Niacin
Niacin-
is a potent Growth Hormone releaser.
Niacin
is a B vitamin.
Niacin
is effective in the support of lowering cholesterol levels; essential for
food metabolism and the release of cellular energy; vital for oxygen transport
in the blood and fatty acid and nucleic acid formation.
Niacin
is also a Coenzyme.
Niacin
increases circulation and enhances memory.
The
role of niacin in detoxification
Niacin opens blood
vessels wider. Niacin, when used properly, offers benefits in terms of
cholesterol reduction, as well as for detoxification. People with high
cholesterol levels should see improvements once they follow the proper
diet of raw foods, preferably through a good juicing program, along with
the proper healing fats in their diet. However for people who don't respond,
it would seem that niacin would be a far safer and less expensive alternative
to the statin drugs, which have their serious complications.
Niacin is a water-soluble
B vitamin – vitamin B3 - and the common name for 2 very different compounds:
"nicotinic acid" and "niacinamide". High doses of niacin (as nicotinic
acid) can lower cholesterol levels (although the exact mechanism of action
is still not known). The other form of niacin (nicotinamide or niacinamide)
does not open blood vessels wider nor provide a cholesterol-lowering effect.
Niacin and detoxification
of fatty tissues
There are many 'detoxification programs'
on the internet, but few of them acknowledge the significant fact that
many toxins are stored in FATTY TISSUES. Until that fact is acknowledged,
one can not develop a procedure for removing toxins from THAT location.niacin
and fatty tissue Until the Ron Hubbard detoxification program was developed,
no one had even yet recognized that these oil soluble toxins had such long-term
effects in the body.
An important characteristic of the Hubbard detoxification
program is the use of niacin. Niacin has the well-known effect of causing
"vasodilation", often called the niacin flush, which is an opening of the
small blood vessels, the capillaries, so that more blood flows through
them. These are the blood vessels which are of most value in reaching fatty
tissues. In this way the toxins which are stored in these fatty tissues
can be removed, into the bloodstream, and processed out of the body. However,
niacin is also made in the form of niacinamide - a form of vitamin B3 which,
deliberately, is manufactured so that it will NOT cause dilation of the
blood vessels - the flush so well known when using plain niacin. A detoxification
program which features the use of niacinamide and also claims to improve
blood circulation would be based on false science.
Some detoxification
programs don't even recognize that the toxins they claim to be removing
are stored in fatty tissues. The idea of removing these toxins by some
procedure which does not include niacin is not practical. The
niacin "flush" It's important to note that this niacin flush is not
harmful or dangerous. Some people worry about it, but it is actually a
sign of improved blood flow. When you get
the niacin "flush", it's an indication that the niacin is causing small
blood vessels in your body to be expanded in size. Many of your small blood
vessels, called "capilaries" are so small that blood cells can only go
through them in single file. Sometimes, in fact, that small capilary passageway
is clogged and blood doesn't get through at all.
While the large organs of the body all have blood
supplied from large arteries, a great deal of your body, particularly the
parts near the skin, get their ONLY supply of blood (therefore also of
oxygen and nutrients) from these small capillaries.
The niacin causes these small capilaries to expand
- so they might be able to carry 2 or 3 blood cells at the same time. This
is a tremendous increase in blood flow. You experience this as a
"flushing" of the skin, simply because there is more blood close to the
surface of the body. As the blood flows in these areas, the cells of the
small capilaries will also be getting rid of their waste products, and
often they produce 'histamine' as part of this process. That histamine
is another natural substance produced by every cell in the body when a
cell is under attack, or is eliminating toxins. Histamine causes an 'itchy'
feeling.
Cardiovascular benefits of niacin
The cardiovascular
benefits of niacin have been studied in several major clinical trials (1-5).
The primary cardiovascular measures such as cholesterol and triglyceride
levels, strokes and heart attacks are all significantly reduced with niacin
therapy (sometimes used alone and sometimes used along with other drug
therapy). Overall, the use of niacin (nicotinic acid, but not the other
form called "niacinamide") to treat or prevent high levels of blood cholesterol
and triglycerides and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease is well
substantiated. In a large number of clinical trials, niacin has been shown
to consistently lower total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol - by about 20%
- and triglycerides - by 10 to 25%, while increasing levels of HDL (“good”)
cholesterol - by 15 to 25%.
Niacin Safety
There are several precautions which one needs
to implement however when one uses niacin. Niacin usually has a "flush
effect" - which is not harmful - associated with it which is very similar
to the hot flashes women experience during menopause. Niacin supplements
are available in regular and “timed-release” forms. Timed-release versions
of niacin have been made available to avoid this "flush" effect. The problem
with most TIMED-RELEASED niacin is that they are associated with a high
degree of liver problems.
The timed-release forms of nicotinic acid are intended
for a prolonged release of niacin during its 6-8 hour transit time in the
intestines, but timed-release niacin is also associated with greater toxicity
and safe doses are only about half of normal-release forms of niacin.
In the high doses
used for controlling cholesterol levels (anything above 100mg/day), nicotinic
acid can cause skin flushing and skin itching as well as headaches, lightheadedness
and low blood pressure. The niacinamide form of niacin does not cause these
side effects, but it is not effective in reducing cholesterol levels, so
it is seldom taken in such high doses. The slow-release versions of niacin
supplements have the potential for causing liver damage (even at “lower”
doses of 500mg/day) - so blood tests to monitor for liver damage are recommended
and high-dose niacin supplementation should only be undertaken under the
guidance of a natural physician. Anyone with liver disease, including those
who consume more than 2 drinks of alcohol daily, should not take high-dose
niacin.
Niacin is cheap, so its effectiveness
in reducing cholesterol levels may be an inexpensive solution to reducing
a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. When monitored properly
by a natural physician, niacin therapy can be almost as effective as the
popular (and expensive) statin drugs for lowering cholesterol and triglyceride
levels. Niacin may be the most cost-effective lipid-lowering agent currently
available.
Niacin dosing is usually started at the low-end
(100mg/day), with increasing doses of 250mg each week until blood lipid
levels start to normalize (or side effects develop). Side effects are usually
minimized by increasing the dosage slowly to the common therapeutic range
of 1000-1500mg/day. Niacin doses should be divided into 2-3 separate daily
doses, or no more than 500-750mg per individual dose).
References
1. Capuzzi DM,
Guyton JR, Morgan JM, Goldberg AC, Kreisberg RA, Brusco OA, Brody J. Efficacy
and safety of an extended-release niacin (Niaspan): a long-term study.
Am J Cardiol. 1998 Dec 17;82(12A):74U-81U.
2. Cunningham
JJ. Micronutrients as nutriceutical interventions in diabetes mellitus.
J Am Coll Nutr. 1998 Feb;17(1):7-10.
3. Gardner
SF, Marx MA, White LM, Granberry MC, Skelton DR, Fonseca VA. Combination
of low-dose niacin and pravastatin improves the lipid profile in diabetic
patients without compromising glycemic control. Ann Pharmacother. 1997
Jun;31(6):677-82
.4. Goldberg AC. Clinical trial experience with
extended-release niacin (Niaspan): dose-escalation study. Am J Cardiol.
1998 Dec 17;82(12A):35U-38U.
5. Greenbaum CJ, Kahn SE, Palmer JP. Nicotinamide's
effects on glucose metabolism in subjects at risk for IDDM. Diabetes. 1996
Nov;45(11):1631-4.
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