History of Niacin in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: May 22, 2024

Niacin, or nicotinic acid, is an organic compound and a vitamer of vitamin B3, which is essential for human health. It is synthesized by plants and animals from the amino acid tryptophan. Dietary sources of niacin include fortified packaged foods, meat, poultry, tuna, salmon, nuts, legumes, and seeds. Niacin supplements are used to treat pellagra, a condition caused by niacin deficiency that manifests as skin and mouth lesions, anemia, headaches, and fatigue. To prevent pellagra, many countries require the fortification of wheat flour or other food grains with niacin.

1937: Discovery of Niacin's Role in Preventing Pellagra

In 1937, Conrad Elvehjem extracted nicotinic acid from liver and identified it as the 'pellagra-preventing factor,' significantly reducing the prevalence of pellagra.

1942: Naming of Niacin

In 1942, to avoid confusion with nicotine, the name 'niacin' was adopted for nicotinic acid. This coincided with the beginning of flour enrichment with nicotinic acid.

1951: Niacin Availability in Corn

In 1951, Carpenter found that niacin in corn is biologically unavailable unless treated with very alkaline lime water, explaining why Latin-American cultures using this method were not at risk for niacin deficiency.

1955: Niacin's Lipid-Lowering Property

In 1955, Altschul and colleagues described niacin's lipid-lowering properties, establishing it as the oldest known lipid-lowering drug.

1987: Introduction of Lovastatin

In 1987, lovastatin, the first 'statin' drug, was first marketed.

1998: 1998 Update of Niacin Recommendations

In 1998, the U.S. Institute of Medicine updated the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) and Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for niacin, also establishing Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs).

2001: Approval of Niacin-Lovastatin Combination

In 2001, the U.S. FDA approved the combination drug niacin/lovastatin (Advicor).

2008: Approval of Niacin-Simvastatin Combination

In 2008, the U.S. FDA approved the combination drug niacin/simvastatin (Simcor).

2009: Peak of Niacin Prescriptions

Niacin prescriptions in the U.S. peaked in 2009, reaching 9.4 million prescriptions.

2010: 2010 Review on Niacin

In 2010, a review concluded that niacin was effective as a mono-therapy for affecting lipid levels. However, its usefulness in reducing cardiovascular risk in patients already on statins was not established.

2014: Global Sales of Nicotinamide

In 2014, worldwide sales of nicotinamide reached 31,000 tons, primarily driven by demand for animal feed and food fortification.

2015: Institute of Medicine Renamed

In 2015, the U.S. Institute of Medicine was renamed the National Academy of Medicine.

May 2016: Niacin Daily Value Revision

On 27 May 2016, the Daily Value for niacin on U.S. food and dietary supplement labeling was revised from 20 mg to 16 mg to align with the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).

2016: Withdrawal of Niacin-Statin Combinations

In 2016, the U.S. FDA withdrew approval for the combination drugs niacin/lovastatin and niacin/simvastatin, citing lack of incremental cardiovascular benefits.

2017: 2017 Review on Niacin

A 2017 review, which included twice as many trials as previous reviews, concluded that while prescription niacin affects lipid levels, it does not reduce all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarctions, nor fatal or non-fatal strokes.

2018: Niacin Factory Emissions Discovery

In 2018, it was discovered that a niacin factory in Visp, Switzerland, was responsible for around one percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions due to nitrous oxide production.

January 2020: Compliance Date for Niacin Labeling

By 1 January 2020, manufacturers with annual food sales over $10 million were required to comply with the updated niacin labeling regulations.

2020: Global Niacin Fortification

As of 2020, 54 countries required the fortification of wheat flour with niacin or niacinamide; 14 countries also mandated the fortification of maize flour, and 6 mandated the fortification of rice.