UPSC Prelims Current Affairs for 26 February 2026

Vitamin B3 Latest News

Scientists recently discovered that vitamin B3 supplementation, when tested in mice, can successfully treat a devastating genetic disease known as NAXD deficiency.

About Vitamin B3

• Vitamin B3, or Niacin, is a water-soluble vitamin.
• Niacin is naturally present in many foods, added to some food products, and available as a dietary supplement.
• There are two main chemical forms of niacin:
  • nicotinic acid
  • niacinamide (sometimes called nicotinamide)
• Your body gets niacin through food, but it also makes small amounts from the amino acid tryptophan, which can be found in protein sources like turkey and other animal foods.
• Function:
  • Niacin works in the body as a coenzyme, with more than 400 enzymes dependent on it for various reactions. 
  • Niacin helps to convert nutrients into energy, create cholesterol and fats, create and repair DNA, and exert antioxidant effects. 
• Food Sources: A niacin deficiency is rare because it is found in many foods, both from animals and plants.
  • Red meat: beef, beef liver, pork
  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Brown rice
  • Fortified cereals and breads
  • Nuts, seeds
  • Legumes
  • Bananas 
• Deficiency:
  • A severe niacin deficiency leads to pellagra, a condition that causes a dark, sometimes scaly rash to develop on skin areas exposed to sunlight; bright redness of the tongue; and constipation/diarrhea.
  • Other signs of severe niacin deficiency include:
    • Depression
    • Headache
    • Fatigue
    • Memory loss
    • Hallucinations

What is NAD(P)HX dehydratase (NAXD)?

• It is an essential cellular enzyme that helps repair damaged forms of key metabolic molecules, ensuring normal energy production and cell survival.
• NAXD deficiency is a rare neurometabolic disease with infantile onset marked by repeated episodes of developmental regression and progressive neurodegeneration, often triggered by febrile illnesses. 
• Clinical features include lethargy, hypotonia, irritability, gait ataxia, loss of speech, movement disorders, seizures, ophthalmoplegia, and hearing loss.

Source: NM