Hyla Cass, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Fibrinogen, another risk factor, was reduced by niacin, but was increased 6 to 9 percent by gemfibrozil. The authors concluded that 2,000 mg of Niaspan, a time-released form of niacin, had a better effect on fibrinogen levels than the statin.
Niacin comes in both immediate-release and timed-release forms. There are some side effects you should know about:
1. A common and troublesome side effect of niacin is flushing, which can be decreased by taking it during or after meals or by taking an aspirin thirty minutes prior. |
| Levels of a very heart-toxic blood fat, apolipoprotein (a), were significantly reduced (20 percent) by niacin, but were not altered by the drug used in the study (gemfibrozil, a fibrate drug). Fibrinogen, another risk factor, was reduced by niacin, but was increased 6 to 9 percent by gemfibrozil. The authors concluded that 2,000 mg of Niaspan, a time-released form of niacin, had a better effect on fibrinogen levels than the statin.
Niacin comes in both immediate-release and timed-release forms. There are some side effects you should know about:
1. |
| Levels of a very heart-toxic blood fat, apolipoprotein (a), were significantly reduced (20 percent) by niacin, but were not altered by the drug used in the study (gemfibrozil, a fibrate drug). Fibrinogen, another risk factor, was reduced by niacin, but was increased 6 to 9 percent by gemfibrozil. The authors concluded that 2,000 mg of Niaspan, a time-released form of niacin, had a better effect on fibrinogen levels than the statin.
Niacin comes in both immediate-release and timed-release forms. There are some side effects you should know about:
1. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |
 I recommend against taking time-release niacin supplements. These supplements are more likely than ordinary niacin to raise liver enzyme levels, which may indicate problems with normal liver function.
Dosage: For schizophrenia, take 3,000 mg of vitamin B3 and 3,000 mg of vitamin C daily. You can get the cholesterol-lowering effect of niacin (not niacinamide) by taking 1,000 mg daily.
Vitamin B6
Principal use: To reduce irritability, anxiety, tension, depression, premenstrual mood changes, and a "climbing the walls" feeling. |
Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
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 Supplements: niacin, the natural form of vitamin B,, is available in supplement form. When taken in dosages of over 100 mg, niacin can cause a very distinctive flushing, tingling, and redness that begins in the lower part of the body and moves up to the face, hands, and head. Niacinamide causes no flushing and is the form found in many modern supplements. Typical therapeutic dose: 50 to 100 mg daily.
Precautions: Liver enzymes may be affected when taking high doses of B3 or niacinamide. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |
| There are two common forms of vitamin B3: niacin and niacinamide.
The niacin form, which also lowers cholesterol, causes an intense tingling and a flush that lasts for about one hour. It feels like an allergic reaction, although it seems to bother some people less than others. I mention this reaction because people who take niacin may be frightened by the flush if they don't anticipate it. Some people actually like it because it increases circulation to the hands and the legs, resulting in a warming sensation. |
Gabriel Cousens
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 Enzymes that contain niacin play an important role in energy production and the metabolism of fat, cholesterol, and carbohydrates as a pre-hormone component in the sex and adrenal hormones, as well as a neurotransmitter precursor. niacin is part of the glucose tolerance factor as well. Using niacinamide has had significant effects in Type-l and Type-2 diabetes. There is some suggestion that niacinamide given within the first five years of the onset of Type-l may help ameliorate the effect. It has also been shown to reduce total cholesterol and triglycerides, and increase HDL levels. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 John: Or imagine somebody who takes a high dose of niacin, and he or she has never been told about the niacin flush. I mean, I have experienced the niacin flush, and the first time I ever experienced it I was alarmed by it. It is just somewhat shocking. Your face turns red as a beet, and you feel like you have the world's worst sunburn. That could scare a person.
Mike: You must have taken a lot of niacin.
John: Well I did, but I was also a patient of Carl Seifer's, so I called him. |
Gabriel Cousens, M.D.
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 As an example, let's take the case of a deficiency in the vitamin niacin. niacin participates in the enzymatic breakdown of sugar at several places in the energy production cycles. A deficiency of niacin slows down brain metabolism and therefore affects the creation of energy for brain function. It is well known that a niacin deficiency may result in pellagra. Pellagra has a variety of mental symptoms associated with it, including depression and anxiety. niacin is also needed for tryptophan metabolism. niacin deficiency has been implicated in some forms of schizophrenia. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Liver problems and gout have also been reported with niacin therapy.
4. The effect of high blood pressure medicines may also be increased while you are on niacin, so monitor blood pressure while adjusting to your new niacin regimen.
