Assorted foods -- beets, tuna and peanuts, for instance -- contain niacin and some foods such as poultry and eggs contain tryptophan, an amino acid that converts to niacin in your body. Dietary sources of niacin help you convert carbohydrates to fuel and metabolize fats and proteins. Taking large doses of over-the-counter niacin supplements or prescription-strength niacin may improve hypertension. But risks may outweigh benefits so talk to you doctor before adding high levels of niacin to your diet.
Niacin Dose and Use
A healthy diet includes 14 to 16 mg of niacin. Niacin helps improve the health of your skin, eyes and hair, promotes healthy liver function and helps make stress and sex hormones. Over-the-counter formulas of niacin, also known as vitamin B, may come in strengths of more than 100 mg and doctors may prescribe niacin in amounts of 500 to 2,000 mg or more. Niacin proves beneficial in treating conditions related to hypertension -- high cholesterol and hardened arteries -- and may lower blood pressure. But niacin may not protect you against heart attacks and strokes, the most serious consequences of hypertension.
Heart Attacks and Strokes
In May 2011, the National Institutes of Health announced the early end to a study involving more than 3,400 persons at high risk for developing cardiovascular disease. All persons in the study took statins, a cholesterol-lowering drug. Half also took 2,000 mg of niacin daily. The combination therapy helped participants lower their triglycerides, an artery-clogging fat, and elevate their high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol that eliminates triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein from your system. But improved cholesterol numbers did not correlate with improved heart health. The persons who took niacin suffered as many heart attacks -- and more strokes -- than persons who took only statins.
Other Risks
Taking niacin poses additional risks, including stomach ulcers and liver disease. Niacin may also cause skin flushing, a condition that causes your face and chest to redden, burn and tingle. The American Heart Association does not include niacin on a long list of medications to treat hypertension. If your doctor doesn't recommend niacin to treat your hypertension, don't take it on your own. The fact that niacin may lower blood pressure doesn't outweigh the risks of self-medicating with a potentially dangerous supplement.
Diet and Lifestyle Remedies
If you want to take safe steps to lower blood pressure, make changes to your diet and lifestyle. A diet low in fat and sodium and high in fiber and potassium can help. Limit saturated fat to 16 g per day and trans fat to 2 g a day. Include no more than 1,500 mg of sodium in your diet. Men should include 38 g of fiber and women 25 g in their daily diets and persons of both genders should aim to include 4,700 mg of potassium in their daily diets, according to the American Dietetic Association. If you drink alcohol, limit consumption to one or two drinks a day. Include at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise in your near-daily routine. If you smoke, stop.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B 3 (Niacin); June 18, 2009
- Medline Plus: Niacin and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
- National Institutes of Health: NIH Halts Clinical Trial on Combination Cholesterol Treatment; May 26, 2011
- CBC News; Niacin Trial For Heart Disease Stopped Early; May 27, 2011
- American Heart Association; Types of Blood Pressure Medications; May 2, 2011
- American Dietetic Association, Eat Right: Health Implications of Dietary Fiber, 2008
