Niacinamide Turns Out To Be a Potent Candida-Killing Nutrient

Aug. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- Niacinamide (also called nicotinamide) is a form of vitamin B3 (niacin) that drastically disrupts the reproduction of Candida albicans — offering a new approach to dealing with a nagging health problem.

The medical profession is well aware of severe Candida infections in immune compromised individuals.  However, the medical profession has been the major cause of an epidemic of Candida overgrowth in otherwise healthy people due to their overuse of antibiotics.  Complicating matters is the excessive intake of French fries, potato chips, corn chips, sugar, and alcohol — all of which fuel Candida reproduction, or act as a metabolic fuel to increase Candida severity.

It is my estimate that over half the U.S. population struggles with some degree of Candida imbalance that is stressful to health, while up to 20% have had long-term issues with the problem that have significantly influenced quality of health.  

In the current study, researchers found that niacinamide directly disrupted key Candida reproductive enzymes leading to weaker strains of Candida, an inability to form infectious biofilms, and gross aberrations in the DNA of Candida.  This is all good news for humans and bad news for Candida. Niacinamide is virtually free of side effects as long as a total dose does not pass 3,000 mgs per day.  Niacinamide is similar to niacin, but does not have any flushing or any ability to lower cholesterol.

The study is very interesting to me because I have used a product high in niacinamide to help people overcome stubborn nail fungus problems.  The product was originally designed to help strengthen all forms of body tissue (bone, collagen, connective tissue, and cartilage).  I put a fairly large dose of niacinamide in it (350 mgs per daily dose) because niacinamide, unlike niacin, is known to stimulate the cartilage-building chondrocytes.  Over the past 15 years people using the product have reported that their nail issues had improved.  No other structural support product I have designed works as well for this purpose. I assumed it was effective because it was making the nail bed stronger and Candida cannot live in healthy body tissue — I did not suspect that niacinamide may also be acting as an antifungal.

Candida albicans is a normal inhabitant of your digestive tract and sinuses.  It needs to be kept in a friendly condition so it can perform its needed recycling functions that are important to your health.  Imbalance is often addressed with acidophilus or other natural nutrients.  Niacinamide is another tool in the tool box and likely to be highly synergistic with other Candida-balancing strategies.

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Wellness Resources is a family owned nutritional supplement company based in Minneapolis, MN. The founder, Byron Richards, CCN is the author of "Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA's Betrayal of America."