Does adding niacin to statins shrink artery gunk better?
MRI-measured regression of carotid atherosclerosis induced by statins with and without niacin in a randomised controlled trial: the NIA plaque study
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Niacin significantly raised HDL and lowered triglycerides—but had zero meaningful impact on plaque regression.
For decades, HDL was called 'good cholesterol' and assumed to protect arteries. This study shows raising it with drugs doesn’t translate to real-world benefits.
Practical Takeaways
If you're over 65 with heart disease, stick with your statin. Don’t waste money on niacin supplements hoping to shrink plaque.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Niacin significantly raised HDL and lowered triglycerides—but had zero meaningful impact on plaque regression.
For decades, HDL was called 'good cholesterol' and assumed to protect arteries. This study shows raising it with drugs doesn’t translate to real-world benefits.
Practical Takeaways
If you're over 65 with heart disease, stick with your statin. Don’t waste money on niacin supplements hoping to shrink plaque.
Publication
Journal
Heart
Year
2013
Authors
C. Sibley, A. Vavere, I. Gottlieb, Christopher Cox, Matthew B. Matheson, A. Spooner, G. Godoy, V. Fernandes, B. Wasserman, D. Bluemke, J. Lima
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Claims (5)
Statins do not induce significant regression of established atherosclerotic plaque but reduce plaque progression and enhance plaque stability by lowering LDL cholesterol exposure to arterial walls.
For older adults with hardened arteries who are already taking statins to lower their bad cholesterol, adding a common supplement called niacin doesn’t make the plaque in their neck arteries shrink any more than statins alone—even though it raises their good cholesterol.
Even without niacin, statins alone can shrink plaque in the neck arteries of older adults with heart disease, as long as their bad cholesterol is kept low.
Niacin can raise good cholesterol in older heart patients, but even though it does that well, it doesn’t help shrink artery plaque any more than statins alone.
Niacin helps lower triglycerides more than statins alone in older heart patients, cutting them from 1.5 to 1.0 mmol/L, while statins alone only lower them a little.