DAILYMAIL.com
A vitamin added to cereals, bread and pasta might be linked to heart disease, a study found.
Niacin, found in many breakfast cereals and other ‘enriched’ or ‘fortified’ products, is a common B vitamin previously recommended to lower cholesterol.
But researchers found a chemical called 4PY, created when the body breaks down excess niacin, is strongly associated with heart attacks, strokes and cardiac conditions.
Dr Stanley Hazen, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said niacin could be a ‘previously unrecognised yet significant contributor’ to the development of cardiovascular disease.
‘The main takeaway is not that we should cut out our entire intake of niacin [but] a discussion over whether a continued mandate of flour and cereal fortification with niacin could be warranted,’ he said.
For decades, it has been a legal requirement to fortify all white flour sold in the UK with niacin.
The amount that must be added — 2.4mg per 100g — was increased by the Government in 2022.
Niacin deficiency can cause a potentially lethal condition called pellagra.
Symptoms include inflamed skin, sores in the mouth, diarrhoea and even dementia.
According to the NHS, the recommended daily allowance of niacin is 16.5mg for men and 13.2mg for women.
However, in their study, published in Nature Medicine, the researchers found one in four individuals was getting too much and had high levels of 4PY in their blood.
Dr Hazen said: ‘Niacin’s effects have always been somewhat of a paradox.
‘Despite lowering cholesterol, the clinical benefits have always been less than anticipated.
‘This led to the idea that excess niacin caused unclear adverse effects that partially counteracted the benefits of cholesterol-lowering.
‘We believe our findings help explain this paradox.
Revealed: The foods that contain niacin
For decades, it has been a legal requirement to fortify all white flour sold in the UK with niacin. The amount that must be added — 2.4mg per 100g — was increased by the Government in 2022.
Many breakfast cereals are ‘fortified’ with niacin:
- Kellogg’s Corn Flakes: 13mg/100g
- Ready Brek contains 14mg/100g
- Weetabix: 14mg/100g
- Shreddies: 11mg/100g
One tablet of Berocca, the popular daily multivitamin, contains 50mg.
A single chicken breast, weighing around 150g, provides 12.3mg. One large potato, meanwhile, has around 4.2mg.