Scientifically backed reasons why a Vitamin B3 niacin flush is beneficial for speeding up the process of detoxification. It is commonly experienced by those adopting nutrient-dense traditional foods into their diet for the first time or those taking B vitamin supplements. 
A common story I am told when someone first tries homemade kombucha is that they sometimes experience flushed cheeks and get a bit tingly or lightheaded. This temporary sensation, called a niacin flush, usually lasts less than ten minutes. It is triggered by the extremely bioavailable and rapidly absorbed niacin (Vitamin B3) into the bloodstream.
My very first experience with a niacin flush occurred in exactly this way when I tried the traditional Russian beverage for the first time many years ago. It still happens occasionally if I am a bit dehydrated or run down when I enjoy a glass.
There is no need to worry if this has happened to you too. A niacin flush is not harmful. Some people even find the sensation pleasant. I must admit that I find it a very relaxing experience!
The best news is that a mild niacin flush experienced when consuming traditional or supplemental whole foods like nutritional yeast (source) that contain plentiful or highly bioavailable Vitamin B3 is very helpful to gentle detoxification as well. A Vitamin C flush is another nutrient commonly used for detox purposes.
Niacin: Where to Get it and How it is Used
Vitamin B3 is one of 8 water-soluble B vitamins. It is more commonly called niacin or nicotinic acid. This important nutrient facilitates the synthesis of sex and stress-related hormones in the body by the adrenal glands and other parts of the endocrine system.
Niacin also helps suppress inflammation and improve circulation, hence the common niacin flush when a rapid infusion of the nutrient occurs in a deficient or mildly deficient individual.
While it is relatively easy to meet the body’s requirements for niacin via diet alone, many people remain at least mildly deficient due to an imbalanced gut environment which impairs absorption from food and limits synthesis of B3 via beneficial gut microbes (1).
Deficiency symptoms which most commonly present in those who consume too much alcohol and sugar include:
- Indigestion
- Fatigue
- Canker sores
- Vomiting
- Poor circulation
- Depression
Symptoms of a Niacin Flush
People vary widely in the sensations experienced from the inclusion of additional niacin to the diet. As little as 50 mg can cause a niacin flush in some people who are mildly deficient, while it may take significantly larger doses in others who maintain good overall Vitamin B3 status to experience the same effect.
Symptoms of a niacin flush can include a pleasant warming of the cheeks, prickliness in the extremities and mild lightheadedness similar to what is experienced by drinking a glass of wine before dinner.
Hence, some people incorrectly assume that they are buzzed from the minute amount of alcohol in fermented beverages like kombucha, and this is what is responsible for the niacin flush. In actuality, it is the presence of highly bioavailable B3 that has caused the reaction – not alcohol.
Other niacin flush symptoms for those who are severely deficient can be more problematic. These include stomach pain and/or nausea, rapid heartbeat, skin itching, or rash.
If the mild vasodilation caused by a niacin flush is uncomfortable in any way, a cold shower will quickly dissipate the sensations which only last a few minutes anyway if nothing is done.
Most people rapidly adjust to the effects of consuming niacin. Flushing from niacin taken either via supplements or traditional foods that are rich in bioavailable B vitamins occurs with less frequency as time goes on eventually ceasing entirely most of the time.
Rapid Detoxification from Vitamin B3
Incorporating more niacin into the diet via traditional foods has been found to greatly assist the body in improving natural detoxification pathways. In some extreme cases where individuals have been exposed to highly toxic situations, gradual increases in niacin dosage can prove beneficial. According to Joseph Mercola DO:
In terms of dosage, people exposed to highly toxic situations, such as the 9/11 firefighters, are slowly worked up to a dose of 5,000 milligrams (mg) of niacin over the course of 30 days. Ordinarily however, 100 mg of niacin, once to twice per week [emphasis added], will be sufficient for most people, in combination with exercise and/or post-exercise sauna or a hot cleansing bath to draw out the toxins (2).
The benefits of a niacin flush to boost detoxification efforts were described and published in 2005 in the Journal of Internal Medicine. Researcher L.A. Carlsen described the use of nicotinic acid to treat extremely high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia). He found that doses of niacin cause what is termed “rebound lipolysis”. This involves initial inhibiting of the breakdown of fats for a short period of time followed by a detoxification rebound causing a large and simultaneous release of triglycerides and toxic chemicals from the tissues (3). These toxins are then free to be expelled from the body either via the gastrointestinal tract or the skin.
Nicotinic Acid Detox Program
This research then led to protocols to help those in drug rehab recover more quickly. Since drug toxins are stored in fat tissue and niacin ruptures those fat cells to force the release of the toxins, the idea was to eliminate all the drug residue that would cause a person in recovery to suffer drug cravings after kicking the habit. The protocol worked so well that the use of niacin for normal detoxification efforts by non-drug users gained popularity among holistically oriented practitioners.
One very popular niacin detox program is advocated by George Yu MD. He suggests a protocol for detoxification using gradual increasing dosages of niacin combined with sweating via exercise and sauna. His interesting ten-minute talk on the subject is embedded below.
The only catch: do not use buffered niacinamide which doesn’t cause you to flush and tingle. The most effective kind of niacin for detoxification causes a full-blown niacin flush.
Have you experienced the effects of a Vitamin B3 flush before? Did you enjoy the sensation or did it bother you? Have you continued to experience them or have they faded away as your practice of traditional diet became more routine?
