Niacin, or vitamin B3 is known for the flush it causes when it is taken. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that does not cause a flush. There has been research showing niacinamide to be of benefit to arthritis patients. In study published in Inflammation Research (1996;45:330-334) 72 subjects with osteoarthritis received ether a placebo or 3000 mg/day of niacinamide for 12 weeks. Global arthritis worsened by 10% in the placebo group, but improved by 29% in the group receiving the niacinamide. There was no significant improvement in pain levels, but the niacinamide group was able to reduce pain medications by 13%. There was also a 22 % reduction in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (which is an indicator for inflammation) in the niacinamide group as well as a 4.5 degree increase in joint mobility. There were some mild GI side-effects in some of the subjects receiving the niacinamide.