Statin Plus Niacin Brings CAD Progression to A ‘Standstill’ It’s amazing that a supplement such as niacin, which has been used for decades longer than any cholesterol lowering medication with less side effects, is still relatively unheard of. The levels of niacin used are several grams per day, and only certain companies offer products with […]
Very-low–dose niacin on HDL in patients on long-term statin therapy Remember that niacin is a well established (but hardly used) therapy for hypercholesterolemia. At therapeutic dosages (roughly 2-3 grams/day) the main side effect is skin flushing. This study uses low dose niacin (100 mg/day) to effect HDL levels. How about adding this to a natural […]
Back to my favorite topic. The statin class of drugs to lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks. Regular readers of the Rantings will know how I feel about this class of drugs. To sum it up, they suck at preventing a first heart attack. Without going into detail here, you can read an overview by […]
Withdrawal of Statins Increases Event Rates This study finds that when patients go off of their cholesterol lowering meds, the serum cholesterol bounces right back to pre treatment levels. In other words, in no way, shape, or form did the statin drugs change whatever was biochemically wrong with the patient. On the other hand, lifestyle […]
Effects of Diet and Simvastatin on Lipids, Insulin, and Antioxidants This studied evaluated the potentiating ability of a Mediterranean-type diet to a standard pharmaceutical regimine. The dietary changes in this study have some strong effects on certain risk factors for CVD. I would suggest dropping the simvastatin and adding exercise and possibly a natural cholesterol […]
