Excess Niacin Increases Obesity Risk in Kids

DALIAN, ChinaExcess niacin consumption may be a major factor in the increased obesity prevalence in U.S. children, according to a new study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

Researchers studied the role of excess nicotinamide in glucose metabolism using co-loading of glucose and nicotinamide test. The findings reveal that excess niacin intake-induced biphasic response, i.e., insulin resistance in the early phase and hypoglycemia in the late phase, may be a primary cause for the increased appetite in obesity.

Compared with the control oral glucose tolerance test, the 1-h plasma hydrogen peroxide (1.4 +/- 0.1 mumol/L vs 1.6 +/- 0.1 mumol/L, P = 0.016) and insulin levels (247.1 +/- 129.0 pmol/L vs 452.6 +/- 181.8 pmol/L, P = 0.028) were significantly higher, and the 3-h blood glucose was significantly lower (5.8 +/- 1.2 mmol/L vs 4.5 +/- 1.1 mmol/L, P = 0.002) after co-administration of glucose and 300 mg nicotinamide. The obesity prevalence among American children increased with the increasing per capita niacin consumption, the increasing grain contribution to niacin due to niacin-fortification, and the increasing niacin-fortified ready-to-eat cereal consumption, with a 10-year lag. The regression analyses showed that the obesity prevalence in the U.S. children of all age groups was determined by niacin consumption (R2 = 0.814, 0.961 and 0.94 for 2-5 years, 6-11 years and 12-19 years age groups, respectively).