NICOTINIC ACID (NIACIN) 



7. C. W. Denko, W. E. Grundy, N. C. Wheeler, C. R. Henderson, 



G. H. Berryman, T. E. Friedemann and J. B. Youmans, Arch. 

 Biochem., 1946, 11, 109. 



8. S. W. Hardwick, Lancet, 1946, 1, 267. 

 8a. A. C. Frazer, Brit. Med. J., 1949, 2, 731. 



9. A. H. Winegar, P. B. Pearson and H. Schmidt, Science, 1940, 91, 



508 : /. Nutrition, 1940, 20, 551. 



10. G. M. Briggs, T. D. Luckey, L. J. Teply, C. A. Elvehjem and E. B. 



Hart, /. Biol. Chem., 1943, 148, 517. 



11. W. J. Dann, ibid., 1941, 141, 803. 



12. J. W. Huff and W. A. Perlzweig, ibid., 1941, 142, 401. 



13. W. A. Krehl, P. S. Sarma, L. J. Teply and C. A. Elvehjem, /. 



Nutrition, 1946, 31, 85. 



14. W. A. Krehl, L. M. Henderson, J. de la Huerga and C. A. Elvehjem, 



/. Biol. Chem., 1946, 166, 531. 



15. L. M. Henderson, T. Deodhar, W. A. Krehl and C. A. Elvehjem, 



ibid., 1947, 170, 261. 



16. O. Olcese, P. B. Pearson and P. Sparks, /. Nutrition, 1949, 39, 



93. 



12. ANIMAL AND HU2VIAN REQUIREMENTS 

 OF NICOTINIC ACID 



Estimates of the nicotinic acid requirements of animals and man 

 must necessarily be provisional until more data are available concern- 

 ing the conditions necessary for intestinal synthesis and the propor- 

 tion of the total requirements that can be provided from this source. 



Human requirements have been estimated to be 8 to 10 mg. per 

 day 1 or about no to 140 /xg. per kg. of bodyweight. Adult dogs and 

 puppies required 200 to 225 and 250 to 365 /u,g. per kg. of bodyweight 

 per day respectively,^ and protection against blacktongue was secured 

 by the presence in the diet of 2 mg. per kg.^ Growing chicks were 

 protected from blacktongue by a diet containing 18 mg. of nicotinic 

 acid per kg.'* Young growing pigs required 100 to 200 /^g. per kg. of 

 bodyweight per day,^ whilst young rabbits were said to require 10 mg. 

 per kg. of bodyweight per day,^ a considerably larger amount than is 

 required by any other species of animal. 



As already stated, rats and horses synthesise nicotinic acid and 

 can thrive on a nicotinic acid-free diet, provided tryptophan is present. 



The National Research Council (U.S.A.) in 1941 estimated the 

 nicotinic acid requirements of a very active man, a sedentary man, 

 a very active woman and a sedentary woman at 23, 15, 18 and 12 mg. 

 per day respectively. Amounts equal to 70 % of these values were 

 used as the basis of the rationing system adopted in this country 

 during the 1939-45 war, with satisfactory results. In 1945 the N.R.C. 



272 



