Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.
When it comes to lowering cholesterol, the pharmaceutical companies have attempted to duplicate nature and created a drug called Niaspan®. Niaspan® is a prescription time-released form of niacin.
For over half a century niacin or vitamin B3 has been found to be good for lowering cholesterol and increasing the good cholesterol, HDL.
In fact, all depending on the deficiencies a person may have, niacin has been studied to work for other health conditions like depression, leg pain, angina, memory loss, schizophrenia, energy, peripheral vascular disease, and much more.
One of the best non-prescription niacin products is a product by the Carlson company called Niacin-Time .
One of the downsides to niacin is its ability to cause an uncomfortable flushing of the skin. However, the product Niacin-Time has a special natural wax-matrix that makes the tablet sustained-release, so you get a continuous benefit from it for over 5-7 hours with very little to no flushing. Studies have shown that the dropout rate from flushing for the prescription form, Niaspan®, was 25% while Niacin-Time was 3%.
By far, Niacin-Time (Carlson’s) is superior to Niaspan® and it’s much cheaper and does not require a prescription.
Niacin-Time has the following stats that show its effectiveness in the battle against heart disease:
• lowers cholesterol 16%
• lowers LDL-C 21%
• lowers Lp (a),
• raises HDL 29%
• lower triglyceridess 26%
Even better news is the fact that Niacin-Time has been shown to even reverse coronary vascular lesions.
Even better news is the fact that Niacin-Time has been shown to even reverse coronary vascular lesions.
Although niacin has been clinically tested to help in lowering cholesterol, it is important to remember that the cause of high cholesterol is usually multifactorial and you should not depend on only one nutrient. Most people have other deficiencies and may also have increase levels of toxins which play a role in elevating one’s cholesterol.
While using Niacin-Time is a good beginning, I recommend having your physician or health care provider order the comprehensive Cardio/ION test to help in identifying and correcting any underlying deficiencies.
In conclusion, the nonprescription Niacin-Time is without a doubt the best clinically proven form of B3, and far better compared to the commonly prescribed form, Niaspan®.
The dose to start with is one Niacin-Time 500 mg two or three times a day and move it to four times a day if needed.
References:
Elam MB, et al, Effect of niacin on lipid and lipoprotein levels and glycemic control in patients with diabetes and peripheral arterial disease, J Am Med Assoc, 284:1263-70, 2000
Rogers Sherry, Total Wellness, Prestige Publishing, February 2011
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Carlson L A, et al, Pronounced lowering of the serum levels of lipoproteins Lp(a) in hyperlipidemic subjects treated with nicotinic acid, J Intern Med 226:271-76, 1989
Gardner SF, et al., Combination therapy with low-dose lovastatin and niacin is as effective as higher-doses lovastatin, Pharmacother, 16:419-23, 1996
Whelan AM, et al, The effect of aspirin on niacin-induced cutaneous reactions, J Fam Pract 34; 2:165-68, 1992
Brown GE, et al., Regression of coronary artery disease as a result of intensive lipid-lowering therapy in men with high levels of apolipoprotein B, New Engl J Med, 323:1289-98, 1990
Keenan JM, et al, Niacin revisited, a randomized, controlled trial of waxed-matrix sustained-release niacin in hypercholesterolemia, Arch Intern Med 151: 1424-32, 1991
Aronov DM, et al, Clinical trial of wax-matrix sustainedrelease niacin in a Russian population with hypercholesterolemia, Arch Fam Med 5: 567-75, 1996
Altschul R, et al, Influence of nicotinic acid on serum cholesterol in man, Arch Biochem Biophys 54:558-9, 1955