Niacin is written in small print on the package, doesn't give a kick, but is still needed. Why it's included — and why not the whole B-complex.
The objection first
"Why are there vitamins in it — marketing?"
The question is legitimate, and we don't return it as a compliment. In many energy drinks, B vitamins are primarily label decoration: they sound healthy, they're on the can, and the quantities often have little to do with the advertised effect.
Therefore, here's the long answer instead of the short one.
What niacin actually does
Niacin is a component of NAD and NADH — two coenzymes without which energy metabolism simply doesn't function.
An analogy: carbohydrates and fat are the fuel. Niacin is part of the engine that makes this fuel combustible in the first place. Without an engine, fuel is just liquid.
Precisely for this reason, the claims approved for niacin in the EU are deliberately unspectacular:
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contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism
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contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue
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contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system
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contributes to normal psychological function
What niacin does not do
It doesn't wake you up. It doesn't provide a kick, and it doesn't replace sleep.
Anyone with a true deficiency will notice its correction very clearly — but a true niacin deficiency is rare in Europe. Niacin is basic sustenance, not an active ingredient. If someone tells you otherwise, they're selling you something.
Why it's in our product then
Two reasons.
Firstly: Our product aims for energy, and niacin is one of the few nutrients for which the connection to energy metabolism is scientifically proven and officially confirmed. This is a lower hurdle than it sounds — but most ingredients in energy products don't clear it.
Secondly: the quantity. An ingredient only counts if there's enough of it. A serving of Nutrons contains [# insert mg Niacin] — which corresponds to [# insert % of reference intake]. [# Check: at least 15% of the reference intake, otherwise the claim cannot be made]
And why not the whole B-complex?
This is where it gets interesting, because it would have been easy: write eight B vitamins on the back, done. We decided against it.
Take vitamin B6 as an example. In high doses over a long period, it can damage peripheral nerves — tingling, numbness, abnormal sensations. Such effects have been described primarily from about 100 mg daily, with some individuals reacting more sensitively.
This value is hardly achievable through energy drinks alone; one would have to drink liters. But that's precisely the point: If an ingredient is only safe because nobody consumes that much of it, it's not a good reason to add it at all.
Our standard is therefore simple: an ingredient is included if it has a function and the quantity matches this function. Not if it looks good on the back.
"The engine makes no noise. That's why you only notice it when it's missing." — Cashew Commander
→ What else we deliberately omitted is in the article "Why there's no taurine in it."