Vitamin B3 Good for the Heart

CHICAGOVitamin B3, aka, niacin or nicotinic acid, reduced cardiovascular events and possibly decreased coronary and cardiovascular mortality in a meta-analysis of seven trials of secondary prevention (J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Mar 5).

Researchers from the Chicago Medical School reviewed the seven trials published on clinical cardiovascular disease outcomes in patients with prior coronary disease. They found the results to be inconsistent, so they performed a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effect of niacin on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease.

Using a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases was performed, seven studies with a total of 5,137 patients met the inclusion criteria. Compared to placebo group, vitamin B3 therapy significantly reduced coronary artery revascularization (P = 0.001), nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) (P = .000), stroke and transient ischemic attack (P = 0.012), as well as a possible but nonsignificant decrease in cardiac mortality (P= 0.066).

Previous studies have shown vitamin B3 raises the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) by about 30 percent to 35 percent, which may help prevent atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

Vitamin B3 is one of 8 B vitamins, and like all B vitamins, it helps the body to convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which produces energy. Dietary sources of vitamin B3 include beets, brewer's yeast, beef liver, beef kidney, fish, salmon, swordfish, tuna, sunflower seeds and peanuts. Additionally, bread and cereals are usually fortified with niacin. Vitamin B3 is available in several different supplement forms, including niacinamide, niacin and inositol hexaniacinate.