "deal" with your passion.
In addition to professional care and support, there are other ways to help you manage depression.
- Try to get enough sleep. Yes, depression can cause wakefulness or oversleep. Your brain chemicals may be cursing, or anxious and worried. However, try some relaxing sleep tips, if you want to fall asleep quickly. You can also try different ways of dealing with anxiety to help clear your head before bed.
- Move your body. Relaxing exercises and movements similar to yoga can help improve mood and reduce stressful situations.
- Careful. Depression can make you feel hopeless and indeed feel ashamed. sometimes, practicing gratitude can help you feel a little inferior, or take care of a commodity differently, like growing a shop.
- Manage your mood. Depression can make you feel all over the place. Mood swings can mean hurt in a nanosecond and anger is coming. Try practicing mindfulness to allow you to feel arousal and balance your feelings.
- Reduce anxiety. Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand. Indeed, if anxiety causes symptoms that don't feel like depression in general, similar to
Conclusion
Niacin is an essential B vitamin you need for energy metabolism, cell signaling, and DNA form. You can find it in foods like beef, tuna, and peanuts.
It can lead to internal health problems, including depression and anxiety.
It's a good idea to talk to your doctor if you have low-tone- regard and ask about niacin for anxiety and depression. They can recommend necessary supplements or specified specifics. No need to handle it yourself.