Niacin for high cholesterol carries death risk
Jul-17-2014

A major international study out Wednesday found that niacin does not reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in people with high cholesterol, but it does boost the risk of death.

Therefore, most people should not take the widely used supplement, also known as vitamin B3, according to an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine that was published along with the results of the randomized trial.

Niacin has been gaining in popularity over the past 50 years and works mainly by raising "good" HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels.

However, a four-year study on people aged 50-80 with high cholesterol found no benefit toward cutting the rate of heart attack or stroke.

The study included 25,673 people, all of whom were already taking statins to reduce their cholesterol. In addition, some were taking extended-release niacin and laropiprant (a drug that reduces face flushing caused by high doses of niacin). Others were randomly assigned to a placebo.

Research sites included Britain, China and Scandinavia.

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