Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 2

Vitamin B3 (niacin) has a historical association with the treatment of schizophrenia, predominantly based on the work of Abram Hoffer and colleagues in the 1950s and 1960s. Hoffer promoted high-dose niacin therapy as part of an "orthomolecular" approach, hypothesizing that niacin could correct biochemical imbalances underlying schizophrenia. Several small, early studies and anecdotal reports suggested possible benefits, but these studies were generally uncontrolled or methodologically weak by modern standards. Mainstream psychiatry has not adopted niacin as a standard treatment, and most well-designed clinical trials have failed to demonstrate significant efficacy. Systematic reviews and authoritative guidelines do not support the use of vitamin B3 for schizophrenia, citing lack of convincing evidence and potential risks from high doses. Thus, while niacin therapy persists on the fringes of alternative medicine, its use is justified primarily by tradition rather than robust scientific validation.

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