Re: Try to use herbs to lower your cholesterol

From: CuriousKitten (cur10usk1tt3n_at_spamproof-yahoo.com)
Date: 12/17/04 

Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 07:43:04 -0500

there are other "flush free" forms of niacin that are reported to
retain it's cardo-vascular benefits. Inositol hexanicotinate readily
springs to mind, and is so main-stream it's available at Wal-Mart
(that's where I got mine :-))

GMCarter wrote:

> On 17 Dec 2004 01:30:37 GMT, jamie@spam-me-silly.net (jamie) wrote:
>
> snip
>
>>Niacin in reasonable moderation is not a help for high cholesterol.
>>When it's used for treating high cholesterol, it's very high doses,
>>up in the disrupt-liver-function range, and can cause liver damage
>>if using the wrong form and not monitored by a doctor.
>
>
> Niacinamide is a form that people use to avoid flushing/itching
> reactions niacin can cause. However, it has NO benefit for
> dyslipidemia. Niacin doses ranging from 1 gram to 8 grams per day have
> been used in clinical studies. The NEJM had a good article on slowly
> ramping up the dose, and that usually offsets the flushing response
> but not always. Sustained release forms may be problematic for
> hepatotoxicity.
>
> Other agents of interest for lipid dyscrasia management include
> policosanols (sugar cane wax derived), pantethine, possibly carnitine,
> fish oils and yes, a variety of other agents. Addressing diet and
> exercise is really key, tho.
>
> George M. Carter
>
> **
> Guyton JR. Extended-release niacin for modifying the lipoprotein
> profile. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2004 Jun;5(6):1385-98.
>
> Duke University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Durham, North
> Carolina, USA. john.guyton@duke.edu
>
> Niacin (nicotinic acid) favourably modifies all aspects of the
> lipoprotein profile; it raises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
> (HDL-C) levels, lowers triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein
> cholesterol (LDL-C) and lipoprotein(a) levels and reduces atherogenic
> small, dense LDL particles. One large monotherapy trial and multiple
> trials of niacin in combination with other lipid-modifying drugs show
> remarkable consistency in the ability of niacin to improve
> angiographic and clinical outcomes. In practice, however, the use of
> regular, immediate-release niacin (niacin IR) has been limited by the
> side effect of flushing. Sustained-release (SR) formulations,
> developed in order to reduce flushing, were found to cause serious
> hepatotoxicity at varying frequencies. Extended-release niacin (niacin
> ER; Niaspan), Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) is a prescription formulation
> of niacin, administered once-daily at bedtime. Niacin ER is as
> effective in modifying lipoprotein levels as an equal daily dose of
> niacin IR and it causes less flushing. In addition, niacin ER
> administered once-daily is not associated with the increased
> hepatotoxicity reported with SR formulations. Niacin ER has been
> studied extensively in combination therapy with statins, including
> lovastatin in a recently introduced combination tablet. Myopathy has
> not been a substantial problem in statin/niacin ER combination
> therapy. Finally, a study of niacin ER given to diabetic patients
> showed only mild trends towards increased glycosylated haemoglobin
> concentrations and a need for additional antidiabetic medication.
> Thus, niacin ER represents an effective and safe option in the
> management of low levels of HDL-C and other lipoprotein abnormalities
> in a variety of settings.
>
> 

-- 
the CuriousKitten
cur10usk1tt3n@ spamproof yahoo.com
    Don't let the African Violets on the window sill fool you.

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