The Wall Street Journal reported a recent study, comparing the vitamin Niacin made into a drug, Niaspan, and Zetia, a cholesterol absorption blocking agent used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood.  Although there were only 208 patients, the vitamin showed a decrease in the plaque size in the neck arteries, while Zetia showed no change.  Niacin also increases HDL while lowering LDL and triglycerides, all very favorable for health.  The problem with niacin has always been the side effect flushing, which dropped more people out of the study than the side effects to Zetia.  The huge flushing side effect was augmented by the extremely large doses of 2 grams per day that were given-most people can tolerate lower doses much better, and still get a positive effect over time.

Merck is sponsoring an 18,000 patient study to determine if Zetia prevents heart attacks or other events.  Those results will be available in a few years.  One gram of Niaspan costs about $4.50, a daily recommended amount.

My comments:  This is a fascinating study from many aspects.  Niacin has been known to reduce LDL and triglycerides for years, but is just now going to be recommended because of a small study comparing it to Zetia.  Even though Zetia is not known to reduce heart attacks or other events, it has been used and on the market for years.

The daily cost of Niaspan is huge compared to the few cents per day cost of vitamin Niacin over the counter.  Watch for a big cost difference between vitamins as we know them today, and when the pharmaceutical industry produces and markets them.  It continues to be unfortunate that the pharmaceutical industry can market their drugs, with the extreme bias many of their studies have, while the supplement industry cannot release well-documented research in its marketing.

Although total cholesterol levels have nothing to do with vascular and heart disease, increasing HDL and decreasing LDL and triglycerides will have positive effects on health.   Unfortunately, even with this study on niacin, and multiple studies in the past, statins continue to be the number one choice of the medical profession to reduce total cholesterol levels.  Cholesterol levels and heart disease-it is still one of the biggest frauds on the American people today.