FEBRUARY 18: BOOST YOUR NIACIN (VITAMIN B3)

29 Days to a Healthier Heart

The lipid-lowering activity of niacin was first described in the 1950s. It is now known that it does much more than lower total cholesterol. Specifically, it has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, and fibrinogen levels, while simultaneously raising HDL cholesterol levels.

The famed Coronary Drug Project demonstrated that niacin was the only lipid-lowering agent to actually reduce overall mortality. Its effects are long-lasting, as demonstrated in a 15-year follow-up study which showed that the long-term death rate for patients treated with it was still 11% lower than the group receiving a placebo, even though the treatment had been discontinued in most patients many years earlier. In contrast, patients treated with certain drugs actually experienced an increased mortality.

What about the side effects?
The side effects of niacin are well known. The most common and bothersome side-effect is the skin flushing that typically occurs 20-30 minutes after the it is taken. Taking it with meals helps to reduce this side effect. After several weeks at a consistent dose, most patients no longer flush.

Other occasional side effects of niacin include gastric irritation, nausea, and liver damage. The safest form of it at present is inositol hexanicinate or inositol nicotinate. This form of niacin has long been used in Europe to lower cholesterol levels and also to improve blood flow. It is much better tolerated than standard niacin, in terms of both flushing and more importantly long-term side effects.

-Dr Karen Hack, BHSc, ND

Link to the Coronary Drug Project: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2044644