Niacin, or nicotinic acid has a healthy effect on the blood fats, which is important to the person with coronary artery disease. Niacin can lower the "bad" cholesterol in the blood, elevate the "good" cholesterol and decrease triglycerides.

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Nicotinic acid is also called niacin as well as vitamin B3.

While niacin is commonly used to treat a vitamin deficiency disease called pellagra, it is also known to be effective in lowering the cholesterol levels in the blood. Niacin is found naturally in meats, eggs milk and dairy products, and is not lost from the food during the cooking process.

 

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The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for an adult male is about 20 mg per day, while women should have 15 mg daily (unless they are breast feeding in which case they should have 20 mg daily as well). To treat pellagra doses in the range of 300 mg to 1000 mg are used. However, some people take much higher doses when using niacin to treat high cholesterol, as much as 3 grams a day (that's 3000 milligrams), and at that level side effects are common. These side effects include flushing, a redness of the skin especially the face and neck, and headaches.

Although niacin is available over the counter as a vitamin supplement, it should only be used under the supervision of a physician when high doses are required for cholesterol control.

Last Updated: May 1, 2000