A typical, successful amount of niacin to reduce cholesterol is 3,000 mg a day, but there are certain precautions you should take.

Taking more than 1,000 mg of niacin a day can raise homocysteine levels, especially if niacin is not balanced by folic acid (400-1,000 mg a day), vitamin B6 (10-50 mg a day), and vitamin B12 (50-300 micrograms a day). If you take more than 1,000 mg of niacin daily, you need additional B vitamins.

There have been no trials of niacin for lowering cholesterol in persons who have not had a heart attack, but the Coronary Drug Project followed 8,000 men who had had a heart attack for eight years. Taking 3,000 mg of nicotinic acid every day resulted in:

* 10 per cent reduction in total cholesterol,
* 26 per cent reduction in triglycerides,
* 27 per cent reduction in the rates of second heart attacks, and
* 27 per cent reduction in the rates of stroke.

Follow-up over 15 years found that men who took nicotinic acid were 11 per cent more likely to still be alive at the end of the study.

Other studies of both men and women have found that taking niacin raises HDL levels and transforms LDL cholesterol from the sticky apo-A form to the lighter, less harmful apo-B form. Taking beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium, however, reduced the benefits of niacin.

If you do choose to use niacin/nicotinic acid to lower cholesterol, you should consult your doctor. That's because a number of things can go wrong when you take nicotinic acid in doses potent enough to have an effect on heart health:

* Like statin drugs, niacin sometimes damages the liver. Hepatitis has been observed from taking dosages as low as 500 mg a day for a period as short as two months, although most cases of liver damage occurred when the dosage was 3,000 to 9,000 mg for several years.
* Diabetics should not take high-dose niacin. The vitamin can reduce insulin sensitivity and raise blood sugars.
* Occasional side effects have included blurred vision, migraine, peptic ulcers, disturbances of heart rhythm, and gout.

And facial flushing with an outbreak around the nose resembling acne is very problem. A slower-release form of niacin, nicotinamide, does not cause flushing, but can aggravate diabetes and cause liver damage. Niacin may lower cholesterol levels for people who cannot or choose not to use statins, but niacin should always be used under professional supervision.


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The adage, "laughter is the best medicine", proves to be true when it comes to keeping heart attacks at bay. Recent studies conducted at a university in Baltimore show that people who always have a good laugh are less likely to have heart diseases. Further, people with heart diseases are found 40% less probable to laugh and become humorous compared to people to those without heart problems. If this is true, the very elixir that could solve a serious medical condition pertaining to the heart is found the very primordial act of laughing at really funny jokes.

A good belly laugh considered to be a form of exercise. It can serve as an "internal exercise because it provides a good cardiac stimulation and conditioning. This is especially important to those who don't have the time to exercise or do physical activities. Laughing also prevents hypertension because it lessens the likeliness of stress. It relaxes muscles and lessens the supply of dopamine in he blood, a hormone known to induce the fight or flight response.

Knowing all these, how can you practice the habit of laughing to keep heart attack away? Here are some ways.

1. Think of happy thoughts.

Keeping a light-hearted disposition is crucial in preventing heart attacks. Try to recall the things that you find funny. This may include a hilarious scene on TV, news or an event. Whenever stress starts keeping in, think about these situations can lower your stress and anxiety levels.

2. Engage in a healthy and entertaining conversation with close friends.

Doing this does not only produce some natural laughter, but also helps maintain good mental health. It gives a light feeling and relieves tension.

3. Watch funny movies and TV shows.

This is probably one of the easiest things to do to laugh. Immersing in the hilarity of others' propensity for funny antics is the ultimate way to turn off sadness and stress. The heart benefits a lot from the laughter you give out.

4. Read some really funny jokes.

Fortunately, there are lots of good sites on the internet that feature jokes and pranks that people can laugh at. When the feeling of heaviness of heart creeps in, don't wallow in misery. Taking care of the heart through laughing is very important.