Dose: Start at 100 mg and gradually increase to an average daily dose of 1.5 to 3 grams (1,500-3,000 mg). Be sure to consult with your doctor and have him or her monitor your levels of cholesterol and liver enzymes if you wish to try this therapy. |
Steven V. Joyal
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 There are three forms of niacin available: nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, and inositol hexaniacinate. Nicotinic acid can decrease triglycerides and raise HDL cholesterol, but this requires high doses (typically 1.5 to 3 g daily), which can cause flushing and liver toxicity. (As a general precaution, anyone who takes more than 2 g of niacin daily or more than 500 mg at the same time as statins should undergo periodic liver function tests.) Nicotinic acid may also worsen glycemic control. |
Gabriel Cousens
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| These studies, and some performed thirty years later, sparked several human-based studies that have again demonstrated niacin's ability to not only prevent Type-l diabetes but, if given soon enough after diagnosis, to slow the progression of and sometimes even reverse the disease, restoring pancreatic function to the point that insulin is no longer required.86
Niacinamide has been shown to be effective in preventing the development of diabetes in high-risk children. Researchers divided a group of high-risk children into two groups; fourteen were given niacinamide and eight were not. |
Jack Challem
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| These supplements are more likely than ordinary niacin to raise liver enzyme levels, which may indicate problems with normal liver function.
Dosage: For schizophrenia, take 3,000 mg of vitamin B3 and 3,000 mg of vitamin C daily. You can get the cholesterol-lowering effect of niacin (not niacinamide) by taking 1,000 mg daily.
Vitamin B6
Principal use: To reduce irritability, anxiety, tension, depression, premenstrual mood changes, and a "climbing the walls" feeling. |
Hyla Cass
See book keywords and concepts |
| Liver problems and gout have also been reported with niacin therapy.
4. The effect of high blood pressure medicines may also be increased while you are on niacin, so monitor blood pressure while adjusting to your new niacin regimen.
Dose: Start at 100 mg and gradually increase to an average daily dose of 1.5 to 3 grams (1,500-3,000 mg). Be sure to consult with your doctor and have him or her monitor your levels of cholesterol and liver enzymes if you wish to try this therapy. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
| John: Or imagine somebody who takes a high dose of niacin, and he or she has never been told about the niacin flush. I mean, I have experienced the niacin flush, and the first time I ever experienced it I was alarmed by it. It is just somewhat shocking. Your face turns red as a beet, and you feel like you have the world's worst sunburn. That could scare a person.
Mike: You must have taken a lot of niacin.
John: Well I did, but I was also a patient of Carl Seifer's, so I called him. |
Barnet Meltzer, M.D.
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 VITAMIN B3: NIACINAMIDE, THE NERVE PROTECTOR
There are two components of vitamin B3: niacin and niacinamide. niacin contains enzymes that aid carbohydrate metabolism at the cellular level. It is an indispensable part of NAD and NADP enzyme systems, which guarantee that carbs are efficiently converted into fuel. Niacinamide has a Valium-like impact on nerves. A diet deficient in vitamin B3 can cause the malnutritive condition pellagra, in which brain function deteriorates and ultimately ends in dementia. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |
| Note: The niacin form of vitamin B3 causes a flushing sensation that lasts about one hour. Niacinamide does not cause this flush.
Silymarin. This antioxidant extract of the herb milk thistle helps liver function, which may be impaired after long-term alcohol abuse. Take 100 to 300 mg daily.
Kudzu. This herb (Pueraria lobata) may decrease the desire for alcohol, leading to a reduction in alcohol intake. Take 1,000 mg three times daily.
Chromium picolinate. This supplement can improve glucose tolerance. Take 500 meg twice daily.
Probiotics. |
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2001)
Inositol hexaniacinate
This is a special formulation of the basic vitamin niacin that avoids the flushing of conventional niacin and has fewer serious side effects. It has been used in Europe for the past thirty years to lower cholesterol. Inositol is related to the B group of vitamins and is used to improve nerve function in diabetics. Because of its role in cell-membrane function, it has also shown beneficial effects for depression and general neurological function. The dose is 500 mg taken three times a day with meals. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| The effect of high blood pressure medicines may also be increased while you are on niacin, so monitor blood pressure while adjusting to your new niacin regimen.
Dose: Start at 100 mg and gradually increase to an average daily dose of 1.5 to 3 grams (1,500-3,000 mg). Be sure to consult with your doctor and have him or her monitor your levels of cholesterol and liver enzymes if you wish to try this therapy.
