Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

What Is It?

Also known as Vitamin B3, niacin has earned a reputation (in supplement form) as a natural cholesterol-lowering agent that often rivals prescription drugs in mild to moderate cases. It may also help to prevent or treat a number of other disorders, from arthritis and depression to diabetes.

Normally, the body manages to absorb enough niacin from foods to carry out basic functions, working on the cellular level to keep the digestive system, skin and nerves healthy. This vitamin is also critical to releasing energy from carbohydrates and helping to control blood-sugar levels.

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Health Benefits

Control cholesterol

Unlike most prescription cholesterol-lowering medications, which simply lower levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides, niacin also raises levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. As a result, this vitamin may prove more potent than conventional medicines in ultimately reducing the risk for a heart attack (and death from a heart attack). In a recent study of people with high cholesterol, niacin not only reduced LDL and triglycerides by 17% and 18%, respectively, but it also increased HDL by 16%.

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When taken at doses greater than the RDA, niacin confers an array of health benefits.

Niacin:

* Increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) by 20-35%. No other available over-the-counter treatments, and very few drugs, are as effective.

* Decreases small low-density lipoprotein (small LDL) particles. Small LDL is an important yet underappreciated cause of heart disease. Niacin is the most effective agent known for correcting this abnormal pattern.

* Decreases triglycerides by 30%. Niacin is especially effective when taken with fish oil (at doses of 4000 mg a day, providing 1200 mg of EPA/DHA).

* Decreases very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles.

* Decreases lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). No other treatment approaches the power of niacin to reduce the genetically determined pattern of high Lp(a), which is among the most serious risk factors for heart disease.

* Decreases low-density lipoprotein (LDL), usually by 20-40 mg/dL, or 5-25%.

Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells. Fewer fatty acids are passed through to the liver, resulting in fewer VLDL particles. Less VLDL leads to less small LDL and higher HDL. Niacin also improves endothelial function and nitric oxide synthase activity.

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Prevent complications from heart disease.

Niacin may not only lower cholesterol, it may thereby lower a persons risk of cardiac complication overall. As levels of LDL rise, so does a person’s chance of heart attack, stroke, and the disability caused as a result of these conditions. Niacin has been shown to reduce the risk of adverse cardiac event and mortality in patients who suffer from atherosclerosis. In a study of 8, 341 men conducted from 1966-1974 niacin was the only lipid lowering agent shown to reduce the rate of cardiac event and mortality. Niacin has also been shown to work effectively with statin drugs commonly prescribed for this condition. Findings have also shown niacin to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease when combined with exercise and a low-fat diet in an at risk population.

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Reduction in death and myocardial infarction

In the well-known HDL-Atherosclerosis Treatment Study (HATS), 160 participants were given niacin and simvastatin (Zocor®) or a placebo. Compared to the placebo group, the group receiving niacin and simvastatin experienced a 90% reduction in death and myocardial infarction over three years. In other words, coronary events were nearly eliminated. Although the study sample was small, its results are striking. By comparison, statin drugs alone typically reduce heart attack risk by 25-35%. The 90% reduction achieved in the HATS trial thus is truly remarkable.

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Combat Raynaud's disease and other circulatory problems.

Niacin improves circulation by relaxing arteries and veins, and disorders characterized by circulation difficulties may benefit as a result. In those suffering from Raynaud's disease, for example, niacin's ability to improve blood flow to the extremities may counter the numbness and pain in the hands and feet that occurs when blood vessels overreact to cold temperatures. The calf-cramping and other painful symptoms of Intermittent claudication, another circulation disorder, may lessen under the vessel-relaxing influence of niacin as well.

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Ease symptoms of arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The anti-inflammatory properties associated with niacinamide may help in calming joint Inflammation, a frequent cause of rheumatoid arthritis pain.

In a double-blind, 12-week study, osteoarthritis sufferers who received niacinamide supplements reported less inflammation and greater joint flexibility than other participants who were given a Placebo. The niacinamide group also required less conventional anti-inflammatory medication to relieve their customary pain and swelling.

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Treat the conditions that contribute to type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is often a condition that also effects those with high cholesterol and heart disease. Until recently, researchers were not certain if niacin was safe for use by those with type 2 diabetes. Current results confirm that niacin is a safe and effective treatment that may benefit the conditions, like high cholesterol and heart disease that exacerbates type 2 diabetes.

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