5. Relax!

Don't pretend to have fun, but let laughter come naturally. It is also not advisable to be so serious about life. If there's a big hindrance on the road, don't lash out and go berserk. Relax and respond humorously to everyday life's situation. Think of positive things that could still induce some laughter amidst a stressful incident. Remember that most of the time, stress is only in the mind.

Nursing loneliness and anguish is the fastest way to a nasty and life-threatening heart attack. Don't treat your heart like you have another one in the bank in case what you have fails to beat. Nurture a happy disposition, laugh at really funny jokes, and smile to ensure a healthy heart.

A Computer Engineering student and loves to travel. Reading current news in the internet is one of his past times. Taking pictures of the things around him fully satisfies him. He loves to play badminton and his favorite pets are cats.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joel_Owens

Lower cholesterol levels are better. For about 40 years now, the Federal government and the top medical organizations in America have been promoting that message with fervent zeal. They have scared us with stories of fat clogged arteries, massive heart attacks and generally threatened us into lowering our intake of saturated fats and fats in general. The message is repeated constantly: eat more whole grains, vegetables and fruit, and avoid red meat and whole fat milk products.

And we have listened. On the advice of our physicians, millions of us have cut back on the fatty foods we enjoy, taken dangerous statin drugs, and eaten tons of vegetables to lower cholesterol levels. We eat so many vegetables that the demand has driven up the price, and today, many vegetables are more expensive per pound than meat.

And now, 40 years later, the results are in. What has been the outcome of our diligence and focus on lower cholesterol and dietary fat consumption?

Skyrocketing rates of disease. The United States, in spite of the fact that billions of dollars are spent each year on disease research, dietary education and health care, is one of the sickest nations in the industrialized world. Here are some of the facts:

* The US has higher heart disease mortality rates than many other developed nations. And they aren't just a little higher. For example, American rates are 55% higher than France's rates, even though the French eat 4 times more saturated fat. (World Health Organization statistics)
* The prevalence of diabetes in the US has skyrocketed, increasing by 200% since 1980. (CDC statistics)
* Huge sums of money have been spent on cancer research in the past 30 years, yet the US rates of cancer mortality have not diminished, and if the advances for treatment are factored in, it may have actually gone up. (CDC statistics)
* An estimated 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. This number has doubled since 1980, and is expected to be as high as 13.4 million by 2050. (CDC statistics)

In fact, the US adult mortality rate (AMR), which is defined as the probability of dying between the ages of 15 - 60 years, is higher than every other industrial nation. In 2006, the US AMR was 109/1000. This means that 109 Americans out of every 1000 died before the age of 61 because of a health issue or injury. To compare, the AMR in Italy is only 64 out of 1000. And in Japan, the AMR is a low 67. As you can see by just this simple statistic, something is very wrong.

In looking at the larger picture of disease in the US, one comes to realize a simple fact: as the US consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol have declined, the rates of disease related deaths have increased.

If you spend time reading about the causative factors associated with the diseases that plague us, at some point, you find that lower cholesterol levels are connected in some way.

* No longer can we say that high cholesterol levels cause heart disease. Research has shown there is no link. However, we can say that low levels of cholesterol contribute to increased inflammation in the body, which IS related to heart disease.
* We can also say that the high carb, low fat, low cholesterol diet recommended by the experts has contributed in a major way to the epidemics of diabetes and obesity in the US.
* Low cholesterol levels are being investigated as a causative factor in Alzheimer's disease. It seems that cholesterol molecules are needed to prevent brain cells from being destroyed by the oxidative processes associated with metabolism.
* In the first of several studies on cholesterol lowering drugs, researchers halted the trials when it was found that the treatment groups were experiencing higher rates of cancer.

The dietary advice promoted by our national health institutions and medical professionals has done more to harm the American public than any other factor over the past 40 years. Our hospitals and doctors' offices are overrun with people who have listened to these "experts".

So the burning question is this: If lower cholesterol levels are so good, why is our collective health so bad after 40 years of cholesterol lowering efforts?



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ellen_L._Davis