niacin

noun Biochemistry.

1. nicotinic acid.

noun

1. another name for nicotinic acid

n.“pellagra-preventing vitamin in enriched bread,” 1942, coined from ni(cotinic) ac(id) + -in (2), chemical suffix; suggested by the American Medical Association as a more commercially viable name than nicotinic acid. The new name was found to be necessary because some anti-tobacco groups warned against enriched bread because it would foster the cigarette habit. [“Cooperative Consumer,” Feb. 28, 1942] n.

1. A crystalline acid that is a component of the vitamin B complex and is used to treat and prevent pellagra.nicotinic acid

1. A water-soluble organic acid belonging to the vitamin B complex that is important in carbohydrate metabolism. It is a pyridine derivative and is a precursor of the coenzyme NAD. Niacin is found in liver, fish, and whole-grain foods. Deficiency of niacin in the diet causes pellagra. Also called nicotinic acid. Chemical formula: C6H5NO2.