References
(1) Bioavailable Vitamin Content in Kombucha
(2) Human nutrition, the gut microbiome, and immune system: envisioning the future
(3) Niacin, Exercise, and Sauna: Simple and Effective Detox
(4) Nicotinic Acid: The Broad-Spectrum Lipid Drug. A 50th Anniversary Review
More Information
Coffee Enema to Assist Detoxification from the GI Tract
Seaweed Wrap: Detoxing from the Skin
7 Ways to Avoid Detox Symptoms on a Cleanse
Top 4 Cleansing Myths to Watch Out For
Natural Deworming Methods that are Safe and Effective
How to Gently Detox in Preparation for Pregnancy
Rebounding: A Great Way to Gently Detox
About 6 months ago I bought a 500 mg nicotinic acid supplement. Roughly an hour after taking it I get completely red and blotchy from head to foot, and my skin feels itchy, tingly and hot. After that effect wears off I begin to feel cold and have a strong desire to go somewhere hot. One time I went out in the sun when it was hot outside, and it felt therapeutic. I find it to have a temporary calming effect. Because it takes about 3 hours for the side effects to end, I don’t take it regularly. After reading this article, I will try to take it more often.
I have been having a few flushes since I went on a diet of Whole Foods, fermented foods, and bone broths. It is just like a sunburn and it only lasts for about 30minutes. I’ve also been doing a lot of detoxes. The only difference is it’s on my face and neck and arms ?♀️
I was so concerned by this piece I looked up the citations and actual research that is supposed to back up niacin therapy. My memory was that it had been discredited some time ago.
To cut a long story short I recommend everyone at least read this summary (well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/16/3-things-to-know-about-niacin-and-heart-health/) and bear in mind that the main more recent sources cited in support of niacin therapy were sponsored by Merck and Abbott who were interested in improving statin performance (actually very weak) by combining statins with niacin, but needed to overcome the quaintly described patient resistance- caused by some truly horrible side effects (against which the drug companies happily recommend you pop some NSAIDs despite their link to peptic ulcers which niacin can also exacerbate.)
I get it that Kombucka and yeast suppliers have an interest in pushing the benefits of niacin to explain reactions to their drink/supplement- but I care about the health of those reading this piece and who are encouraged to press on regardless of shrieks from their bodies, by the message that the side effects are harmless.
The New York Times is so bought off by Big Pharma, I quite honestly would take anything this organization puts out about health with a HUGE grain of salt!
I think your research needs to go alot further. Maybe some testimonials also. See the LPa Foundation and other groups. Niacin indeed can lower LPa. Should have a doctor or naturopath consult. My doctor has LPa and it has lowered his numbers. Check out Beat the Heart Attack Gene by Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen. Also their Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention Center in Spokane, WA and Lubbock, TX.
I take 1500mg of Enduracin for my little known inherited lipid called LP(a). I take 750mg twice a day at a doctor’s guidance. I slowly worked my dosages up to that amount over a couple of months. The prickliness with added post-menopausal hot flashes were not fun. I have little fans planted in all rooms.
The prickliness has now subsided. I encourage everyone when they get their chlolesterol lipids taken they ask for the LP(a) or lipoprotein little ‘a’ tested at the same time. It is a cheap test ($20). Niacin has helped for many to lower the number, even with it being genetic. Its not a typical test given because physicians believe ‘what’s the point if its genetic?’. The point is if you do test with high numbers one certainly can take the other possible elevated cholesterol numbers more seriously and do something with diet and exercise. Even extreme athletes with LPa and the healthiest of diets can be struck down with a stroke or heart attack (TV’s Biggest Loser host Bob Harper is one). 20% of our population have LPa. Its not called the triple murderer or widow-maker for nothing.
So what if you have pathogens like lyme and a lot of toxins stored in your system and then take niacin, can this have a negative effect if your already dealing with pathogens, toxins and detoxification issues?. I’d like to add niacin into my health regime but I am a little unsure if it will bring up more issues than what it will help. Any advice would be great, thanks.
That’s where combining it with things like an infrared sauna or coffee enema comes in. You want to get those pathways of elimination open to get the toxins out. Taking a binder (chlorella, zeolite, charcoal, etc.) in tandem with these methods will keep the toxins from recirculating also.
I bought some 500 Mg Niacin at the local Rite Aid. I wanted to start taking it after hearing what Abram Hoffer says about it on a YouTube video. He’s wrote a book entitled “Feel better live longer with vitamin B3” niacin can help with many mental issues like depression, insomnia, anxiety, etc. You have to build up to higher doses though from what I understand. I’m taking it to boost my mood and help with insomnia along with overall health. When I first took a 500Mg dose on a empty stomach, within ten minutes I started to flush. It got pretty intense for me to say the least. I eventually took a cool shower which made me shiver uncontrollably for about 15 minutes. Afterwards, I started to feel pretty good as the flush began to subside. The flush lasted for almost two hours for me but began to get less intense about an hour after taking the dose. Even though the flush was uncomfortable, I’m still taking it everyday but I cut up the pills and spread out the dosages so I don’t have such an intense flush. I’m working to build up my dose gradually over time. From what I’ve read, your body builds a tolerance to it and eventually you can take pretty high doses and no longer flush.
I get the same reaction as a niacin flush with both niacin as well as immediately following a small drink, 2oz, of mikes hard lemonade black cherry. Is there a connection?
Niacin is a great way to get more oxygen moving through your body and to flush out toxins. The Flush is just proof this is working and should be embraced. It’s interesting what you said about it being used in drug rehab – I had never even thought about this application.