Vitamin B3--A Powerful Ally In
Your Fight Against Cholesterol
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May 22, 2010
By Louise Carr, Contributing Columnist
High cholesterol is a chronic health problem in America,
affecting more than 102 million people, according to
estimates from the American Heart Association. Now,
research has found that a common vitamin --Vitamin B3--
might just be the stealth weapon we all need to get our
cholesterol under control. Vitamin B3, also known as niacin,
comes in two forms, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, both of
which are found in food. Vitamin B3 or niacin is a
water-soluble vitamin. You need it in your diet every day
because the body cannot store it and will dispose of it in
urine.
Vitamin B3 is found in many foods including yeast, meat,
fish, milk, eggs, green vegetables, and cereal grains. The
vitamin helps our bodies produce energy from food, it keeps
the nervous and digestive system in good condition and it
has one other vital function --- Vitamin B3 can help you
lower your cholesterol levels.
Niacin (Vitamin B3) can be used to reduce the levels of
cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood. We all have
cholesterol, in every cell in our body, but it causes problems
when high levels of the substance build up to cause fatty
deposits. Eventually these fatty deposits block the arteries,
stopping oxygen-rich blood from getting to the heart and
the brain.
High levels of cholesterol can cause heart attack and stroke.
Niacin reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises good
cholesterol (HDL) in the blood. Large trials in the 1970s, in
particular a six-year study of more than 1,100 people, found
that niacin significantly decreased total cholesterol, LDL
cholesterol and triglycerides and it raised good HDL
cholesterol levels by up to 35 percent.
How Much Vitamin B3 Do You Need to Take to Lower
Cholesterol?
When considering your intake of Vitamin B3 as part of a
normal healthy diet, the Food Standards Agency
recommends 17mg a day for men and 13mg a day for
women, gained from foods. The Food and Nutrition Board
recommends a maximum of 6,000mg daily (either along or
combined with other agents) as a treatment against
cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association
advises that supplemental niacin should be monitored by a
medical professional for optimum results. Start with a low
dose such as 50mg three times a day and increase to 100mg
three times a day.
A 2000 study from the Archives of Internal Medicine
(Guyton, et al) compared an intake of niacin to
pharmaceutical drug gemfibrozil (Lopid). The study looked
at 399 male and female subjects who had low levels of good
HDL cholesterol and triglycerides less than 400mg/l. Levels
of niacin were increased over the course of the study to
peak at 2,000mg nightly for eight weeks. 2,000mg of niacin
increased HDL levels by over 25 percent compared to an
increase of 13.3 percent with gemfibrozil.
Adding niacin to a second drug such as a statin may increase
the cholesterol-fighting effects. In a 2001 study published in
the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers
discovered that combining niacin with the
cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin improved the clinical
outcome among 160 patients with coronary heart disease
and low levels of good HDL cholesterol. The study was
conducted over three years, beginning with 250mg of
slow-release niacin twice a day, increased to 1,000mg twice
a day over four weeks.
Here's the amazing news. The combined therapy using
Vitamin B3 reduced the rate of major cardiac events by 90
percent compared with patients taking a placebo. The
combined treatment also increased levels of HDL cholesterol
by 26 percent and the effects were greater than those from
simvastatin on its own. You should discuss adding Vitamin
B3(niacin) to statin medication with your health provider as
there may be side effects that you can avoid through proper
medical supervision.
Foods Rich in Vitamin B3
The best sources of Vitamin B3 tend to come from foods that
are also rich in protein. In general, meat and fish products
are better sources of the vitamin than plants. Red meat is
high in Vitamin B3. An 85g serving of lean beef contains
14.9mg of niacin.
Beef liver and kidney are also good providers. Poultry such
as chicken and turkey are good sources. Half a breast of
chicken contains 14.7mg while half a duck has 11.2mg. Fish
too; swordfish is rich in Vitamin B3 with 12.5mg per piece
and half a fillet of halibut provides 11.3mg. A similar sized
salmon fillet has 10.3mg. 3oz of canned tuna (in water)
contributes 11.2mg to your daily intake.
Yeast is particularly high in Vitamin B3. The best form is
brewers, or bakers, yeast which contains 2.8mg per 7g
serving.
Certain breakfast cereals and breads are fortified with
Vitamin B3. Fortified breakfast cereals contain between 19 to
20mg on average per serving. One cup of wheat flour
contains 10.3mg. Removal of bran in the milling process to
produce white flour reduces the niacin content of this food
when compared to the whole wheat variety.
The body also makes niacin from an amino acid called
tryptophan. Foods that are a good source of tryptophan
such as eggs, milk, cheese and yoghurt also boost your
levels of Vitamin B3.
Further good sources of the vitamin include potato (one
jacket potato has 4.4mg) and whole wheat pasta (150g
cooked weighs in at 3.5mg of niacin).
Finally, Vitamin B3 (niacin) has shown promising results in
improving poor circulation generally throughout the body.
Just remember to check with your doctor first, if you are
using medications for high blood pressure or high
cholesterol.
You're just getting started. Learn more about the
relationship between your diet and your risk for other
diseases and conditions: Complete List of Foods That Lower
Cholesterol / Amaranth-Cholesterol Fighting Grain /
Spirulina- Astronaut Space Food That Can Lower Your
Cholesterol / Fish Oil Health Benefits / Salmon Health
Benefits/Bad Circulation -Top 10 Causes and Remedies /
Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics/How to Lose Weight After
Menopause/Best Breakfast to Fight Arthritis/ Health Dangers
of Milk / Lose Weight by Lowering Thermostat / Lose Belly
Fat After the Baby/ Foods That Shrink Your Waist/ Drinking
Cold Water Burns Calories / Six Pack Abs-A Guided Tour
/Top 10 Foods That Fight Anemia / How Much Is Too Much
Salt? /Sugar-The Disease Connection / Are Diet Sodas Bad
for Your Health? / Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics / Ideal
Breakfast for Arthritis /Healing Foods Links / Foods That
Shrink Your Waist / / VLDL-The Other Cholesterol/ Foods
That Reduce Blood Pressure
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