High-density lipoprotein -- HDL or "good" cholesterol -- helps to protect you against cardiovascular disease. It pulls two artery-clogging lipids -- low-density lipoprotein, also known as LDL or "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides out of your bloodstream. Niacin can help you raise your HDL levels, but non-prescribed versions of no-flush niacin may prove ineffective.
Healthy HDL Levels
Aim to keep your HDL cholesterol higher than 60 mg/dl -- milligrams per deciliter of blood. For women, HDL levels below 50 mg/dl put them at greater risk for heart attacks and strokes and. For men, HDL levels below 40 mg/dl make them more susceptible. Women past menopause and persons who are overweight, don't get adequate exercise, or have type 2 diabetes may find it difficult to keep their HDL cholesterol at optimal levels. Some types of niacin may help you raise your HDL levels.
No-Flush Niacin
You can purchase niacin -- vitamin B-3 -- without a prescription. If you purchase regular types of over-the-counter niacin, it will work as well as the same dose of niacin prescribed by a doctor. But a no-flush version of niacin that you buy at drugstores and health food stores are made differently than no-flush, sometimes called timed-release, niacin, available by prescription. Over-the-counter versions of no-flush niacin may not work to elevate HDL cholesterol or to lower triglycerides or LDL cholesterol. (See References 2,3)
Skin Flushes
You may want to take no-flush niacin because regular niacin often causes an unpleasant side effect -- your face and chest turn red and your skin may tingle, itch or burn. Try taking aspirin 30 minutes before a dose of regular niacin or gradually increase your dose of regular niacin to prevent or alleviate flushes. If you want to try no-flush niacin, ask your doctor for a prescription. Prescription-strength timed-release niacin proves effective in improving HDL levels. Your doctor can also help monitor other, more serious side effects, that taking niacin may cause.
Considerations
Niacin can cause stomach ulcers and liver damage. No-flush niacin -- both prescription and over-the-counter formulas -- may increase your risk of liver damage. Although taking large doses -- 500 mg to 2,000 mg daily -- of niacin will likely improve your HDL levels, it may not protect you from heart disease. In May 2011, the National Institutes of Health halted a five-year study 18 months prematurely after persons who took 2,000 mg of niacin daily suffered as many heart attacks -- and twice as many strokes -- as persons who did not take niacin. Participants who took niacin had better HDL levels, but the improvement did not correspond to better cardiovascular health.
References
- MayoClinic.com; High Cholesterol: Tests and Diagnosis; June 24 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B 3 (Niacin); June 18, 2009
- Medline Plus: Niacin and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
- MayoClinic.com; High Cholesterol: Lifestyle and Home Remedies; June 1, 2011
- National Institutes of Health: NIH Halts Clinical Trial on Combination Cholesterol Treatment; May 26, 2011
