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Natural Home Cures · Mangosteen science

Niacin
& Mangosteen

Vitamin B3: Supporting Energy Metabolism and Cellular Function

Vitamin B3 · Energy metabolism
Explore the science ↓
Editorial illustration: Niacin in the foods we eat.
The everyday food connectionNiacin in the foods we eat.Poultry is one of several dietary sources of niacin.

Niacin is vitamin B3. The body uses it to make helpers that let cells release energy from food and maintain their normal functions. Here is how that chemistry works, where B3 comes from, and what has been measured in mangosteen.

400+Enzymes require NAD,
a coenzyme made from niacin.(1)

01 · Begin with the essentials

What Is Niacin?

Niacin is a water-soluble vitamin also known as B3. Its forms include nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. The body uses absorbed niacin to make two coenzymes, the cellular helpers called NAD and NADP.(1)

02 · A vitamin becomes a cellular helper

From Niacin
to NAD and NADP.

B3Niacin
NADEnergy use & cellular maintenance
NADPBuilding molecules & antioxidant defenses

NAD and NADP are coenzymes: molecules that help enzymes carry out chemical reactions. The diagram shows how niacin becomes these helpers.(1)

03 · What does niacin do?

What NAD and NADP Help Cells Do

Conceptual mitochondrion illustrating cellular energy metabolism

Release energy from food.

NAD helps cells release energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins and use it to produce ATP, their energy carrier.(1)

Conceptual lipid membrane illustrating the substances cells build

Support fats and antioxidant systems.

NADP helps cells make fatty acids and maintain their antioxidant defenses.(1)

Conceptual DNA illustration representing cellular maintenance

Support DNA and cell signaling.

NAD also helps enzymes involved in maintaining DNA and passing signals within cells.(1)

Niacin helps cells use the energy already present in food. It supplies no calories itself.

Nutrition in focus

Niacin Adequacy and Deficiency

A severe niacin deficiency causes pellagra, which can affect the skin, digestion and nervous system. Symptoms can include a characteristic rash, diarrhea and changes in thinking or behavior.(1)

High prescription doses of nicotinic acid can alter cholesterol levels. Those doses have different risks and effects from the amounts needed for everyday nutrition.(1)

04 · Nutrients work together

The Body Can Also Use Tryptophan

TryptophanNAD

Tryptophan is an amino acid obtained from dietary protein. The body can convert some of it into NAD, although the amount made varies between people.(1)

Protein supplies the amino acid; B3 also comes directly from foods.

Which foods provide vitamin B3?

05 · B3 across the diet

A Variety of Food Sources.

Examples include poultry, fish, peanuts and grains. Enriched foods can contain added niacin.(1)

Illustrative grilled chicken breast on a ceramic plate

Poultry

Chicken and turkey

Illustrative cooked salmon on a ceramic plate

Fish

Salmon and tuna

Illustrative roasted peanuts in a ceramic bowl

Peanuts

A plant source of niacin

Illustrative oats, brown rice and wholegrain bread

Grains

Brown rice and wholegrain bread

Composition reviews also describe vitamin B3 in mangosteen pericarp.

06 · Niacin in mangosteen

Vitamin B3 Reported in Mangosteen Pericarp

60micrograms per 100 g, as listedPericarp value listed in a 2026 review.(2)

What does the review report?

The review lists 60 micrograms of vitamin B3, identified as nicotinic acid, per 100 grams of mangosteen pericarp.(2)

Natural Home Cures mangosteen capsule bottle and fresh fruit on sunlit limestone

07 · From fruit to product

Mangosteen Pericarp, Freeze-Dried

Our Freeze-Dried Rich Pericarp Mangosteen Capsules begin with the thick outer pericarp of Garcinia mangostana.

After harvest, the pericarp is freeze-dried and prepared for capsules. This keeps the pericarp as a whole botanical ingredient.

Explore our mangosteen →
The research behind this article

Source References

3 sources Show referencesHide references
  1. 01
    Nutrition referenceNiacin: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.

    National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements.

    Full citation
    National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Niacin: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.
    View source
  2. 02
    Mangosteen reviewPhytochemicals and Bioactive Properties of Mangosteen: A Comprehensive Review

    Yan et al. (2026) · Food Bioscience 79:108569 · Table 2.

    Full citation
    Yan et al. (2026). Phytochemicals and Bioactive Properties of Mangosteen: A Comprehensive Review. Food Bioscience 79:108569.
    View source
  3. 03
    Original composition studyA Study on Nutrient and Medicinal Compositions of Selected Indian Garcinia Species

    Parthsarathy & Nandakishore (2014) · Current Bioactive Compounds 10:55–61 · Table 3.

    View source ↗