In his book "The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth," Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., a clinical nutrition specialist, lists niacin as one of the best very dietary supplements to combat high cholesterol. As with any dietary supplement or over-the-counter medication, consult your health care provider before using niacin.
General Information
Niacin is vitamin B3, part of a group of 8 water-soluble B vitamins. B vitamins help your body turn carbohydrates into energy. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University reports that niacin is naturally abundant in foods such as meat, poultry, tuna, salmon, vitamin-fortified cereals, legumes and seeds. Dr. Bowden explains that niacin has a "long and impressive resume" of helping manage blood cholesterol levels, which is a key element of your cardiovascular health. It is also helps your body manufacture certain sex- and stress-related hormones. Niacin is generally sold as a pressed tablet or in capsule form.
Requirements and Recommendations
If you are using niacin as a dietary supplement to reduce cholesterol, Dr. Bowden recommends taking 300 mg three times a day. If you are taking niacin as inositol hexanicotinate, you should take 400 mg three or four times daily. These dosages may seem pretty high considering the following recommendations, but remember, niacin is a water-soluble vitamin that is not stored in your body. The University of Maryland Medical Center states the daily recommended allowances for niacin. If you are a teenage boy or a man 14 years or older, you require 16 mg of niacin daily. If you are a teenage girl or a woman 14 years or older, you require 14 mg of niacin daily.
Niacin and Cholesterol
According to Bonnie J. Brehm, Ph.D., a registered dietitian at the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati, niacin can lower your low-density lipoprotein, LDL or "bad," cholesterol and raise your high-density lipoprotein, HDL or "good," cholesterol level. Niacin performs fairly similarly to prescription cholesterol-lowering medications called "statins" but is available over the counter. Dr. Bowden reports that niacin raises HDL by an average of 45 percent and lowers LDL by an average of 54, promoting a significantly lessened risk of heart disease. A 2002 study in the "American Heart Journal" found that supplementing with niacin while taking a statin further lowered LDL levels and increased HDL levels in persons with premature heart disease.
Considerations
Dr. Brehm reminds us that niacin is only a dietary supplement, and cholesterol levels are most greatly influenced by dietary habits and lifestyle. If your lifestyle is inactive or sedentary and your diet is full of trans fatty acids, saturated fat and simple sugars, no medication or dietary supplement will truly have a significant effect in lowering your risk factors for heart disease. Improving your overall health, including your lipid profile and cholesterol numbers, may require significant dietary and lifestyle changes.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Niacin
- "The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth"; Dr. Jonny Bowden; 2008
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
- Net Wellness: Rising Interest in HDL - The "Good Cholesterol"; Bonnie J. Brehm, Ph.D RD.; Jun 3 2009
- "American Heart Journal"; Effect of Very Low-Dose Niacin on High-Density Lipoprotein in Patients Undergoing Long-Term Statin Therapy; Wink et al.; May 2002
