Study: Boosting Good Cholesterol With Niacin Did Not Cut Heart Risks

salvorhardin

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 07:42 PM
Original message

Study: Boosting Good Cholesterol With Niacin Did Not Cut Heart Risks

In a surprising setback, a big federal study testing prescription-strength niacin as an add-on to cholesterol-lowering statins to prevent heart disease was stopped early because the niacin didn't work.

Plus, more patients taking the drug Niaspan had strokes than those who got a placebo. That potential safety issue was another factor in the decision to halt the study 18 months early, doctors involved with the research said in a media conference call Thursday.

Niacin is the most effective treatment for raising HDL, or good cholesterol. And the study aimed to find out if raising HDL and lowering triglycerides (another consequence of niacin treatment) in addition to using a statin to control LDL, or bad cholesterol, would lead to better outcomes for patients.

The answer: Niaspan didn't reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes. There were 5.6 such events per year for the group that got placebo � compared with 5.8 per year for those who got Niaspan.

Full article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/05/26/136678665/study-boosting-good-cholesterol-with-niacin-did-not-cut-heart-risks

Refresh | 0 Recommendations

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

MannyGoldstein

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 07:46 PM
Response to Original message

1. Ooops - that's a big surprise

Lots of cholesterol studies have surprising results.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

salvorhardin

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 07:52 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. Yeah, but this is the third big study to show no benefit to increasing HDL

This may well turn out to be something the scientific consensus was spectacularly wrong about. Of course, the fact that we're now getting lots of data that contradicts the consensus is more evidence that science is really good at self-correction. In any case, we'll have to wait and see what further studies end up showing.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

bemildred

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 07:53 PM
Response to Original message

3. Dang, there goes another "old wives tale". nt

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

Kingofalldems

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 07:59 PM
Response to Original message

4. Does this mean patients should stop taking it?

I take it and it definitely raised my good cholesteral, along with giving me the creeps sometimes.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

salvorhardin

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 08:09 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. That's why they were using it in this study

Edited on Thu May-26-11 08:11 PM by salvorhardin

Niacin is really good at raising HDL so it was a natural choice for this big of a study. I don't know how much the risk of stroke was raised over placebo, but it was one of the factors in ending it early so...

Unless you have pellagra, you're probably getting all the niacin you need but if I were you I'd talk with my doctor first. No one on DU, save for two people I know of and I'm not one, is qualified to give health advice. Further they'd be idiots to do so blindly on a public forum.

I posted this because it was interesting and it may be a good example of where scientific consensus is shifting. The latter happens all the time, but usually not on something thought so reliable and rarely do we see consensus reverse itself dramatically.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

elfin

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 08:03 PM
Response to Original message

5. Took timed release niacin for a few years

It "worked" for my scores, but was a pain, given that even the time released version would cause flushing and discomfort.

Finally switched to lipitor.

Best results this year with a change in diet (more veggies and fruits and grilled chicken and fish). Also more walking. But the doc says stay on lipitor for a bit more until my scores improve even more.

Don't like what I am learning about Niaspan. They are making a ton of ads recently, which also raises my suspicions.

Know lipitor has its own problems, but so far, working for me.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

elocs

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 08:18 PM
Response to Original message

7. Good news. My LDL is very low, but my HDL is a little low as well.

Although my doctor has never suggested anything to improve it.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

zazen

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 08:30 PM
Response to Original message

8. elevated HDL can actually have paradoxical atherogenic effect

Edited on Thu May-26-11 08:30 PM by zazen

"HDL and cardiovascular disease: atherogenic and atheroprotective mechanisms"
http://www.nature.com/nrcardio/journal/v8/n4/full/nrcardio.2010.222.html

"Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2001 Feb;21(2):282-8.
Atherogenic role of elevated CE transfer from HDL to VLDL(1) and dense LDL in type 2 diabetes : impact of the degree of triglyceridemia."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11156866

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

customerserviceguy

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 09:06 PM
Response to Original message

9. I'll admit

I've always had a problem with the concept of "good cholesterol", it sounds too much like "smart Republicans"!

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

Celebration

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu May-26-11 10:11 PM
Response to Original message

10. back to basics

Exercise, fish oil, showers alternating hot/cold water, infrared saunas, turmeric, etc., oh, did I say EXERCISE????

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

golfguru

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri May-27-11 12:45 AM
Response to Original message

11. Take it from me....the best medicine for heart health is.....

Edited on Fri May-27-11 12:52 AM by golfguru

Aerobic exercise 15-20 minutes 5 times a week.
My cholesterol is high, my HDL is low, my LDL is high!
But with regular exercise, I never had a heart problem!
I do watch my weight and avoid getting fat. But I enjoy
eating red meat, pizza, kosher hot dogs, and Indian food.
So exercise is a must to keep metabolism high and weight under control.
I was a young teen when Sir Edmund conquered Mt. Everest.
So I am no spring chicken lol.

And it also pays to inherit good genes. My mother lived
to be over 100.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Wed May 01st 2024, 07:46 AM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.