Re: Niacin

 Been reading a lot lately about niacin and I am amazed at all it's wonderful benefits! In my zeal I bought 500mg niacin and popped one after a meal two days ago and about 20 minutes later turned beet red and felt like my face, neck and head caught fire! Went back to reading and found you should work up the dosage slowly! It was an unpleasant experience.

Since I have the caps already I opened one and put a 'pinch' of it into my OJ this morning. They say take it with food, take extra water or even a baby aspirin to minimize the flush. They say the non flush niacin doesn't have the same benefits and I believe that is what is in my B Complex because I've never had a flush from that.

I'd like some input here on experiences with niacin that anyone has had, etc. Most of the benefits I've read about from taking niacin are exactly things I need to work on for myself and I'd like my husband to take it too to reduce arterial plaque. But he's still on the drug thinners, a statin [supposedly for 'inflammation' since his cholesterol is very good already ... ahem] and 2 or 3 bp pills since his heart attack on April 12, 2011. Perhaps once he's weaned off those he can do niacin too?

There are different views on niacin.  One guy I used to work with swore that the niacin flush occurred because it was toxic to the liver.  Not sure where he go that information from, although I totally disagree anyway.

I am not a big fan of niacin regardless.  First of all taking individual B vitamins in large amounts is not a good idea to begin with since they can displace other B vitamins.  This is why I prefer people get their B vitamins from foods if possible so they are complexed, or as a B complex with B₁₂ sometimes taken separately sublingually to bypass absorption problems.

As for arterial plaque there are better choices.  It may lower cholesterol, which in theory has a minimal effect on reducing arterial plaque, but I have never seen any evidence that it actually removes arterial plaque.  Lecithin granules on the other hand also lowers cholesterol and removes arterial plaque while supporting the nerves, acetylcholine formation, methylation, the liver, etc.  Silica helps to prevent the formation of arterial plaque in the first place by strengthening arterial walls and reducing inflammation within them.  Sterol sources also help to lower cholesterol by biding it to block absorption or reabsorption, and they also help to reduce inflammation.   These are just a few of the things that can be done to address cholesterol and arterial plaque without the unpleasant side effects of the niacin and without causing imbalances of the B vitamin levels in the body.

As for blood thinners I would go with dan shen (red sage root), which prevents clots, dissolves existing clots and helps support the thyroid reducing inflammatory homocysteine, which is a major cause of heart disease.  Fish oil is also great for maintaining proper cholesterol levels, thinning the blood and reducing the inflammation that leads to the plaque formation.