Sterols
Plant sterols are extracts of certain plants that, when ingested, interfere with the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. |
Elaine Magee
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 The Environmental Nutrition newsletter reports that the preferred form of nicotinic acid is by prescription as Niaspan, an extended-release pill that's less likely to cause niacin's infamous flushing of the skin and is safer for the liver. These foods are also good sources of niacin.
Chicken, white meat (13.4 mg/3.5 oz)
Ground beef (5.3 mg/3.5 oz)
Mackerel (10.7 mg/3.5 oz)
Peanuts (5.3 mg/1/4 c)
Trout (8.8 mg/3.5 oz)
Pork (about 4.8 oz/3.5 oz)
Salmon (8 mg/3.5 oz)
Chicken, dark meat (6.5 mg/3.5
Veal (about 8 mg/3.5 oz)
Peanut butter (4.4 mg/2 Tbsp)
Lamb (6.6 mg/3. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |
| You can get the cholesterol-lowering effect of niacin (not niacinamide) by taking 1,000 mg daily.
Vitamin B6
Principal use: To reduce irritability, anxiety, tension, depression, premenstrual mood changes, and a "climbing the walls" feeling.
What else you should know: Vitamin B6 (also called pyridoxine and pyridoxyl-5-phosphate) may be the single most important B vitamin in terms of mood and behavior. B6 works with folate, vitamin B12, and tryptophan to make serotonin. |
Hyla Cass
See book keywords and concepts |
| The effect of high blood pressure medicines may also be increased while you are on niacin, so monitor blood pressure while adjusting to your new niacin regimen.
Dose: Start at 100 mg and gradually increase to an average daily dose of 1.5 to 3 grams (1,500-3,000 mg). Be sure to consult with your doctor and have him or her monitor your levels of cholesterol and liver enzymes if you wish to try this therapy.
Sterols
Plant sterols are extracts of certain plants that, when ingested, interfere with the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |
| Note: Although the niacin form of vitamin B3 causes an intense flush, niacinamide does not.
Magnesium. A mild deficiency of magnesium has been associated with anxiety. In addition, a lack of magnesium increases blood levels of lactate, which is associated with anxiety. Take 400 to 600 mg daily of magnesium citrate or magnesium citrate malate, in divided doses with meals. If you develop loose stools, decrease the dose slightly.
GABA and L-theanine. Gamma aminobutyric acid is one of the body's key relaxing neurotransmitters. |
Hyla Cass
See book keywords and concepts |
| The effect of high blood pressure medicines may also be increased while you are on niacin, so monitor blood pressure while adjusting to your new niacin regimen.
Dose: Start at 100 mg and gradually increase to an average daily dose of 1.5 to 3 grams (1,500-3,000 mg). Be sure to consult with your doctor and have him or her monitor your levels of cholesterol and liver enzymes if you wish to try this therapy.
Sterols
Plant sterols are extracts of certain plants that, when ingested, interfere with the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. |
J. Douglas Bremner
See book keywords and concepts |
 Vitamin B3, or niacin (Niaspan), yet another cholesterol-lowering option, is found in a number of plants. A deficiency of this vitamin causes pellagra, which is associated with diarrhea, skin inflammation, and dementia. niacin does lower cholesterol. However, it is associated with a number of side effects, including flushing (a sudden rushing of blood to the face accompanied by a feeling of heat in the face that can be very uncomfortable), which limit its use. |
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2001)
Inositol hexaniacinate
This is a special formulation of the basic vitamin niacin that avoids the flushing of conventional niacin and has fewer serious side effects. It has been used in Europe for the past thirty years to lower cholesterol. Inositol is related to the B group of vitamins and is used to improve nerve function in diabetics. Because of its role in cell-membrane function, it has also shown beneficial effects for depression and general neurological function. The dose is 500 mg taken three times a day with meals. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |
 It reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
• niacin, 500 to 1,000 mg daily. In addition to lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, this particular form of vitamin B3 raises the "good" high-density lipoprotein form of cholesterol. Note: Taking niacin causes a flushing sensation, in which you will turn beet red for about one hour. Some people find the reaction very uncomfortable, although it does ease with daily use.
• Sytrinol, 150 mg, once or twice daily. |
Steven V. Joyal
See book keywords and concepts |
| As a general precaution, anyone who takes more than 2 g of niacin daily or more than 500 mg at the same time as statins should undergo periodic liver function tests.) Nicotinic acid may also worsen glycemic control.
Nicotinamide may be effective in supporting blood sugar levels and may prevent the development of diabetes in certain high-risk groups, although trial results so far have been mixed. Inositol hexaniacinate is less likely to cause flushing, but it does not have the potent lipid-regulating qualities of nicotinic acid. |
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