Are You Struggling to Unravel the Mystery Behind Niacin and Cholesterol?
You heard on the radio that niacin could lower cholesterol so you made a bee line to your grocery store to stock up on high niacin foods.
Upon arriving you informed the store manager that you had heard niacin and cholesterol were linked and were curious as to what the food highest in niacin might be.
You were met with a blank stare and a trip to the cereal aisle.
It was good thing you did your research on niacin and cholesterol before hand, and already knew that brewer's yeast, skinless poultry, nuts, and wheat germ were what you were looking for.
But exactly what is niacin anyway? Niacin is vitamin B3 and is interchangeable with two chemical compounds nicotinic acid and nicotinamide.
Nicotinic acid reduces levels or triglycerides.
Nicotinamide does not.
Also, a far as cholesterol and niacin goes most experts believe that niacin sold in vitamin form isn't an acceptable substitute for prescription strength niacin.
The primary reason for this is that it takes a lot of niacin to reduce cholesterol levels.
Nevertheless, a deficiency in this important B vitamin can lead to symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, tension, depression, nausea, vomiting, headache, skin rashes, and tender gums.
Severe deficiencies cause pellagra, a disease whose symptoms include bad mannered visitors such as dementia, diarrhea, and dermatitis.
Niacin and cholesterol In various clinical trials taking doses of niacin up to 375 mg per day reduced total cholesterol levels by 10 percent, LDL (bad cholesterol) by 14 percent, and raised HDL (good cholesterol) by 25 percent.
In addition, niacin appears to dilate blood vessels improving blood flow through already clogged arties and reducing the chances of cholesterol buildup (plaque).
So why isn't everyone taking it? Niacin and cholesterol is delicate subject surrounded by much controversy.
It is affordable, proven to work, and can be used in addition to current medications but yet it only accounts for 5 percent of all prescription written.
The simple answer is side effects, specifically the chance of liver damage because of the high dosage requirements.
The more comprehensive list of possible side effects include reduced effectiveness of diabetes medicines, reduced effectiveness of gout/uric acid medications, reduced effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers, liver damage, and dizziness.
In summary, the subject of niacin and cholesterol is a complex one best discussed with your doctor.
It is also important to reiterate that niacin is a very important nutrient that is considered safe in low doses.
What Next? Lowering cholesterol, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as niacin, statins, or natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed.
Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol), decrease LDL (bad cholesterol levels) and reduce overall cholesterol levels to around 200 mg/dl or so.
Upon arriving you informed the store manager that you had heard niacin and cholesterol were linked and were curious as to what the food highest in niacin might be.
You were met with a blank stare and a trip to the cereal aisle.
It was good thing you did your research on niacin and cholesterol before hand, and already knew that brewer's yeast, skinless poultry, nuts, and wheat germ were what you were looking for.
But exactly what is niacin anyway? Niacin is vitamin B3 and is interchangeable with two chemical compounds nicotinic acid and nicotinamide.
Nicotinic acid reduces levels or triglycerides.
Nicotinamide does not.
Also, a far as cholesterol and niacin goes most experts believe that niacin sold in vitamin form isn't an acceptable substitute for prescription strength niacin.
The primary reason for this is that it takes a lot of niacin to reduce cholesterol levels.
Nevertheless, a deficiency in this important B vitamin can lead to symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, tension, depression, nausea, vomiting, headache, skin rashes, and tender gums.
Severe deficiencies cause pellagra, a disease whose symptoms include bad mannered visitors such as dementia, diarrhea, and dermatitis.
Niacin and cholesterol In various clinical trials taking doses of niacin up to 375 mg per day reduced total cholesterol levels by 10 percent, LDL (bad cholesterol) by 14 percent, and raised HDL (good cholesterol) by 25 percent.
In addition, niacin appears to dilate blood vessels improving blood flow through already clogged arties and reducing the chances of cholesterol buildup (plaque).
So why isn't everyone taking it? Niacin and cholesterol is delicate subject surrounded by much controversy.
It is affordable, proven to work, and can be used in addition to current medications but yet it only accounts for 5 percent of all prescription written.
The simple answer is side effects, specifically the chance of liver damage because of the high dosage requirements.
The more comprehensive list of possible side effects include reduced effectiveness of diabetes medicines, reduced effectiveness of gout/uric acid medications, reduced effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers, liver damage, and dizziness.
In summary, the subject of niacin and cholesterol is a complex one best discussed with your doctor.
It is also important to reiterate that niacin is a very important nutrient that is considered safe in low doses.
What Next? Lowering cholesterol, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as niacin, statins, or natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed.
Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol), decrease LDL (bad cholesterol levels) and reduce overall cholesterol levels to around 200 mg/dl or so.
Source...