As you reach higher cholesterol levels, it becomes increasingly important to do something about it. Vitamin B-3, or niacin, can provide a subtle remedy to high cholesterol problems if it is consumed regularly over a multi-week time period. Vitamin B-3 offers a more natural approach to high cholesterol levels than many prescribed drugs do and can be obtained more easily than a prescription drug.
Vitamin B-3 Lowers Cholesterol
Niacin has been used since the 1950s to reduce LDL, or bad cholesterol. Not only will niacin lower your bad cholesterol level, but it will increase your HDL, or good cholesterol levels, more effectively than most of the other cholesterol-reducing medications on the market.
Niacin Foods
Vitamin B-3 can be obtained naturally from a number of different everyday food sources. A few of the foods that are high in niacin include beets, salmon, swordfish, tuna and sunflower seeds. Many other foods contain tryptophan, which the body converts into niacin. A few of these foods are eggs, poultry and dairy products. By including these various foods into your diet, you won't need to take any vitamin B-3 supplements.
Dangers of High Cholesterol
High cholesterol levels can create a number of different health risks in individuals. As cholesterol builds up in the blood, scar tissue and plaque form on artery walls. This is known as atherosclerosis. The plaque deposits will narrow the artery width, hindering proper blood flow. The arteries can also break open, then get clogged by the blood clot that tries to repair the break. When the arteries become clogged, you are at risk for a stroke or heart attack.
Niacin Side Effects
When niacin is taken in very large doses -- 50 mg or higher -- it can cause some serious side effects. The side effect experienced most often is known as "niacin flush," a burning sensation you feel in your skin accompanied by a red flushing of the skin. In less-common cases, stomach ulcers can form, and you can even get liver damage. These side effects are why it is important never to exceed the daily dosage recommendations for niacin.
Daily Niacin Dose Recommendations
If you are administering niacin to an infant between birth and 6 months, you should not exceed 2 mg per day. Between 7 months old and 1 year old, do not give more than 4 mg of niacin each day. Between 1 and 3 years, a child should receive 6 mg, while a child who is 4 through 8 should be given 8 mg. Children between 9 and 13 should not take more than 14 mg of niacin each day.
Men 14 and up should take 16 mg of niacin a day.
Women 14 and up should take 14 mg of niacin a day, unless they are pregnant or breastfeeding. A pregnant woman should take 18 mg of niacin a day, and a breastfeeding woman should take 17 mg of niacin each day.
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