Vitamine B3 voor goed cholesterol (HDL).*

Bijna alle behandelingen van te hoog cholesterol zijn gericht op het verlagen van de slechte cholesterol (LDL) en totaal cholesterol en niet op het verhogen van het goede cholesterol (HDL). Terwijl bij de verhoging van HDL met iedere mg/dl de kans op doodgaan door een hartziekte met 3% daalt. Een verhoging van 20 mg/dl betekent dus een lager risico van 60%. Uit analyse van meer dan 50 onderzoeken blijkt dat behalve regelmatig bewegen, niet meer roken en gewichtscontrole het beste resultaat geboekt wordt met extra Vitamine B3.

In an article published in an edition of the esteemed New England Journal of Medicine, 1 Johns Hopkins cardiologist, Roger Blumenthal, M.D., discussed the critical importance of raising HDL levels as a way of protecting against atherosclerosis. These findings are quite important because of the way we tend to medicate and "treat" cholesterol in this country. Almost all treatments to date, including the statins, primarily focus on lowering the LDL cholesterol rather than raising HDL cholesterol levels. Yet, Dr. Blumenthal indicates that for each milligram per deciliter increase in HDL, there is a considerable reduction in the chance of dying from a heart attack by three percent. In other words, by merely raising your HDL cholesterol by 20 points, you could possibly reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack by an incredible 60%. In this article, Dr. Blumenthal notes that he had reviewed 50 of the most significant articles that evaluated methods to raise HDL. He concludes that regular exercise, cessation of smoking and weight control through proper diet, coupled with reduced intake of high glycemic carbohydrates are all excellent ways to start. But in terms of therapeutic agents, he indicates that the B vitamin, niacin, appears to offer the greatest benefit for raising HDL levels by 20-35%.

Ashen MD, Blumenthal RS. Clinical practice. Low HDL cholesterol levels. N Engl J Med. 2005 22;353(12):1252-60.( Okt. 2005)