OBJECTIVE Niacin potently lowers triglycerides, mildly decreases LDL-cholesterol, and largely increases HDL-cholesterol. Despite evidence for an atheroprotective effect of niacin from previous small clinical studies, the large outcome trials, AIM-HIGH and HPS2-THRIVE did not reveal additional beneficial effects of niacin (alone or in combination with laropiprant) on top of statin treatment. We ...

Although the biosynthesis of niacin in Neurospora and mammals has been elucidated in a general way, the pathway by which this vitamin is formed in plants has remained obscure. An increase in the niacin content of cereals during germination has been observed (1). Winterstein and Trier (2) suggested that niacin is derived from proline, whereas Guggenheim (3) proposed ornithine as a precursor. Fol...

OBJECTIVE Extended-release niacin effectively lowers plasma TG levels and raises plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, but the mechanisms responsible for these effects are unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined the effects of extended-release niacin (2 g/d) and extended-release niacin (2 g/d) plus lovastatin (40 mg/d), relative to placebo, on the kinetics of apolipoprote...

INTRODUCTION Niacin is underutilised because of flushing. Lack of a quantitative tool to assess niacin-induced flushing has precluded the objective evaluation of flushing associated with extended-release (ER) niacin formulations. We developed the Flushing Symptom Questionnaire((c)) (FSQ), a quantitative tool to assess patient-reported flushing, and assessed its ability to characterise ER niacin...

Niacin (nicotinic acid) is the most effective agent for raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and can improve the entire lipid panel in patients with dyslipidemia. Niacin-containing regimens are among the few treatments studied for dyslipidemia that have both elicited significant reductions in atherosclerotic progression (by angiography or imaging) and also significantly reduced (...

BACKGROUND Niacin reduces coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality when taken either alone or in combination with statins; however, the incremental impact of adding niacin to background statin therapy is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS This was a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study of once-daily extended-release niacin (1000 mg) added to background statin therapy in 167 patien...

A total of 80 day old British United Turkeys were subjected to four dietary treatments at varying levels of niacin + yeast. Each treatment had 20 birds of 4 replicates with 5 birds in each replicate. Niacin + yeast (240 ppm niacin + 1.5g/kg yeast and 200 ppm niacin + 1.5 g/kg yeast, at the starter, grower, and finisher phase) showed significant effect on body weight gain, serum Low Density Lipo...

BACKGROUND Anecdotal animal and human studies have implicated the symptomatic and neuroprotective roles of niacin in Parkinson's disease (PD). Niacin has a high affinity for GPR109A, an anti-inflammatory receptor. Niacin is also thought to be involved in the regulation of circadian rhythm. Here we evaluated the relationships among the receptor, niacin levels and EEG night-sleep in individuals w...

The mechanism by which the potent drug niacin decreases apoB-containing atherogenic lipoproteins and prevents coronary disease is unclear. Utilizing human hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells as an in vitro model, we have examined the effect of niacin on intracellular degradation of apoB and the regulatory mechanisms involved in apoB processing. Niacin significantly increased apoB degradation in a dose...

AIMS To determine the effects of niacin on adiponectin and markers of adipose tissue inflammation in a mouse model of obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS Male C57BL/6 mice were placed on a control or high-fat diet (HFD) and were maintained on such diets for the duration of the study. After 6 weeks on the control or high fat diets, vehicle or niacin treatments were initiated and maintained for 5 we...