New research into vitamins and herbs that lower cholesterol, has turned up great results using niacin, a common supplement found in multivitamins and B-complex stress tab formulas. Many people take niacin as part of a healthy skin, nails and hair regimen, but it has recently been shown to benefit your cardiovascular system and cholesterol levels as well.

What is niacin? Niacin is the technical name for vitamin B-3. If you buy B-complex vitamins or B vitamins marketed under the “stress tab” label, you are getting niacin. If you don’t, that is the easiest way to add niacin to your diet. Be sure and read the labels – some B-complex vitamin supplements also contain thiamine (good for you) and iodine (not necessarily good for everyone). If you have a thyroid condition, you want to ask your doctor before you add iodine to your vitamin regimen.

According to recent studies, niacin was instrumental in raising HDL cholesterol levels as much as 25%. Not only did niacin raise good cholesterol, it helped with other risk factors in cardiovascular disease as well. Niacin was given in doses of 375 milligrams or higher throughout the study. It raised HDL cholesterol levels, lowered triglyceride levels, lowered levels of apolipoproteins (a risk factor in heart disease) and fibrinogen, and lowered over all stress levels in the control group.

The study found that niacin in high doses (greater than 375 milligrams) can cause your skin to looked flushed or rashy, and make you itch. Other than that it is relatively side effect free at any does, with enough benefits to make it worth looking into as a supplement in your cardiovascular and cholesterol health reginmen.

One thing to note is that niacin alone can interact with insulin therapy for diabetics. An alternative form of niacin that won’t interfere with your insulin treatments is called niacinimide. In doses up to 3 grams this has been shown to be safer for insulin dependent diabetics. Be sure to check with your doctor before including niacin in your supplement regimen if you suffer from insulin dependent diabetes.

If the benefits to your cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health haven’t convinced you to add niacin to your routine, perhaps the external benefits will be enough to get you started. Niacin is a key component in the health of you hair, skin and nails. If you suffer from thin or fragile hair, brittle nails and dry skin adding niacin can help. Niacin will help hair break less easily, especially if you use it with other supplements and add more water to your diet. A triple attack on your brittle hair and nails and dry skin with niacin, water and calcium will often work wonders in approving your appearance.

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