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A new study suggests that a common vitamin called niacin may increase the risk of heart disease, but there is no need to completely eliminate it from the diet and researchers say further regulations are needed. states that it is possible.

important facts

High levels of niacin can cause inflammation, damage blood vessels and increase the risk of heart disease, suggested a study published Monday in Nature Medicine.

The researchers investigated two different study populations. One group is approximately 1,200 patients being evaluated for heart disease, and the other group is more than 3,000 patients with or suspected of having heart disease who have confirmed high levels of 4PY. Ta. Broken down niacin substances are associated with the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other harmful cardiac events.

One in four study participants took too much niacin and had high levels of 4PY. The study found that injecting mice with 4PY increased inflammation in the rodents’ blood vessels.

Niacin, or vitamin B3, is a vitamin commonly found in common multivitamins and foods such as beef, pork, fish, chicken, flour, bananas, some cereals, nuts, seeds, and bread, and was previously It was widely used to treat high cholesterol. Harvard University TH Chan School of Public Health.

The recommended daily amount of niacin for adult men is 16 milligrams, adult women 14 milligrams, pregnant teens and women 18 milligrams, and breastfeeding teens and women 17 milligrams.

Niacin is so common in the Western diet that most Americans get enough niacin from food and don’t need to take it in supplements, the study says.

important quotes

“The main conclusion is not that you should completely stop taking niacin; that’s not a realistic approach,” said lead author and director of cardiovascular and metabolic sciences at the Lerner Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. Stanley Hazen said in a statement. “Given these findings, there will be a debate as to whether continuing mandates to fortify flour and grains with niacin in the United States are justified.”

Main background

In the 1940s, scientists discovered that niacin deficiency caused a fatal malnutrition called pellagra and began adding the vitamin to foods such as flour and cereals, according to the National Institutes of Health. Approximately 3 million Americans were affected by pellagra, and 100,000 died between 1907 and 1940. Doctors began using niacin to treat patients at high cardiovascular risk and lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but a recent study found that the vitamin had disappointing results. . Therefore, the researchers concluded that there was no beneficial effect for patients already taking cholesterol-lowering statins. Previous research has shown that even though niacin lowered cholesterol levels, some patients who took the vitamin continued to have strokes and heart attacks, suggesting a link between niacin and inflamed blood vessels. It was done. The complex relationship between niacin and heart health has puzzled scientists for years. “Although niacin lowers cholesterol, the clinical effects have not always been as great as expected based on the degree of LDL reduction,” leading to the idea that niacin excess has “undefined” side effects. They connected, Hazen said. However, the researchers believe the new findings better explain this relationship and “why investigating residual cardiovascular risk is so important.”

tangent

According to the Mount Sinai Health System, niacin is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it is not stored in the body. High niacin levels can cause headaches, diarrhea, gout, dizziness, blurred vision, diabetes, increased heart rate, upset stomach, itching, liver damage, and flushed skin. Serious side effects become more common when you take 2,000 to 6,000 milligrams of niacin per day.

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