Is it possible to take too many vitamins? In short, yes.

Vitamins are essential to a healthy and balanced day and play a variety of important roles in our bodies. But research shows that it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, at least for some vitamins.

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble B vitamin found in meat, fish, nuts, legumes, brown rice, and fortified cereals. Its main role in the body is as an assistant to the cell’s molecular machinery, converting sugar into energy, creating and repairing DNA, removing dangerous metabolic waste products, and building healthy fats and “good” cholesterol. is to help.

Because it is water-soluble, excess levels of niacin are normally excreted in the urine. But new research from the Lerner Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, suggests that two of the vitamin’s breakdown products may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

In a study published in a magazine natural medicineA team led by Stanley Hazen analyzed plasma samples from 4,325 people from across the United States and Europe. In these blood samples, the research team found that the presence of two molecules produced by the breakdown of excess vitamin B3 was associated with an increased risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events.

Following this discovery, the research team showed in both humans and mice that one of these breakdown products has the ability to increase pro-inflammatory proteins in the cells lining blood vessel walls, suggesting that this increased risk may be due to increased risk. suggested a potential mechanism.

According to data from the 2018-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the average American consumes 48 mg of niacin per day, nearly three times the recommended daily intake of 16 mg. Therefore, this is a cause for concern.

Although further research is needed to confirm these results, vitamin B3 still plays an important role in maintaining a healthy, balanced diet. However, the researchers say their findings warrant further study of these effects and raise questions about mandatory vitamin fortification of cereals in the United States.

“Such obligations undoubtedly saved lives when they were first implemented more than 80 years ago, but their long-term safety, especially for more vulnerable populations, is debatable,” the authors wrote. writing.

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