NIACIN TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL

Report #7279

Many doctors do not appreciate that the inexpensive vitamin, niacin, can be used safely to lower high blood levels of both cholesterol and triglycerides.

Having high blood levels of either cholesterol or triglycerides increases your chances of suffering a heart attack. Most drugs used to prevent heart attacks lower either cholesterol or triglycerides, but not both. Niacin is the exception, but many doctors do not prescribe that safe vitamin because the patients suffer terrible itching and burning and their skin becomes red around 45 minutes after they take it. You can prevent this reaction by taking the time-release capsule at the end of a meal and taking one adult aspirin a day. It doesn't matter when you take the aspirin and taking two aspirins are not more effective than one (1).

Niacin can cause abnormal liver function tests, high blood sugar levels and muscle pains. If you take niacin, you should have blood drawn for liver function tests every 6 to 8 weeks. You can usually prevent high blood sugar levels by restricting foods made from flour such as bread, pasta, bagels, cookies and white rice, and you should do that anyway if your blood levels of triglycerides or cholesterol are high. The muscle pain associated with taking niacin is usually associated with exercise.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News